Does My Small Business Need a Website?
Yes — if customers ever look for what you sell, you need a website. A Simple Site costs from £500, is online in 1-2 weeks, and gives you one place on the internet you fully control: how your business looks, what it says, and how people contact you.
The Honest Caveat
A website is not magic. It is a tool, and tools need jobs.
If every customer you will ever need already knows you, books out months ahead purely on word of mouth, and never checks anything online before buying, you can survive without a website. Plenty of businesses do.
But that is rare. For most small businesses — trades, cafes, shops, B&Bs, service companies — new customers do look you up before they call. And the ones who cannot find you usually never become customers at all. You do not get to hear about the work you lost.
Why It Matters More Now
Your website is the only place online where you set the rules. Social platforms decide who sees your posts and can change the deal overnight. Directories list you next to every competitor and charge for the privilege. A website is yours — your domain, your content, your prices, your contact details, presented exactly how you want them.
It is also where people confirm you are real. A Facebook page from 2023 with three posts does not build confidence. A clean, current website with photos, an address, and a working contact form does.
There is a newer reason, too: people increasingly ask AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude to recommend local services — a plumber, a café, a venue. Those assistants draw on what they can read online, and a business with no website of its own is largely invisible to them. Building your site so both humans and AI tools can read it is the whole thesis behind haldev studio.
What a Website Actually Does
Day to day, it earns its keep in boring, practical ways.
What It Costs to Get One
Fixed prices, agreed before the build starts.
A £500 Simple Site covers most small businesses: 3-5 pages, mobile-first design, a contact form, Google Maps, and basic SEO. A Business Site with a CMS starts at £1,000, an Online Shop at £2,000, and custom web apps at £3,000+. Typically £5-£15/month, plus a domain at about £10/year. No monthly retainer.
Want the full breakdown? Read how much a small business website costs in the UK or how long a website takes to build.
Questions
Does my small business need a website?
If customers ever search or ask for what you sell, yes. A website is where people check you are real, see what you offer, and find how to contact you, and it is the one place online that you fully control.
Isn't a social media page enough?
Social media is useful, but you do not control it. Platforms decide how your business appears, limit who sees your posts, and can change the rules overnight. A website is yours: your domain, your content, your rules.
Do people still use Google to find local businesses?
Yes, and increasingly they also ask AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude to recommend local services. A website built to be readable by humans and AI tools means you can be found either way.
How much does a small business website cost?
A Simple Site starts at £500. A Business Site with a CMS starts at £1,000, an Online Shop at £2,000, and custom web apps at £3,000+.
How long does it take to get online?
A Simple Site usually takes 1-2 weeks from the first conversation to launch, depending on how quickly content and approvals come back.
Got a project in mind?
Tell me what you need and I'll let you know if I can build it, how long it'll take, and what it'll cost. No obligation.