# How our website pricing works, and why it is set up this way

> How Nerdsharks pricing works: a setup fee and a monthly plan, or pay for the build outright. What each covers, who should pick which, and the honest 12-month total.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/blog/how-our-website-pricing-works
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

**Short answer:** Nerdsharks websites are £299 to set up and £99/month on a 12 months plan, which comes to £1,487 in the first year, or £1,795 once and £49/month with no minimum term. Both include a site designed from scratch, every word written for you, hosting, Google setup and changes after launch.

Published 2026-09-26. 5 min read. Category: Website costs and pricing.

Website pricing is usually either a large build fee with nothing after it, or a cheap monthly fee with a template underneath. Ours is neither, so this page sets out exactly how it works, what it costs over a year, and when each plan is the better deal.

The short version: a website designed from scratch for your business is real work, so there is a setup fee to start it. After that, one monthly fee covers everything that keeps the site working and winning jobs: hosting, security, backups, support and changes. If you would rather pay for the build outright, you can, and the monthly fee drops.

## The two plans, side by side

**Nerdsharks Monthly and Own It plans compared**

|  | Monthly | Own It |
|---|---|---|
| To start | £299, paid when you book | £1,795, paid in two halves |
| Monthly | £99 | £49 |
| Minimum term | 12 months from launch, then one month's notice | None; one month's notice |
| Small changes included | Two a month | Two a month |
| The build | Up to 12 pages and a blog, copy written for you | Up to 25 pages, a blog and a page for each area you cover |

## What the setup fee pays for

The setup fee books your build and starts the design. It covers the work that happens before launch: the call about your business, the design made for your business, every word of copy, and the setup of your domain, Google Business Profile and Search Console.

You then see the finished design on your phone and approve it before anything goes live, with two full rounds of changes included. Your monthly payments start the day the site goes live, not before.

> You approve the design before anything goes live, and the monthly plan starts at launch.

## What the monthly fee covers

- Hosting, SSL, uptime monitoring, security updates and daily backups.
- Small changes each month, done for you: new prices, a new service, fresh photos of your work.
- WhatsApp and email support from the person who built your site.
- Keeping the site current as Google and phones change, so it does not quietly go stale.

## The honest 12-month total

On the Monthly plan, the first 12 months cost £1,487 in total: the £299 setup fee, then £99 a month by Direct Debit. After the 12 months minimum it continues month to month and you can leave with one month's notice.

On Own It, the first year costs more, £1,795 for the build plus £49 a month, but the monthly fee is lower for as long as you keep the site. The two plans cost about the same after two and a half years, and Own It is cheaper from then on - and on Own It the website is yours.

## Who should pick which

- Pick Monthly if you would rather keep the cost to start low, you are happy with a 12 months commitment, and up to 12 pages covers what you do.
- Pick Own It if you can pay for the build, you want to own the website outright, you expect to keep it for more than two and a half years, want more than 12 pages, or want no minimum term at all.
- Look at Pro (£6,950 + £299/month) instead if you need more than 25 pages or several locations. Live bookings and a shop can be added to any plan, quoted on your call, and come as standard on Pro.

## What you own, and what happens if you stop

Your domain is registered in your name. Your content and photos are yours, and if you leave, we send you everything. On Monthly, you pay the website off as you go: we own and run it until you have made 24 monthly payments, and after that it is yours. Leave before then and it comes offline. On Own It, you own the website outright; cancel the monthly service and we hand over the whole site so you can host it anywhere. We think that is the honest way to describe it.

On Monthly, leaving inside the first 12 months means the remaining monthly fees for the term are payable; after that it is one month's notice. Pro works the same way on its own 12-month term. On Own It, it is one month's notice from the start, with no exit fee.

## Why not a cheaper monthly with nothing to start?

Because it pushes the cost of the design into a longer contract or a template, and usually both. A site built from scratch for your business, with the words written for you, takes real time before launch. We would rather price that openly as a setup fee than hide it.

It also means we only take on work we can do properly, which is better for every customer we already have.

## Questions

### How much does a Nerdsharks website cost to start?

The Monthly plan is £299 to set up, paid when you book, then £99 a month from the day your site goes live, on a 12 months minimum term. Or pay £1,795 for the build and £49 a month with no minimum term.

### How much does the Monthly plan cost over a year?

The Monthly plan costs £1,487 over the first 12 months: the £299 setup fee plus £99 a month. After the 12 months minimum it continues monthly and can be cancelled with one month's notice.

### Is Own It cheaper than Monthly?

Own It costs more in the first year because of the £1,795 build fee, but its £49 monthly fee is lower, so the two cost about the same after two and a half years and Own It is cheaper after that. On Own It you also own the website.

### Do I see the design before it goes live?

Yes. You see your finished design on your phone and approve it before anything goes live, with two full rounds of changes included.

### Do I own my domain with Nerdsharks?

Yes, your domain is registered in your name, and your content and photos are yours. If you leave, they go with you. On Monthly the site itself becomes yours after 24 monthly payments, and comes offline if you leave before then; on Own It the whole website is yours to keep and move from launch.