Websites are like renovations: ask "how much?" and the honest answer is "it depends what you're building." But "it depends" doesn't help you budget — so here are real ballpark figures, what moves the price, and the traps to avoid.
The ballpark numbers (Australia, 2026)
| Option | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace, Shopify) | $20 – $60 / month + your weekends | A template you assemble yourself. Fine to start; easy to outgrow. |
| Budget freelancer / template build | $500 – $2,000 | A template filled in with your content. Quality varies wildly. |
| Professional small-business website | $2,000 – $6,000 | Custom design, 4–8 pages, mobile-first, built to be found on Google. |
| Larger / e-commerce website | $5,000 – $15,000+ | Online store or many pages, bookings/payments, integrations. |
The ongoing costs nobody mentions upfront
- Domain name (yourbusiness.com.au): about $15–$30 a year.
- Hosting (where the site lives): $0–$40 a month depending on how the site is built — modern static sites like ours can host for free or nearly free.
- Maintenance: updates, backups, small changes. Either DIY, pay-as-you-go, or a care plan around $50–$200 a month. Sites built on WordPress generally need more of this than modern code-based sites.
What actually changes the price
- Number of pages — a 5-page brochure site vs a 40-page catalogue.
- Features — bookings, payments, member areas and integrations add real work.
- Content — if words and photos need to be created, not just placed.
- Custom design vs template — designed around your business vs your business squeezed into a theme.
- Who's building it — a junior freelancer, an offshore team, or an experienced local studio all price differently for different levels of care.
Cheap website warning signs 🚩
- "$299 complete website!" — usually a template with your logo swapped in, slow, and invisible on Google. You'll pay again to redo it.
- You don't own it. Some providers keep the site and domain in their name and charge you forever. Always confirm: "do I own the domain and the website outright?"
- No mention of mobile or speed. Most of your visitors are on phones; a slow site loses them before it loads.
- No talk of Google. A beautiful site nobody finds is a brochure in a drawer — ask how the build supports SEO from day one.
Is a professional website worth it?
Do the simple maths. If your average customer is worth $100 and a $3,000 website brings in just one extra customer a week, it pays for itself inside a year — then keeps going. A website isn't a cost like rent; it's a salesperson who works 24/7 and never calls in sick.
Want to see what "professional" looks like in practice? Click through our café demo or builder demo — both are the standard we build to.
Questions to ask anyone quoting you
- Do I own the domain, the website and the content outright?
- What does it cost to change things later?
- Will it load fast on a phone? Can you show me a speed score?
- What's included for SEO at launch?
- Can I see live sites you've built — not mockups?
Want a straight quote? Tell us what you need and we'll give you a
fixed price in plain English — get in touch. See what's
included in our web development service.
