How Much Will a Website Cost? A Guide for Small Businesses

So, how much is a new website going to cost your Australian small business? It's the million-dollar question, isn't it? The short answer is: it depends. A simple starter site might only set you back $500 to $3,000, while a standard small business website designed to generate leads typically lands between $3,000 and $10,000. If you're looking to sell online, an e-commerce store can range anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000+.

The final price really comes down to what you need your website to do for your business. Think of it like buying a work vehicle – a basic ute for running errands has a very different price tag than a fully-equipped van with custom shelving and signage. Your website is no different; its cost is tied to its purpose.

Your Guide to Australian Website Costs

Trying to pin down the cost of a new website can feel a bit like chasing smoke. You get quotes from different agencies that are all over the place, leaving you completely baffled about what a fair price actually is for your local business.

This guide is here to cut through that confusion. It's written for small business owners just like you—tradies, consultants, and local service providers—giving you an honest, clear-eyed look at what to expect when you invest in your online presence here in Australia. Let's start with the big picture and get you familiar with the general price brackets.

Typical Price Ranges in Australia

The price of a website is directly tied to its complexity. At the most basic level, you have what's often called a 'brochure' site – a simple online business card to show you exist and provide contact details. In Australia, this usually costs between AUD 500 and AUD 3,000.

For most established small businesses that want to attract customers, you'll be looking for something more robust. A site with a proper content management system (like WordPress) and a design that works beautifully on mobile phones to capture leads will generally fall in the AUD 3,000 to AUD 10,000 range.

If you want to sell products online, that's when you step into the world of e-commerce. These sites, complete with payment gateways and product catalogues, can start at AUD 10,000 and go up to AUD 50,000 or more, depending on the scale. For businesses needing truly unique features, a custom-built website starts from around AUD 15,000.

It's also important to remember what's not included. Things like professional copywriting to make your services stand out or a dedicated photoshoot of your work can add another AUD 500 to AUD 1,500 to the total. You can explore a more detailed breakdown of Australian website costs and what influences them to get a better sense of these variables.

To give you a clearer picture, here’s a quick summary of what different budgets typically get you.

Estimated Website Costs in Australia at a Glance

This table breaks down the common starting costs for different kinds of websites, making it easier to see where your local business might fit.

Website Type	Typical Price Range (AUD)	Best For
Basic Informational Site	$500 - $3,000	New businesses needing a simple online brochure to establish a digital presence.
Small Business Website	$3,000 - $10,000	Tradespeople, local services, and established businesses needing to generate leads online.
E-commerce Store	$10,000 - $50,000+	Businesses wanting to sell products directly to customers through an online shop.
Custom Feature-Rich Site	$15,000+	Companies with specific functional needs that standard platforms can't meet.

Seeing these numbers helps you set a realistic budget from the start.

Here’s the bottom line: A website isn't just another business expense; it's a valuable asset. The right investment should pay for itself many times over by attracting new local customers and fuelling your growth.

Understanding these initial price brackets is the first step. Further in this guide, we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of what actually drives these costs, how to spot and avoid hidden fees, and ultimately, how to make a smart investment that works for your business.

What Really Drives Your Website's Price Tag

Ever been quoted $3,000 for a new website, only to get another quote for $15,000? It’s a moment that leaves a lot of small business owners scratching their heads. That massive price gap isn't just a random number; it's a direct reflection of what’s going on 'under the hood'.

Getting a handle on these core drivers is your key to having confident, clear conversations with web developers. You’ll be able to see exactly what you're paying for and ask the right questions to ensure you're getting a tool that will actually grow your business.

Template vs Custom Design: The House Analogy

Building a website is a lot like building a house. You have two main paths: using a pre-made plan or hiring an architect for a custom design. This single choice is the biggest factor determining your final cost.

Template Website (The Project Home): Think of this as buying a home from a display village. It's built from a well-established floor plan. The whole process is faster and much more affordable because all the complex architectural work is already sorted. You can pick your paint colours and benchtops, but you can't start moving walls. A template website works the same way—it's quick and cost-effective but sticks to the layout and features the template provides.
Custom Website (The Architect-Designed Build): This is like hiring an architect to design your dream home from the ground up. Every single room, feature, and finish is chosen specifically for your family and lifestyle. It takes longer and costs significantly more, but you end up with a unique home that's perfectly suited to you. A custom website is designed and coded just for your business, giving you total creative freedom and functionality built for your exact needs.

