How to get funding for your next website
Written by Darren Langley, digital strategist and director at Gravitas Web Design
Modern businesses can’t survive without a digital presence, and this means that building a professional website is absolutely essential.
The problem with this is that web development is not cheap - prices range from as little as £1,200 for a basic site all the way to over £10,000 for something more substantial.
This leaves a lot of businesses in Birmingham and the West Midlands feeling as though they can’t afford to pay for this service, which then forces them to either avoid having a website or to design a cheap one that looks unprofessional and impacts on their ability to do business.
Thankfully, there are business grants and digital grants for businesses in Greater Birmingham (and the Wider West Midlands) that you can use to help fund digital projects like a new website. Certain grants or schemes may suit different SMEs, so let’s explore the main options.
West Midlands Digital Grants Scheme
West Midlands Digital Grants is a programme that’s been designed to help businesses across the West Midlands cover the cost of professional website design and creation. Here’s a breakdown of what you can get and the eligibility requirements:
- Up to £2,000 maximum grant per business
- Must have a 6-month minimum trading history
- Only for businesses based in the West Midlands Combined Authority area
- Must have fewer than 50 employees
- Must not have an existing website
Also, this digital grant is specifically for brand-new websites, so you can’t apply for it if you just need to redesign your current site. It’s for all types of businesses - provided you meet the eligibility criteria - and you’ll effectively apply online before getting three quotes from local web design agencies. You’re then allowed to pick the one you like the most and receive your grant.
A grant like this can save you a lot of money, and it’s also very useful if you’ve been repeatedly postponing your new website development due to the costs.
The longer a small business spends without a website, the more missed opportunities come its way. If you feel like you’ll never be able to afford the full price of web development, this grant is a great starting point.
Find out more about West Midlands Digital Grants
Get started and grow
Staffordshire County Council's Get Started and Grow scheme is aimed at businesses under 5 years of age in Staffordshire. What’s interesting here is that you can get bespoke Website and Branding for free - though you’ll only end up with a five-page site, so it’s very much aimed at startups.
The eligibility requirements for this one are simple:
- Must have either a Companies House number or a UTR number and be ready to start trading
- Must have a Staffordshire Trading address
- Your business cannot be older than 5 years
One key thing to note is that this scheme does not include Stoke-on-Trent, nor will you have much flexibility regarding the company that carries out the web design for you.
Find out more about Get Started and Grow
Achieve and Grow
More established Staffordshire-based companies can also receive assistance through the Achieve & Grow Program.
The program is designed for small business owners with a staff size of 2 to 10 employees who have been operating their business for over 5 years and want to expand.
The current program allows eligible companies to receive up to six hours of specialised assistance at no cost to the company, provided the company meets all the following requirements:
- Website development
- Marketing
- Graphic design
- Social media
- Logo design
- PR and press releases
This won't fund a complete large-scale website project, but it could provide valuable professional input for an established business that needs help improving its website or wider marketing activity.
Availability varies between different areas of support, so businesses should check the current programme before applying.
Find out more about Achieve and Grow
British Business Bank start up loans
Not all website funding has to come from a grant.
The British Business Bank's Start Up Loans programme is another option for newer businesses that need to invest in areas such as a website, marketing or other start-up costs.
Eligible business owners can currently borrow between £500 and £25,000, repayable over one to five years at a fixed interest rate of 7.5 per cent per year.
The loan is a personal loan for business purposes rather than a traditional business loan, and it is unsecured.
To qualify, applicants generally need to:
- Be aged 18 or over
- Live in the UK
- Have the right to work in the UK
- Be starting a UK business or running one that is less than 60 months old
Individual business owners can apply for up to £25,000, while multiple partners within the same business can potentially apply separately, subject to a maximum of £100,000 per business.
Successful applicants can also access 12 months of free mentoring.
It isn't a website grant, but there is no reason why part of the funding couldn't form part of a wider investment in launching or growing your business.
Find out more about Start Up Loans.
Business Growth West Midlands
Business Growth West Midlands is one of the most useful places to start when looking for current funding across Birmingham and the wider region.
Its website brings together grants, finance programmes, funded business support and other growth initiatives from local authorities, government bodies and partner organisations.
Businesses can also speak to an adviser who can help identify programmes that may be relevant to their circumstances.
The available opportunities change regularly, which means a scheme that isn't available today may appear in a few months' time.
Business Growth West Midlands itself advises businesses to contact its team because there are hundreds of support opportunities and no single online list covers everything currently available.
Search Business Growth West Midlands funding and finance.
You can also browse its current business support programmes.
Check the Government's Find a Grant service
The Government's Find a Grant service is also worth checking regularly.
It allows businesses to search for government grant programmes, filter them according to eligibility and see how to apply.
Rather than looking at it once and assuming there is nothing suitable, it can be worth returning to the service periodically as new grants are continually added.
Search current government grants.
A professional website may be more affordable than you think
A new website can be a significant investment for an SME, but businesses shouldn't automatically assume the full cost has to come directly from their existing cash flow.
Depending on your location, age, size and growth plans, there may be grants, funded support programmes or finance available that can help.
And don't limit your search to schemes labelled as website grants. Digital development is often part of much broader funding designed to help businesses become more productive, improve their marketing and achieve sustainable growth.
Spend a little time researching what's currently available before putting your website plans on hold. You may find there is support available to help get the project moving.