If you've ever asked a web designer "how much does a website cost?", you've probably heard some version of "it depends." And while that's technically true, it's not particularly helpful when you're trying to plan a budget.

So here's a straight answer — what websites actually cost in Chester in 2026, what affects the price, and where the hidden fees tend to lurk.

What Chester Web Designers Typically Charge

We looked at what other Chester and Cheshire web designers are quoting in 2026. Here's the picture:

Service	Typical Chester Price	Porkenpence
Brochure website (5–10 pages)	£1,500–£3,500	From £499
E-commerce store	£3,000–£8,000+	From £1,499
Web application	£5,000–£10,000+	From £1,200
Monthly hosting	£75–£200	From £29
Monthly maintenance	£75–£150	From £49
SEO audit	£500–£1,500	From £499

That's not a typo. A professional, mobile-friendly brochure website from Porkenpence costs less than a third of what most Chester agencies charge — and it runs on AWS, not shared hosting.

The reason we can do this isn't because we cut corners. It's because we're a small team with low overheads, we don't rent a glass-fronted office on Watergate Street, and we use modern tools that let us build faster without sacrificing quality. Every penny you're not paying for is overhead you shouldn't be subsidising.

What You Get for £499

Our entry-level build isn't a template with your logo slapped on it. It's a custom-designed, mobile-first website built on modern infrastructure. That includes:

Clean, responsive design that works on every device
AWS hosting with SSL encryption and health monitoring
Basic SEO setup — proper metadata, fast load times, Google indexing
Contact form and analytics
Full ownership of the code — no lock-in, no proprietary platforms

If you need more pages, e-commerce, or custom functionality, the price goes up — but we'll scope it properly and quote you a fixed price before any work starts.

Ongoing Costs: Hosting

Every website needs somewhere to live. The price depends on how much you need from it.

Plan	Price	Best For
Starter	£29/mo	Small business sites and landing pages
Business	£59/mo	Growing businesses — includes backups, database, and 10,000 emails/mo
Professional	£99/mo	High-traffic sites, web apps, and portals

Every plan runs on AWS — the same infrastructure behind Netflix and Airbnb. That means proper uptime (99.9% SLA), SSL included, and health monitoring as standard. It's a different league from the £3/month shared hosting that most budget web designers use, and your visitors will notice the difference in load times.

Most Chester agencies charge £75–£200/month for hosting that doesn't come close to this spec. Some don't even tell you what you're getting — just a line item on the invoice.

Ongoing Costs: Maintenance

You can manage your own updates if you want to — we won't lock you into a support contract. But if you'd rather not think about security patches and content changes, we offer support plans:

Basic (£49/mo) — security updates, uptime monitoring, 1 hour of content changes
Standard (£99/mo) — 3 hours of changes, priority support, performance monitoring
Premium (£199/mo) — 8 hours of changes, same-day support, quarterly strategy reviews

No long-term contracts. Rolling monthly, cancel with 30 days' notice.

What About SEO?

A website that nobody finds isn't much use. Every site we build includes solid SEO foundations — fast load times, clean code, proper metadata, and mobile-first design. That's included in the build cost, not an add-on.

If you want to go further:

One-off SEO audit — from £499. Full technical review, keyword research, competitor analysis, and a prioritised action plan. Or try our free website audit to get a quick snapshot first.
Monthly SEO retainer — from £499/mo (Essentials) to £1,999/mo (Performance), depending on how aggressively you want to grow.

Hidden Costs to Watch For

Not every web designer is upfront about pricing. Here are the extras that catch people out:

"Free" website, expensive hosting — some providers offer a free build but lock you into £100+/month hosting with a 24-month contract. Do the maths.
Stock photography — premium images can cost £10–£50 each. We'll tell you upfront if stock images are needed and what they'll cost.
SSL certificates — some hosts charge £50–£100/year for something that should be free. Ours are included on every plan.
Email setup — often quoted separately. We offer professional email from £8/month.
Content writing — most quotes assume you'll provide all the text. If you need copywriting, ask about it before you sign anything.
Redesign lock-in — some agencies build on proprietary platforms so you can't leave without starting from scratch. Everything we build, you own.

How to Compare Quotes

When you're comparing web designers in Chester, make sure you're comparing like for like. Ask:

What's included in the build price? Does it cover mobile responsiveness, basic SEO, contact forms, analytics?
What are the ongoing costs? Hosting, SSL, domain, maintenance — get the full annual figure.
Who owns the code? If you leave, can you take your website with you?
What's the hosting? Shared hosting is cheap but slow. Ask where your site will actually run.
Is there a lock-in period? We don't do them. Not everyone can say the same.

What's Next?

If you're budgeting for a new website or weighing up a refresh, the easiest next step is our free website audit. It takes two minutes, costs nothing, and shows you exactly where your current site stands.

Or if you already know what you need, get in touch and we'll put together a quote — no obligation, no pressure, just honest numbers.

Rob Taylor, Porkenpence

How Much Does a Website Cost in Chester? (2026 Pricing Guide)