For most small businesses, a professionally customised template strikes the perfect balance between a professional look and an affordable price. You get a polished, trustworthy result without the hefty price tag of a completely bespoke build.

A website quote isn't just a number; it's a reflection of the time, skill, and complexity required to build your digital storefront. Understanding this helps you compare apples with apples, not apples with oranges.

The Non-Negotiable Features

Whether you go for a template or a custom build, some features are simply non-negotiable in today's market. If a developer gives you a quote that doesn't include the following, consider it a serious red flag. These are the absolute foundations of a site that actually helps your business.

The two non-negotiables are:

Mobile-Responsive Design: This ensures your website looks great and is easy to use on any device, especially the smartphones your potential customers are using to find you. With so many people searching for local services "near me" on the go, a site that isn't mobile-friendly is actively turning away business. It's no longer a "nice-to-have"; it's an absolute must.
Content Management System (CMS): A CMS is the control panel for your website. It’s a user-friendly system that lets you, the business owner, update text, add new photos of your recent work, or publish a blog post without having to call (and pay) a developer every time. Platforms like WordPress are popular for a reason—they put you in the driver's seat of your own content.

Without these foundational elements, you're essentially wasting your investment.

The E-commerce Cost Multiplier

Planning to sell products directly from your website? Get ready for a jump in complexity and, naturally, cost. An e-commerce site isn't just an online brochure; it’s a full-blown digital shop with lots of moving parts that all need to work together securely and seamlessly to process orders.

Here are the key complexities that add to the e-commerce price tag:

Secure Payment Gateways: Integrating systems like Stripe or PayPal to process credit card payments safely.
Product Catalogues: Setting up the whole system for adding, organising, and managing your products, including variations like size and colour.
Shopping Cart & Checkout: Designing a smooth, intuitive process that makes it easy for customers to buy from you.
Inventory Management: Implementing systems to track stock levels so you don't accidentally sell out-of-stock items.
Shipping & Tax Calculations: Automating those tricky calculations based on a customer's location and order weight.

The upfront investment for e-commerce is definitely higher, but so is the potential return. In the Australian market, a professional e-commerce site typically starts around AUD 22,000 and can easily surpass AUD 70,000 for more advanced platforms with large product ranges. This reflects the specialised skill required. To get a better feel for how these costs break down, you can explore detailed web design costs in Australia and see how different features impact the final budget.

Uncovering Hidden and Ongoing Website Costs

It’s a great feeling to finally launch your new website. You feel like you’ve crossed the finish line, but for a business, that's where the real work begins. Many small business owners get a rude shock when the recurring bills start to roll in.

These ongoing expenses aren’t just optional extras; they’re what keep your site live, secure, and working for your business. Getting your head around these costs from day one is key to setting a realistic budget and avoiding nasty surprises. Let’s pull back the curtain on the main investments every website needs to stay in good shape.

Your Digital Rent and Address

Think of your website like your physical shop or office. Just as you pay rent for a storefront, you need to pay for your little patch of the internet. This is where website hosting comes in.

Website Hosting: This is the service that stores all your website’s files and makes them available to visitors 24/7. Without hosting, your website simply has nowhere to “live” online. The quality of your hosting directly impacts your site's speed and reliability—two things crucial for keeping potential customers from clicking away in frustration.
Domain Name: This is your website's address (e.g., yourbusiness.com.au). It’s how people find you. You register this name annually, and it's a non-negotiable cost if you want to keep your unique digital identity.

These two are the absolute bare minimum. You can’t have a functioning website without them. In Australia, you can expect hosting fees to range from AUD $6.95 to AUD $30 per month, while a .com.au domain name typically costs around AUD $24 per year.

The Digital Handshake: SSL Certificates

Ever noticed that little padlock icon next to a website's address in your browser? That padlock is powered by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. It’s what creates a secure, encrypted connection between your website and your visitor's browser.

Put simply, it's a digital handshake that tells your customers, "This connection is private and safe." For any business, especially one that takes contact details through a form, this is non-negotiable for building trust. Search engines like Google also favour secure sites, so skipping the SSL can even hurt your chances of showing up in local search results. Many hosting plans now include a basic SSL certificate, but it’s always smart to double-check.

