Colin, I have a few sites and all have been very, very profitable. I was the first window cleaner in Shropshire to have a window cleaning website about 10 years ago. My business grew from 8K per annul to 36K in 3 years. It was all down to the website. There was NO competition, it was great. Times have changed though.
That said, websites ARE the way forward. My solar business has grown exponentially since I had my solar site built by
www.discoverysquare.co.uk . The site is being overhauled by the same company and the new look site will grow my business further for sure.
There are a lot of sharks out there. I know my man is good, I know Nat is good from what everyone on here says. Personally, I would steer clear of Vistaprint. They copied and pasted my whole window cleaning website for someone in my town. I got the whole site taken off the web and it has never re-appeared. They should know better than to copy and paste. Go with recommendations, not companies who ring you up.
Spending £500 on a website is a very worthwhile investment, better than any pole you can buy. The ROI is amazing if the site is built properly.