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    Web agency — build a new website or online shop

    A new website is rarely the goal in itself — it's there to sell more, look more credible or get found by the right people. The agency you pick decides whether the site actually does that or simply looks tidier than the old one while the numbers stay flat.

    Budgets in the UK sit roughly at £2,500–£8,000 for a small business site, £10,000–£30,000 for a larger CMS build and £20,000 upwards for a shop on Shopify or WooCommerce, normally plus VAT. Two things separate a good agency from an expensive one: they ask what the site has to achieve commercially, and they hand over the code, the domain and the hosting logins in your name.

    On Marketit you'll find web agencies and developers that are manually vetted. Describe the project in the chat and compare proposals on scope and ownership, not just the headline price.

    Price level

    Simple business site SEK 25,000–50,000. Site with CMS SEK 50,000–120,000. E-commerce SEK 80,000–400,000, custom platform SEK 250,000–800,000. Ongoing maintenance SEK 2,500–8,000/month.

    When should you hire a web agency?

    When the current site is three years old or more and isn't converting, when you're launching a company or rebranding, when you're adding a shop, or when the site has to talk to your CRM or accounting system. Also worth a call if you can't edit your own content, or if nobody at your business can log in to the domain or hosting account.

    Common mistakes to avoid

    • Paying 100% up front — established agencies bill against milestones, typically 30/40/30
    • Not securing ownership of the source code, which leaves the whole site locked at the agency
    • Skipping a maintenance and hosting plan after launch
    • Running analytics or marketing cookies without PECR-compliant consent
    • Underfunding content: copy and photography usually deserve 20–30% of the budget

    Checklist before you hire

    • Ask for case studies from comparable sectors
    • Put ownership of the source code and design in the contract
    • Require SEO fundamentals, mobile optimisation and accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA, as expected under the Equality Act)
    • Get the quote split across design, development, content and ongoing maintenance
    • Check UK GDPR compliance — lawful basis, cookie consent under PECR, and where data is hosted
    • Ask for a delivery plan and a payment schedule tied to milestones

    Frequently asked questions

    Agency or freelancer?

    A freelancer is cheaper and flexible but is a single point of failure and may lack specialists. An agency gives you a designer, developer and project manager — more expensive, but better suited to larger projects and to continuity if someone leaves.

    How long does it take to build a website?

    A straightforward business site runs 4–8 weeks, a larger CMS build 10–16 weeks, an online shop 12–20 weeks, and a bespoke platform 4–12 months. Add 2–4 weeks for content production if copy and images aren't ready.

    Who owns the code afterwards?

    It varies, so it belongs in the contract. Standard practice: you own your brand assets and all bespoke content, the agency keeps rights to generic components and frameworks it built itself. Under UK law, copyright in commissioned code stays with the agency unless the contract assigns it to you — so get the assignment in writing.

    Do I need SEO from the start?

    Yes. Technical fundamentals — fast loading, clean structure, metadata, sitemap — are far cheaper built in than retrofitted. Ask the agency to include its SEO checklist in the quote and to deliver a report 4–6 weeks after launch.

    Companies in web agency

    No registered web agency yet — we search the whole web for you

    Marketit is still ramping up. Start a job request and our AI will find suitable web agency in your area right away.

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