Websites for startups
A startup website.
Before anyone searches your product by name, the site has one job: say what it is, who it’s for, and what to do next.
This page is for founders who need a website. I’m not an investor, and the page I build is yours — it won’t be a fake product demo with made-up users.
A £500 site is a marketing site: the explanation, a way to request access or ask a question, and the practical pages (about, contact, a simple privacy note if you collect enquiries). It is not a logged-in product, a marketplace or a billing platform. Those are larger builds. I quote them from around £1,200, and I’ll say so before any work starts if that’s what you actually need.
You don’t need a finished brand to see a mock-up. A straight description of the product is enough. If the description is muddy, the mock-up will show that, which is useful.
Built for this work
What a website for startups needs.
One clear explanation
What the product does, in the first screen, without a slogan that could belong to anyone.
Who it’s for
The customer you want, and the situation they’re in. Broad “everyone” pages are hard to act on.
A next step
Join a waiting list, book a call, or email you. One main action, not five.
Honest status
If you’re pre-launch, the page can say that. I won’t write “trusted by thousands” or any other line you can’t stand behind.
Room to change
Early wording moves. Small text changes after launch can sit on the £10-a-month care plan.
Searches your customers type
What people type when they need a startup.
This page is for startups who want a website. The search it answers is “startup website”. It is not a listing, and it does not pretend to be a startup.
Your own customers search for something else:
- “your product name”
- “the problem the product solves”
Early customers search for the problem or the product, not for “startup website”. A £500 site can explain the product and collect enquiries. A web application is a larger build, quoted from around £1,200.
A useful site names your services and the places you cover, in real text, with a proper title on each page and a phone number that works on a mobile. Your free Google Business Profile (opens in a new tab) is the other half: the listing that can show your hours, phone number and area on Google and Maps. Use the same name, address and phone number as the website. I don’t write reviews, and none of this is a promise of a position in the results.
Suggested pages
A sensible starting layout.
- Home
- Product
- Who it’s for
- About
- Contact or request access
Tips
Getting the most from it.
- Say what the product does before you say why the company exists.
- Don’t publish a price you haven’t decided. “Pricing on request” is fine.
- Use a domain you own. A free subdomain is a poor link to put on a pitch.
Payment plans
Rather spread the cost?
A full website is £500. If you’d rather not pay it all at once, pick one of these plans. Every plan adds up to exactly £500, with nothing extra on top.
Plan 1
£150 up front
then £50 a month for 7 months
Total: £500
Plan 2
£100 up front
then £100 a month for 4 months
Total: £500
Plan 3
3 payments
of £166.67, £166.67 and £166.66
Total: £500
- Monthly payments are taken automatically by card, through Stripe — nothing to remember.
- Once it’s paid off, you choose: a £10-a-month hosting and care plan, or a full handover of your site.
- Your own domain is extra, at around £5–£10 a year.
Note: you buy your own domain (around £5–£10 a year) — it’s yours to keep. Want to take payments? You set up your own Stripe account and I’ll connect it. The longer notes are a cheap website for a small business and a pay monthly website.
See the full pricing page for what’s included.
FAQ
Common questions.
Can you build our app for £500?
No. £500 is the marketing website. An application with accounts, payments or a database is a different project, quoted from around £1,200 after we’ve talked about what it has to do.
We don’t have customers yet. Is a site premature?
A single clear page is still useful: it gives you an address to send people, and it forces the explanation into plain language. It doesn’t need a blog or a press page.
Can we pay monthly?
Yes. £150 up front then £50 a month for 7 months, £100 up front then £100 a month for 4 months, or three payments of £166.67, £166.67 and £166.66. Each plan totals £500.
Will this rank for “your product name”, “the problem the product solves”?
No. Those are searches your customers type when they want a startup, and I can’t promise a position on Google. This page is for startup website. On your site I will write your services and the places you cover in plain text, set a proper title on each page, and make it work on a phone. You should also set up your free Google Business Profile with the same name, address and phone number. That gives Google accurate information about the business. It is not a guarantee.
How much does it cost, and can I pay monthly?
A full website is £500, or you can spread the cost: £150 up front then £50 a month for 7 months, £100 up front then £100 a month for 4 months, or three payments of £166.67, £166.67 and £166.66. Every plan totals exactly £500, and monthly payments are taken automatically by card through Stripe. You buy your own domain separately, at around £5–£10 a year.
Other businesses
Websites for other small businesses.
Also useful