Pay-monthly websites: how they work, and the traps to check
Pay-monthly is the best way for a small business to get a professional website without a £3,000 bill before you have earned anything from it. It is also a model with some poor versions in it. Here is how it works, and the four questions that separate the good deals from the traps. We sell one of these, so read this as a seller showing you exactly what to check, including about us.
How the model works
The provider spreads the build cost into the monthly price and bundles the running of the site: hosting, security, backups, changes and support. You get a professional site with £0 upfront; they get a long-term client instead of a one-off fee. Done properly, both sides win, and the provider stays accountable every month because you can judge the service continuously.
The four questions to ask any provider (including us)
- 1. Who owns the website, and when? The big one. Some providers keep ownership forever, which means you are renting a shop you can never buy. Ask when, if ever, the site becomes yours, and what happens to it if you leave.
- 2. What is the minimum term, and what does leaving cost? A fixed initial term is normal (the build has to be paid for); what matters is that it is stated openly, along with what happens during and after it.
- 3. What exactly is included each month? "Support" can mean anything. Ask for the specifics: how many changes or hours, what counts as extra, whether hosting and security are genuinely covered.
- 4. What does the price become later? Offer rates are fine; silent price jumps are not. Ask what the price is in year two, in writing.
Our answers, since you should ask us too
MyDiro's Managed Website: £89.99 a month at the launch rate (locked for early clients, so it does not jump later), £0 upfront, nothing to pay until the site is live. Twelve-month initial term, then rolling monthly with 30 days' notice. Two hours of development time included every month, with bigger jobs quoted before any work starts. And the ownership answer, which is the one most providers avoid: after the initial term the site is yours outright, design and code included, free to keep with us or take anywhere. Your domain, your words, your images and your enquiry data are yours from day one.
Ready to compare properly? We've laid out what pay monthly websites cost across the UK market — the price bands, the catches and where we sit — on one honest page.
Related reading: who actually owns your website? and what websites really cost in the UK.