Do you need one?
Does a pub need a website?
A fair question for a well-known local. But the honest answer turns on what's on: people check before they pick, and head to the best night.
From £297, live in 7 days, on your own domain.
Does a pub need a website?
The honest answer
Does a pub need a website? If you are packed every night on regulars alone, then perhaps not. But the honest answer turns on how people decide where to spend a night out, because more and more they check first. Someone planning an evening, or a meal, or wanting to watch the game, looks to see what pubs nearby have on, whether you’re showing the match, whether there’s a quiz, what the food is like, whether it looks a good night, and heads to the one that appeals. They are not weighing you on a list; they are picking the best night they can find. A pub with nothing to find, no events, no menu, no sense of the place, is passed over for one whose what’s-on looked better, before you ever knew they were choosing. The real question, then, is whether you want the trade that plans its night online, because a website is how a pub gets picked by the people deciding where to go.
People head to the pub whose night looks best
The defining fact about how people choose a pub now is that they check what’s on, and pick the best night. Someone deciding where to go is not loyal to a name in that moment; they want a good evening, so they look to see who’s showing the sport, who has music, who does a proper Sunday lunch, and they go where it looks best. So before they choose you, they want to see your events, your food and the feel of the place, and they find it, or don’t, online. A pub that shows what’s on and looks a good night wins them; one with nothing to find, or that looks dead, loses them to a pub whose night they could see. These customers are not reached by reputation alone, because even people who know you check whether you’re doing food or showing the game tonight. So a site that shows what’s on is how a pub gets picked by the crowd planning their night, which a bare listing never does, because people go to the night they can see.
A website turns regulars and reputation into a full room
The strongest objection is that a good pub is filled by its regulars and its reputation, and both matter, but a website is how you fill the room around them rather than a replacement. Regulars are the heart of a pub, but they are only part of a busy night, and even they check whether there’s food or sport on before they head down. A site that shows what’s on brings in the wider crowd, the people planning a night out, a meal, a match, who don’t yet know you, and turns your quiet nights busy, while relying on regulars alone leaves midweek and new trade on the table. And reputation gets people through the door once; a what’s-on that keeps giving them a reason brings them back. So a website does not replace your regulars and reputation, it fills the room around them, turning people planning their night into a crowd. Far from being unnecessary, a good site is what fills the quiet nights a busy local still has.
So the real answer to does a pub need a website is: yes, if you want the trade that checks what’s on first, because people head to the pub whose night looks best, so being absent means being passed over. And finding out costs just £99 up front: I build the site on spec, from £297, and you see it finished before you pay the rest, so you can look at your actual site, ready to show what’s on and pull a crowd, and decide from there, knowing the nights it fills cover the cost many times over.
How it works
From message to live in four steps.
- 01
Message me
Tell me your trade and your town on WhatsApp. No forms to wade through, no call to book.
- 02
£99 to start
A £99 deposit gets your build going and comes off your quote. It covers some of the build time.
- 03
I build it, you see it
I build the whole site, framed around your work, and send it to you finished to look at.
- 04
Pay the rest, go live
Happy with it? You pay the balance, it goes live on your own domain, and it is yours to keep.
What you get
What a pub site from me includes.
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Built on spec
I build it first and send it finished. You see the real thing before you decide, not a mock-up.
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Live in 7 days
From the go-ahead, your site is live within a week. No months of back and forth.
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On your own domain
It goes live in your name. You own the site and everything on it, with no lock-in.
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Genuinely fast
Static pages, no WordPress. Fast pages rank better and turn more visitors into calls.
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Found on Google
Built to be found in local search, with the plumbing done properly from day one.
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Looked after
Someone looks after it and changes it when you need. Two small edits a month, your listing kept current.
What it costs
A straight price.
From £297 to build it, first three months of Care included, then £49 a month.
You own the site outright and can stop the monthly plan whenever you like. Hosting is part of Care and Grow, so one of those keeps it online after the first three months, or you host it yourself. See the full pricing.
Common questions
Questions I get asked.
Does a pub really need a website?
If you want the trade that checks what's on first, yes, because people head to the pub whose night looks best. More and more, someone planning a night out or a meal checks whether a pub is showing the match, has a quiz, does food, and picks the one that looks good. A pub with nothing to find loses them to one whose what's-on they could see.
Isn't a good pub filled by its regulars and its reputation?
Those matter, but regulars are only part of a full room, and even they check whether you're doing food tonight or showing the game. A site that shows what's on brings in the wider crowd planning their night, while relying on regulars alone leaves quiet nights quiet. Reputation fills the bar, a site fills the room around it.
Why do people check a pub online before going?
Because they want a good night, so before choosing they check what you've got on, whether you're showing the sport, what the food's like, is there music. They judge it online, and a pub that shows its events and food well wins them, while one with nothing to find, or that looks dead, loses them to a pub whose night looked better.
We're the busy local already. Do we still need a site?
Yes, because busy nights and quiet nights both exist, and a site that shows what's on is how you fill the quiet ones. Promoting your quiz, food and events brings in the crowd who don't yet know you, while relying on the regular busy nights leaves midweek and new trade on the table. Even a popular pub has rooms to fill.
When could a pub skip a website?
Realistically, only if you are packed every night on regulars alone and never want the trade that plans a night out online. Because so many people now pick a pub by checking what's on, a pub with nothing to find misses them. For any pub wanting to fill quieter nights or draw a food crowd, the case for a site is strong.
Is a website worth it for a small community pub?
Often especially so, because a warm, welcoming local feel and a good what's-on, not size, draw people, and a good site lets a small pub show both as invitingly as any chain. A findable site can win a small pub the crowd who search for a good local and a quiz night. A couple of busy event nights cover the cost.
How much does it cost to find out if a website is worth it?
Just £99 to start with me, and it comes off your quote. I build the whole site first and you see the finished thing before you pay the rest, from £297. So you are not gambling on a maybe, you are looking at the actual site for your pub and deciding then. Given the nights a what's-on site fills, the risk of finding out is very low.
Tell me your town and I'll build you a pub site on spec, so you can see it before you pay. Or read A Checkatrade alternative, see the full pricing, or get in touch.