How Much Does a Website Cost in Australia?
Web designers' own price lists run from under $1,000 to $12,500 for a build, or $199 to $433 a month with the site in the fee. What sets the price is the work that goes in, and who owns the site.
What moves the price
Two quotes for "a website" can be very different jobs. Here's why.
- Pages
- A site with a page for every service and area costs more than a one‑pager.
- Planning
- Learning your business and planning each page takes time. Not every quote has it.
- Words
- Some include the writing. Others charge extra for it or leave it to you.
- Photos and logo
- A logo, photos or video may be extra, so check whether they're in.
- Features
- Bookings, payments or an online store cost more to build and look after.
- Google setup
- Setting a site up for Google is in some quotes and an extra in others.
- Tracking
- Ask if calls and forms are tracked, so you can see what the site brings in.
- Ownership
- With a site in a monthly fee, ask when it becomes yours, if ever.
What others charge for a site
Prices from each business's own site, as shown on 8 November 2026.
| Kind of site | Published price | Whose prices |
|---|---|---|
| Tradie site in a monthly fee | $199 to $433 a month | Two web designers for tradies |
| Tradie site, one-off price | $990 to $6,498 | Two tradie website builders |
| Small-business site | $599 to $12,500 | Two small-business web designers |
| Geelong agency site | $875 to $9,660 | A Geelong agency |
Some include GST and some don't. One adds $499 to start, and $100 a week is about $433 a month.
- Tradie site, one-off price$990 to $6,498
- Small-business site$599 to $12,500
- Geelong agency site$875 to $9,660
- My build$5,000 to $10,000 + GST
Each bar runs from lowest to highest price, as shown on 8 November 2026. Mine are 2026 prices.
Budgets from my own enquiries
45 website enquiries that named a budget, 2019 to March 2025, most from my old form's price bands.
So most hoped to spend less than a build costs. That's why I offer a payment plan.
What I charge for a build
My 2026 prices for a build are $5,000 to $10,000 + GST, depending on how big the job is. Pay upfront and get 10% off, or pay $1,000 to start, then $334 a month for 12 months on a $5,000 build.
Every build comes with a monthly plan from $900 a month + GST, because a website on its own isn't what I sell.
What every build includes
- Built around what your customers search for
- A page for each service and area you cover
- The words for every page, written by me
- Set up so Google and AI know what you do and where
- Every enquiry and phone tap tracked
- Your Google Business Profile set up
- If you have a site now, a launch that keeps what ranks
Not included: logo design, photos or video.
What a site costs after launch
Once it's live, a site still needs hosting, a domain and looking after.
| After launch | What others charge | With me |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | $23 to $95 a month + GST at a Geelong agency. About $40 a month at a tradie site builder. | Included in my monthly plans and care plans |
| Your domain name | $97 every two years + GST at a Geelong agency | Always yours. I keep an eye on when it's due |
| Updates, backups and security | $29 to $350 a month for care plans near Geelong | Part of every monthly plan, or Website Care on its own at $120 a month + GST |
Others' prices as shown on 8 November 2026. The $29 plan is paid yearly. Mine are 2026 prices.
Questions to ask before you sign
If two quotes answer these differently, they're different jobs.
| What went wrong | What to ask |
|---|---|
| They went quiet once paid, and no one could reach the owner | Who will I deal with, and how do I reach them? |
| The site cost a lot and still wasn't finished | What do I get, in writing, and when is it done? |
| A small change after launch was billed by the hour | Which changes are included after launch, and what do the rest cost? |
| The fees kept coming after they cancelled | How do I cancel, and what do I pay after that? |
| They couldn't get their site or logins back when they left | If I leave, do I keep the site, the domain and my logins? |
| The results never came, but the reports said all was fine | How will I see what the site brings in? |
In my words, from Google reviews of 3 stars or less for other web businesses, read 8 November 2026.
Where these numbers come from
- Others' prices
- The sites of 81 web, marketing and hosting businesses, on 8 November 2026.
- Budgets
- 45 of my website enquiries from July 2019 to March 2025 that named a one-off figure, leaving out SEO-only asks. Most chose one of my old form's price bands.
- Questions to ask
- Google reviews of 3 stars or less for other web businesses, read on 8 November 2026. Each complaint in the table is put in my own words, with no one named.
- My prices
- Every price of mine on this page is from my 2026 price list.
More questions about website costs
Is it cheaper to pay monthly for a website?
It's cheaper to start, but read the terms first. On the monthly plans I checked on 8 November 2026, the minimum term ran from none to 12 months, and one only hands the site over after 26 weekly payments.
Who owns the website once it's built?
Your domain is always yours. The site and its content are yours once the build is paid for, at launch if you pay upfront or when the payment plan is paid off. I keep the templates I build with, and my terms set out the rest.
Written by Max Jacobs
I'm a civil engineer turned web designer, based in Geelong, VIC. I've built websites and run marketing since 2015, and I don't hand the work to juniors: the person you email does it.
Want a price for your website?
Tell me about your business and I'll reply with what I'd do and what it costs.
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