Pricing a Website Project When You're a Team of One

You’ve bootstrapped your business this far. Now you need a proper website—something that looks professional, loads quickly, and converts visitors without requiring a second mortgage.

The problem? One agency quotes £750, another £5,000, and a third suggests a £15,000 build plus ongoing retainers. When you’re a team of one managing product, sales, and operations, decoding website pricing feels like learning a new language under a deadline.

This guide breaks down what drives UK web pricing, surfaces the hidden costs most solo founders miss, and shows you how to scope your actual needs before requesting quotes.

Why Website Pricing Varies So Wildly

Walk into five agencies with the same brief and you’ll get five wildly different proposals. That’s not arbitrary—it reflects fundamental differences in how studios scope, build, and support websites.

Scope and customisation A template-based site adapted from a marketplace theme costs significantly less than a custom-built Astro project tailored to your positioning. Off-the-shelf solutions require minimal design or development; bespoke builds start from scratch and reflect your exact needs.

Technology stack WordPress sites with page builders are quick to assemble but often sluggish to load. Static site generators like Astro deliver faster performance but require more technical expertise. Heavier frameworks (React, Next.js) add complexity—and cost—without always delivering measurable benefits for small teams.

Ongoing support models Some agencies bundle monthly retainers into their quotes, inflating the initial price but covering future tweaks. Others charge lower upfront fees and bill hourly for changes. A third model—ticket-based support—lets you pay only when you need help, avoiding monthly commitments.

What’s included post-launch Hosting, SSL certificates, security patches, content updates, and performance monitoring can be bundled or billed separately. Always ask what happens after launch day. The cheapest quote often excludes essentials that surface later as surprise invoices.

The Hidden Costs Solo Founders Often Miss

Most first-time website buyers focus on the build price and overlook the operational costs that accumulate over months and years.

Hosting and infrastructure

If your agency doesn’t include managed hosting, you’ll need to configure and maintain your own server or platform. Budget £5–£30/month for basic hosting, but factor in the time cost of managing DNS, SSL renewals, and backups yourself.

Fernside Studio includes hosting on Cloudflare Pages with every build—no separate invoices, no server configuration, and no surprise downtime.

Security updates and patches

WordPress and plugin-heavy sites require regular updates to stay secure. Miss a patch and you risk malware, data breaches, or Google blacklisting. Agencies often charge £50–£150/month for maintenance plans that cover this.

Static sites built with Astro require far fewer updates because they generate plain HTML with minimal moving parts—less surface area for vulnerabilities.

Content changes and tweaks

Launched your site, then realised your pricing page needs a new tier? Or your hero copy no longer reflects your positioning? Many agencies charge hourly (£75–£150/hour in the UK) for post-launch edits.

Ask upfront how content changes are handled. Retainers feel safe but lock you into monthly fees even when you don’t need help. Ticket-based models let you pay per task—submit a request, get a quote, approve the work.

Performance degradation

Sites slow down over time as images accumulate, scripts pile up, and caching rules drift. Budget for occasional performance audits or accept that your Lighthouse scores will gradually decline.

Fixed-Price vs Hourly vs Retainer Models

Solo founders need predictable costs. Here’s how the three common pricing structures compare.

Hourly billing (£75–£150/hour UK average) Flexible and straightforward, but risky for projects without tight scope. A “simple” homepage can balloon to 20 hours if revisions aren’t capped. You won’t know the final cost until the work is done.

Best for: Small, well-defined tasks like bug fixes or minor design tweaks.

Monthly retainers (£500–£2,000/month typical) Predictable budgeting and priority access to your agency. The downside? You’re paying whether you use the hours or not. Many solo founders pay for four months of retainer time but only generate two months of actual work.

Best for: Teams with continuous content needs or frequent feature additions—rare for early-stage solo founders.

Fixed-price projects (e.g. £750 Launch Sprint, £2,400+ Studio Site) You know the total cost before work begins. Scope is agreed upfront, and the agency absorbs any overruns. This model rewards experienced studios who can estimate accurately and work efficiently.

Best for: Solo founders who need a complete site delivered on a clear timeline without surprise invoices.

Fernside Studio uses fixed pricing for all builds. You’ll know the exact cost during the initial strategy call—no estimates that “depend on revisions” or hourly tracking.

How to Scope Your Actual Needs Before Getting Quotes

Most solopreneurs request quotes before defining what they actually need. That leads to proposals that either overshoot (bloated feature lists) or undershoot (missing critical functionality).

Ask yourself these questions before contacting agencies:

How many pages do you genuinely need?

Start with the minimum viable set:

• Homepage (hero, benefits, social proof, CTA)
• About or Story page (optional but helpful for trust)
• Contact page or embedded form

Do you need separate case study pages, a blog, or a pricing breakdown? Only add pages if they serve a specific conversion goal. More pages = higher cost and longer timelines.

How often will content change?

If your positioning is stable and you update copy once or twice a year, you don’t need a full CMS. Submitting occasional tickets to your agency is faster and cheaper than licensing and learning a content platform.

If you’re publishing weekly blog posts or rotating offers, a CMS makes sense. Fernside offers the Fernside CMS add-on at £29/month—a hosted panel that lets you edit approved sections safely without risking layout breaks.

What integrations are essential?

Contact forms, analytics (Google Analytics or Plausible), and perhaps a Calendly embed cover 90% of solo founder needs. Payment gateways, CRMs, or marketing automation platforms add significant development and testing time.

List your must-have integrations upfront. If an agency quotes without asking about integrations, they’re likely underestimating scope.

What does success look like six months post-launch?