Keeping the Engine Tuned: Website Maintenance and Security

This is the ongoing cost that business owners most often forget—and it's arguably the most important one for protecting your investment. Your website is built on software, and just like the apps on your phone, it needs regular updates to stay secure and run smoothly.

Website maintenance isn't an optional extra; it's essential insurance for your digital asset. Skipping it is like buying a new work ute and never taking it for a service. Eventually, it’s going to break down, and the repair bill will be far higher than the cost of a few check-ups.

Proper maintenance usually involves a few key tasks:

Software Updates: Keeping your platform (like WordPress), themes, and plugins up-to-date to patch security holes and fix bugs.
Security Scans: Actively scanning for malware and blocking hacking attempts.
Regular Backups: Creating copies of your site so it can be quickly restored if the worst happens.
Performance Checks: Making sure the site stays fast and responsive. Ignoring this leads to what we call the hidden cost of a slow or outdated website — frustrated users and lost business.

You should budget for a professional to handle this with a monthly or quarterly maintenance plan. It’s a proactive investment that protects your initial spend and makes sure your website remains a reliable tool for bringing in customers.

Choosing Your Path: DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

One of the first, and biggest, decisions you'll face is who will actually build your website. Will you roll up your sleeves and tackle it yourself with a DIY website builder, or will you bring in a professional to handle the heavy lifting? This is a massive fork in the road for any small business.

Your answer will have the single largest impact on the final cost. It's a classic trade-off between money, time, quality, and your long-term business goals. Let's break down what each path really looks like for a small business owner.

This image gives a great snapshot of the average costs for each approach, from using a DIY builder to hiring a freelancer or a full-blown agency.

As you can see, your choice dramatically shapes the initial investment. The DIY route is the most budget-friendly way to get started, while hiring an agency represents the top tier of service and cost.

The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Route

At first glance, the DIY path is incredibly tempting. Platforms like Wix and Squarespace draw you in with low monthly fees, making it seem like the cheapest option. For a simple blog or a basic informational site, you might only be out around $16 per month.

But the subscription fee is just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest "hidden" cost of going DIY is your own time. Learning the platform, designing a decent layout, writing the content, sourcing images, and figuring out basic SEO takes hours—often dozens of them.

The DIY Trade-Off: You're essentially swapping cash for your own time and effort. It's a fantastic option if you have more time than money and you're comfortable with tech, but it can quickly become a time-sink if you're already stretched thin running your business.

Think about it: if you value your time at, say, $50 an hour, a 40-hour DIY build has a very real opportunity cost of $2,000—time you could have spent quoting jobs or serving customers.

Plus, while these platforms are user-friendly, they do have their limits. It can be tough to create a truly unique, professional-looking site that doesn't scream "template." For a closer look at your options, check out our guide on the top website builders for small business.

Hiring a Professional Freelancer or Agency

Bringing in a professional—whether that’s a sharp freelancer or a dedicated web design agency—is a completely different ball game. You’re not just paying for a website; you’re investing in expertise, strategy, and a final product built to get you more business.

The upfront cost is higher. A professional build usually starts in the thousands, not the hundreds. So, what exactly does that bigger investment get you?

A Site That Converts Visitors: A pro knows how to design a site that’s intuitive, builds trust, and guides visitors towards calling you or filling out your contact form.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): They build your site with Google in mind from the start, giving you a much stronger foundation for ranking in local search results.
A Polished, Professional Look: The end result is a high-quality, trustworthy website that reflects the quality of your workmanship and service.
Security and Speed: They ensure the site is secure from hackers and optimised to load quickly, which is critical for keeping visitors from leaving.
Your Time Back: Most importantly, they save you dozens of hours. That's time you can pour back into running your business, serving your customers, and actually making money.

Hiring a pro is about investing in a business asset that’s designed to deliver a return. It frees you up to do what you do best.

A Head-to-Head Comparison

To help make the choice clearer, let’s put these two paths side-by-side and see how they stack up on the factors that matter most to a small business owner.

Here's a quick table to break it down.

