What does a website cost?

In Australia, it usually costs anywhere between $3,000 and $10,000 for a professionally built small business website.

On top of that, there's a monthly cost to keep it online, secure and looked after.

Updated by John Hoac

A web designer at a timber desk in a warmly lit studio, working on a website on a large screen beside an open sketchbook

The short answer

Most small businesses pay $3,000 to $10,000 or more to have a website built and roughly $25 to $300 a month to keep it running.

The range is wide because it comes down to who builds it and how much of it is custom. At the bottom end of the pricing, you get template websites, and at the top end are fully custom websites, usually produced by an agency. A freelancer usually sits somewhere in between.

The monthly cost covers things like security and updates, and it's easy to overlook this when you're comparing quotes. So it's worthwhile keeping both these costs in mind when weighing quotes up.

What the market charges

The numbers,
in the open.

These are typical Australian prices sourced from Bark, a marketplace that handles more than 447,000 requests for web design quotes since 2021.

  • $500+

    for a basic, template-based brochure site. Bark puts these at about $500 to $1,775.

  • $3–10k+

    for a custom small business website, which is where most local businesses land.

  • 30–80hrs

    of a designer's time for a typical small business site, which is why you usually get quoted a fixed price.

Figures from Bark's website design cost guide for Australia, last updated March 2026. They're national averages, so please treat them as a rough guide.

Your three main options

Who builds it
changes the price.

Build it yourself

Website builders like Wix and Squarespace let you pick a template which you fill in. A Squarespace site runs roughly $25 to $70 a month all-in, but you'll need to factor in your time of learning tools and building the website, which most people tend to underestimate.

Cheapest in dollars

Hire a freelancer

One person designs and builds it for you. Freelance designers in Australia typically charge $80 to $120 an hour, or a fixed quote. It's generally great value if you find a good one, but it's worth asking, what happens after launch.

The middle ground

Hire an agency

A team handles the design, content writing, build and search work. Senior designers and agencies typically charge anywhere from $160 to $250 an hour, so a custom site often reaches the top end.

Most hands-on

Builder prices are from What's The Damage (October 2026); hourly rates sourced from Bark. We're a small studio so we sit somewhere in between, providing full custom design, build, writing and search work, at a fixed price.

What changes the price

Six things that
move the number.

When two quotes look miles apart, it's usually down to one of these and it's usually worth checking before you compare.

  1. How many pagesA single page with your details is a very different job to a page for every service and suburb you cover. Most small businesses sit in the range of five to eight pages.
  2. A custom design, or a templateA template is far quicker and cheaper to use. A custom design is built specifically around your business, your customers and your brand, so it takes much longer, but it's much easier to stand out.
  3. Who writes the words and supplies the photosCopywriting and photography are often quoted separately so check if they're included, or you may have to factor in these additional costs or provide them yourself.
  4. Forms, bookings and connectionsA simple contact form is standard. Online booking, quote calculators or links to the other software you use can increase the build time for the website. If you're paying for per hour billing, keep this in mind.
  5. Selling onlineAn online shop is its own category. Bark puts a simple ecommerce store at around $8,000 to $20,000, because products, payments and shipping all need setting up.
  6. Search and AI set-upPage titles, descriptions, structured data and a sitemap should come with any professional build. If they're listed as an add-on, it's worth asking why. Our Search & AI guide explains what to expect.

Our pricing is simple and transparent. Drop us a line through our contact page, or check out our simple pricing.

Once it's live

The monthly
bit.

Building the site is one cost. Keeping it online, secure and up to date is another, and it's the one that's easiest to miss. These ranges are also from Bark's guide.

  1. How much does a domain name cost?

    Usually $20 to $50 a year. It's your address on the internet, and it should always be registered in your own name.

  2. How much does website hosting cost?

    Basic shared hosting runs about $10 to $30 a month, and managed hosting about $30 to $100. Website builders like Squarespace and Wix bundle hosting into their subscription.

  3. Do I need to pay for website maintenance?

    Not always, but someone has to look after updates, security and fixes. In Australia, basic maintenance packages typically cost $100 to $300 a month.

  4. Are there website costs people don't expect?

    Yes, three common ones. The first is hosting that jumps at renewal: a cheap first year can double or more, so it's worth asking what year two will cost too.

  5. Paying by the hour for small changes

    Swapping a phone number or a photo shouldn't come with an invoice. Ask whether small text changes are included.

  6. Contracts that lock you in

    Some packages tie you in for 12 or 24 months. Ask about the term, and what it costs to leave, before you sign anything.

Add it upWhen you compare quotes, be sure to consider the monthly costs and build price. These are the numbers that your website really costs.

Where we sit

That's our complete price for a custom website of up to 8 pages, designed for phones first (60–73% of people now browse or search on a phone), with the search and AI set-up included ($500 to get started, and the rest when it goes live). After that, packages start from $30 a month, month to month.

See every package

An honest take

If all you need is your phone number online, a DIY builder might be plenty.

And that's a perfectly good choice. A custom site starts to earn its keep when customers compare you with others before they call: trades, clinics, salons, and anyone quoting for bigger jobs. Not sure which camp you're in? Ask us, and we'll tell you honestly. You might also like our page on which small businesses tend to benefit.

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