Provider selection guide
How to choose a GP website provider in 2026.
Ask every supplier the same twelve questions, in writing, and compare the answers side by side. This page gives you that framework and states plainly where information has not been publicly provided.
Ryan Miller — Founder, Simpliy Primary Care — working in NHS primary care practice managementLast reviewed
The framework
Twelve questions to ask every supplier
We only assert facts about Simpliy. Where a provider has not published information, record it as 'not publicly stated' rather than assuming the worst.
| Criterion | Why it matters | Ask for | Simpliy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published annual price | A price you can find without a sales call is a price you can budget for and compare. | The full annual figure in writing, including VAT treatment. | £550 per year, published on this site. |
| Setup and migration costs | One-off fees can double the first-year cost of an apparently cheap contract. | Whether content transfer, redirects and DNS work are included. | Included — no setup fee. |
| Accessibility standard | Public sector bodies must meet the accessibility regulations; WCAG 2.2 AA is the working standard for GP websites. | The conformance target, who tests it, and a sample accessibility statement. | Designed to WCAG 2.2 AA with an annual review. |
| Content management | If editing is painful, the site goes stale and patients ring reception instead. | A live demonstration of editing a policy page, not a slide about it. | Edit it yourself, or email us and we publish it. |
| Managed updates | Practices rarely have spare admin hours for website maintenance. | How many changes are included per month and the turnaround time. | Monthly managed updates included. |
| NHS.uk domain support | Patients trust an NHS.uk address and many practices are asked to adopt one. | Whether the provider handles the application and DNS. | Supported, including DNS and redirects. |
| Hosting and backups | Uptime and recovery matter more than templates. | Hosting location, backup frequency and restore process. | UK hosting, SSL and daily backups. |
| Contract length | Long lock-ins remove your leverage if the service drops. | Minimum term, notice period and renewal terms. | Annual, no multi-year lock-in. |
| Domain and content ownership | You should be able to leave with your domain and your content. | Who is listed as domain registrant and how content is exported. | The practice owns its domain and content. |
| Support response times | A ticket queue is not much use when a clinic closes at short notice. | Named contact, published hours and a response commitment. | Direct support from the people who built the site. |
| PCN and multi-site support | Networks need consistency across practices without duplicating effort. | Experience with PCN structures and ARRS role pages. | PCN sites built and maintained — see our case studies. |
| Data handling and security assurance | Practices are accountable for the personal data their website processes, including forms. | Cyber Essentials, DSP Toolkit status, ICO registration and a data processing agreement. | Cyber Essentials certified and DSP Toolkit standards exceeded. |
Framework reviewed . Other suppliers’ terms are not reproduced here because they are not consistently published; request them directly and compare against the same rows.
Sources
Where the standards come from
Questions