DIY Website Builder vs. Professional Web Designer

Factor	DIY Website Builder (e.g., Wix, Squarespace)	Hiring a Professional Designer/Developer
Initial Cost	Low (typically under $500/year for premium plans)	High (starts from $3,000 - $10,000+)
Time Investment	Very High (it’s all on you)	Low (your time is freed up for your business)
Quality & Uniqueness	Limited by templates and your own design skills	High, custom-designed, and professionally polished
SEO & Performance	Basic; requires significant manual setup and knowledge	Advanced; built-in from the ground up for performance
Scalability	Can be restrictive as your business needs grow	Built to scale with your business ambitions
Best For	Hobbyists, brand-new businesses on a shoestring budget, or those with tech skills and plenty of time.	Established businesses focused on growth, generating leads, and achieving a high-quality online presence.

Ultimately, there isn't a single "right" answer here. The best path forward depends entirely on your budget, your confidence with technology, how much you value your own time, and your long-term goals for your business.

How to Keep Your Website Costs Under Control

Seeing the potential price tags can be a bit of a shock, right? Don't stress. Understanding how much a website will cost is the first step, but learning how to manage that spend is where the real power lies for a small business. You can get a brilliant, effective website without needing to remortgage the house.

It really just boils down to smart planning. By taking charge of the process with a few clever strategies, you can sidestep dreaded surprise fees and make an investment that genuinely pays off. Let's walk through some practical, actionable ways to keep your budget in check.

Write a Clear Project Brief

The biggest enemy of any budget is something we call 'scope creep'. It’s what happens when a project’s goals are vague from the start, leading to a stream of changes and new requests after the work has begun. Each of those little "can we just add..." moments adds time and, you guessed it, money to the final bill.

Your best defence is a clear project brief, written before you even start asking for quotes. This doesn't need to be a 20-page thesis. A simple, clear outline is all you need.

Your main goal: What's the number one thing this website must achieve? (e.g., "Generate 10 quote requests per month.")
Your ideal customer: Who are you actually talking to? (e.g., "Homeowners in the northern suburbs of Sydney looking for a reliable plumber.")
The essential pages: List the absolute must-haves, like Home, About Us, Services, a Gallery of past work, and a Contact page.
Key features: Note any non-negotiables, such as a prominent phone number, a contact form, and customer testimonials.
Inspiration sites: Share 2-3 links to other websites you admire (competitors are great for this) and briefly explain what you like about them.

Getting this down on paper ensures you and your web developer are on the same page from day one. It’s the single most effective way to keep your project on time and on budget.

Prepare Your Own Content to Cut Costs

One of the sneakiest time-sinks in any web project is content creation—the words and images that fill the pages. Many quotes will factor in time for the designer to write your copy or source stock photos, which can inflate the price.

You can slash this cost by getting your content ready ahead of time.

Supplying your own text and photos is one of the biggest ways to bring down the final cost of your website. A designer's job is to design; a copywriter's is to write. By tackling the writing yourself, you free up the designer to do what they do best, potentially saving you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Before the project starts, pull together your best project photos and draft the text for your core pages (Home, About, Services). This proactive step not only saves you money but also dramatically speeds up the timeline, getting your business online and in front of customers that much faster.

Launch in Phases: Start with a Minimum Viable Product

You don't need every possible feature from day one. A much savvier strategy is to launch with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Think of it as the lean, essential version of your site that has everything you need to start winning business, and nothing you don't.

For a local tradie or consultant, a great MVP might just be:

A professional, well-designed single homepage.
A crystal-clear summary of your main services.
A gallery showcasing your best work with photos.
A phone number and contact form that are impossible to miss.

This approach gets you a polished online presence quickly and for a fraction of the cost of a full-blown site. Then, once your website is live and bringing in new leads, you can reinvest that revenue into 'Phase 2'. That’s when you can add the nice-to-haves, like a blog, detailed case studies, or video testimonials.

Starting with an MVP is a fantastic way to manage your cash flow and ensure every dollar spent is a strategic move for growth. After all, even a simple website upgrade can double your leads when it's done right.

Getting Started: Your Next Steps

Right, let's get you ready to take the next step. You've now got a solid, real-world idea of what a website is likely to cost your small business here in Australia. It can feel like a maze of quotes and technical jargon, but having this knowledge puts you back in the driver's seat.