Are you measuring form submissions? Newsletter sign-ups? Inbound enquiries? Defining success criteria helps you avoid over-speccing features you’ll never use.

A Launch Sprint optimises for a single conversion action. A Studio Site supports multiple paths and content types. Knowing your success metric guides the right choice.

When a £750 Launch Sprint Covers Everything

Fernside’s Launch Sprint is a five-day, fixed-price engagement designed for solo founders who need a professional one-page site without lengthy timelines or multi-phase proposals.

What’s included for £750:

• Strategy call to align on positioning, audience, and conversion goal
• Copy refinement (we’ll tighten your messaging or help you articulate your offer)
• Custom design and build in Astro, hosted on Cloudflare Pages
• Contact form wired to your email
• Analytics setup (Google Analytics or Plausible)
• Managed hosting, SSL, and deployment

When it’s the right choice:

• You have a single core offer or service
• Your positioning is clear and fits a one-page structure
• You need to launch quickly (five days from kickoff to live)
• You don’t require a blog, multi-tier pricing pages, or frequent content updates

Post-launch updates: Content tweaks, copy changes, or design adjustments are handled via Fernside’s ticket-based support. Submit a request, we quote the task, you approve, and we ship it. No monthly retainers—you only pay when you need help.

A Launch Sprint works for consultants, coaches, productised service providers, and early-stage SaaS founders who need credibility without complexity.

When You Need a Fuller Studio Site

Some businesses require more structure: multiple service pages, case studies, blog sections, or custom integrations. That’s where Fernside’s Studio Site fits.

Starting from £2,400, a Studio Site includes:

• Onboarding workshop to map your positioning, audience segments, and conversion paths
• Multi-page structure with custom sections and layouts
• Wireframes and content strategy before design begins
• Bespoke Astro build, hosted on Cloudflare Pages
• QA, performance testing, and deployment
• Optional Fernside CMS add-on for client-managed content

When it’s the right choice:

• You have multiple service offerings or products
• You’re publishing regular content (blog, resources, case studies)
• You need custom layouts for different audience segments
• You want a CMS so you can update approved sections yourself

Studio Sites take 3–4 weeks from kickoff to launch, depending on content readiness and feedback cycles. Pricing scales with complexity—more pages, integrations, or custom interactions increase the fixed fee, but you’ll know the total cost before work begins.

The Value of Ticket-Based Support for Budget-Conscious Founders

Traditional agencies push monthly retainers because they guarantee recurring revenue. But retainers force you to commit to hours you might not use, and “rollover” policies rarely favour the client.

How ticket-based support works:

1. You submit a request (copy change, new section, design tweak, bug fix)
2. Fernside quotes the task (usually within 24 hours)
3. You approve the quote
4. We complete the work and update your live site
5. You’re invoiced only for that task

Why it suits solo founders:

• No monthly waste: Pay only when you need help, not for unused hours
• Predictable costs: Every task is quoted before work starts
• No awkward cancellations: No need to “pause” or “cancel” a retainer when your business priorities shift
• Priority access with Fernside CMS: CMS subscribers get faster ticket turnaround for content, design, and dev requests

Ticket-based support assumes your site is stable and you’re making incremental improvements—not weekly overhauls. If you’re redesigning pages every fortnight, a retainer might make sense. But most solo founders update copy quarterly and add features a few times a year. Tickets match that cadence.

How Fernside Studio Structures Pricing for Solo Founders

Every Fernside project uses fixed pricing, includes managed hosting, and avoids long-term retainer commitments. Here’s the full breakdown:

Launch Sprint — £750 fixed

Five-day engagement for a custom one-page site. Includes strategy call, copy refinement, design/build, contact form, analytics, and hosting. Post-launch updates via ticket-based support.

Best for: Solo founders with a single core offer who need speed and clarity.

Studio Site — from £2,400

Multi-page marketing site with onboarding workshop, wireframes, custom Astro build, QA, and deployment. Hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Optional Fernside CMS and ticketed enhancements after launch.

Best for: Teams with multiple services, content needs, or complex positioning.

Fernside CMS Add-on — £29/month

Hosted CMS panel to edit approved sections safely. Includes managed hosting, SSL, uptime monitoring, backups, and priority ticket handling. Content/design/dev tweaks billed per ticket—no retainers.

Best for: Founders who want autonomy over copy and content without risking layout breaks.

Questions to Ask Before Accepting Any Quote

Before signing a proposal, confirm these points with any agency:

1. Is hosting included, and what happens if I want to move later? Proprietary platforms lock you in. Static sites built with Astro can be hosted anywhere.

2. How are post-launch changes handled—hourly, retainer, or per-ticket? Understand the ongoing cost model before you commit.

3. What’s included in the build price vs billed separately? SSL, analytics, contact forms, and performance optimisation should be standard—not add-ons.

4. How long until the site is live, and what’s required from me? Timelines depend on your content readiness and feedback speed. Agencies should give you a realistic schedule.

5. What happens if I need a feature six months post-launch? Scope changes happen. Ask how new requests are quoted and prioritised.

Next Steps: Scope Your Project and Get a Fixed Quote

Website pricing only feels opaque when scope is unclear. Once you define your pages, update frequency, integrations, and success metrics, comparing quotes becomes straightforward.

If you’re a solo founder who values speed, fixed pricing, and no-retainer support, Fernside’s Launch Sprint or Studio Site might be exactly what you need.

Ready to discuss your project? Book a strategy call and we’ll walk through your goals, recommend the right package, and give you a fixed price before any work begins. No estimates that “depend on scope”—just clear numbers and a clear timeline.