Think of your website less like a pamphlet and more like your best salesperson. It’s a strategic business asset, an investment you make upfront to bring in more customers and grow your business over time. This isn't the end of your research; it's the starting line for building an online presence that genuinely works for you.

Your Pre-Flight Checklist

Before you start emailing developers or agencies, a little prep work goes a long way. Getting clear on a few key points first will help you get accurate quotes and, more importantly, find the right team for the job.

What's the #1 goal? What is the single most important action you want a visitor to take? Is it to pick up the phone and call, fill out a quote form, or book a time slot in your calendar? This main goal dictates everything about the design.
Who are you talking to? Give a quick sketch of your ideal customer. A website built for young families looking for a local plumber will have a completely different tone and feel to one targeting commercial property managers.
What are your must-have pages? Jot down the absolute essentials. Most service businesses start with a Home page, an About Us page, a Services page, a gallery of work, and a Contact page.
What's your all-in budget? Be honest with yourself. Remember to factor in not just the initial build cost, but also the ongoing expenses for hosting, your domain name, and website care plans.

Key Questions to Ask Any Web Developer

Once you're ready to chat with potential partners, have this list handy. Their answers will tell you a lot about their experience, their process, and whether they're the right fit for your business.

Can you show me a few websites you’ve built for other local businesses like mine?
What, specifically, is included in your quote, and what would count as an extra cost later on?
Will it be easy for me to update things like text and photos of my jobs on the site myself?
Could you walk me through your typical project process, from our first chat to launch day?
Do you offer ongoing maintenance and security plans once the website is live?

Final Takeaway: Your website is your hardest-working employee. It’s out there, selling your services 24/7, even while you sleep. Investing wisely from the get-go, with a clear plan and the right partner, is one of the smartest moves you can make for the future of your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

It's completely normal to have questions when you're sorting out a website budget. To help you out, we've put together some straight-to-the-point answers to the questions we hear most often from Australian small business owners.

Can I Get a Professional Website for Under $2,000 in Australia?

You’ll definitely see offers for websites under $2,000, but as a business owner, it pays to be sceptical. These are almost always built from a basic template with very few pages, minimal customisation, and rarely any real business strategy baked in. They’ll get you an online presence, but they're unlikely to be a lead-generation tool.

For a quality small business website that’s properly designed to build trust, works brilliantly on mobile, and is built to attract local customers, you should be looking at a starting budget in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. Always insist on a detailed quote so you know exactly what you’re paying for.

How Long Does It Take to Build a Small Business Website?

The timeline really comes down to the site's complexity and how quickly you can supply your developer with what they need (like text and photos). A standard small business website with about 5-10 pages can typically be designed, built, and launched in 4 to 6 weeks.

Need something a bit more advanced, like an online booking system or a small e-commerce store? It’s better to plan for a timeframe closer to 8 to 12 weeks. Honestly, the biggest factor in keeping a project on track is having the client ready with feedback, content, and approvals for each stage.

Do I Really Need to Pay for Website Maintenance?

Yes, one hundred percent. Skipping website maintenance is like buying a brand new work ute and then refusing to ever get it serviced. It'll probably run fine for a while, but sooner or later, it’s going to break down. When it does, the emergency repair bill will be a lot more painful than the cost of a few routine check-ups.

Your website runs on software that needs constant updates to patch security vulnerabilities and keep everything working smoothly. Without maintenance, your site becomes a sitting duck for hackers, can slow to a crawl, or just plain break. A small monthly fee is a smart investment to protect your much bigger one.

What Is the Difference Between a Web Designer and a Web Developer?

Think of it like building a house. The web designer is the architect. They focus on the user's journey, draw up the blueprints (wireframes), and decide on the overall look and feel to make sure it's easy for your customers to use and reflects your brand well.

The web developer is the builder. They take those plans and construct the actual, functional house by writing the code and piecing all the technical features together. Some very clever people can do both, but they are two separate skill sets. For a small business, you want to ensure your provider has skills in both areas to create a site that not only looks good but works perfectly.

Ready to stop worrying about website costs and start getting more customers online? The team at SiteStarter builds high-quality, professional websites for tradies and small businesses across Australia. We handle all the technical stuff, from design to Google optimisation, so you can focus on running your business. Get your no-fuss, results-driven website today.