Website pricing guide
How much does a website cost?
Website cost depends on who builds it, how many pages you need, and what you pay each year to keep it online. Here are realistic website design prices for Australian small businesses, broken down so you can budget properly.
- 5/5 from owners I've worked with
- 10+
- Years working on websites
- ~24h
- Typical first response
What working together looks like
- Tell me what's going on. A short reply, no forms or sales calls.
- Honest scope and a clear quote, usually within 24 hours.
- Work done by Charlie. One person from start to finish.
Website cost at a glance
For a typical small business brochure site in Australia, DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace, and similar) often run $20 to $50 per month in platform fees, plus your time. There is usually no large upfront build fee, but you stay inside their system.
Freelancers and small studios commonly quote $1,500 to $5,000 for a custom five-page site. Agencies often land at $3,000 to $10,000 or more once strategy, design, development, and project management are bundled in. SiteSubs is $800 flat for five custom pages, then $20 per month hosting. Domain and email are separate.
Those figures are build costs. Every site also has ongoing line items: domain renewal, hosting, and sometimes maintenance or email. A website that looks cheap upfront can still cost real money each year to run.
Build options
Website design cost by who builds it
Approximate ranges for a standard small business site (about five pages). Your quote may sit above or below depending on scope, copy, and integrations.
| Compare | RecommendedSiteSubs | DIY builder | Freelancer | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront build cost | $800 flat | $0–$300 | ~$1.5k–$5k | ~$3k–$10k+ |
| Typical page count | 5 core pages | Varies | 5–10 pages | Scoped project |
| Monthly platform / hosting | $20/mo | ~$20–$50/mo | Often bundled | Often bundled |
| You own the code | Yes | No (builder) | Usually | Yes |
| Your time required | Low | High | Low | Low |
| Best fit | Affordable custom build | Tight DIY budget | Mid-range custom | Larger brand projects |
SiteSubs
- Upfront build cost
- $800 flat
- Typical page count
- 5 core pages
- Monthly platform / hosting
- $20/mo
- You own the code
- Yes
- Your time required
- Low
- Best fit
- Affordable custom build
DIY builder
- Upfront build cost
- $0–$300
- Typical page count
- Varies
- Monthly platform / hosting
- ~$20–$50/mo
- You own the code
- No (builder)
- Your time required
- High
- Best fit
- Tight DIY budget
Freelancer
- Upfront build cost
- ~$1.5k–$5k
- Typical page count
- 5–10 pages
- Monthly platform / hosting
- Often bundled
- You own the code
- Usually
- Your time required
- Low
- Best fit
- Mid-range custom
Agency
- Upfront build cost
- ~$3k–$10k+
- Typical page count
- Scoped project
- Monthly platform / hosting
- Often bundled
- You own the code
- Yes
- Your time required
- Low
- Best fit
- Larger brand projects
How it works
What drives website development costs
Website price is not one number. These factors move quotes up or down.
- 01
Number of pages and templates
A one-page site is cheaper than a ten-page site with unique layouts. Most small businesses need home, services, about, contact, and one or two extras. That is why five-page website price benchmarks are common in quotes.
- 02
Custom design vs template
A template with your logo swapped in costs less than a layout built for your brand. Custom website design cost reflects design time, revisions, and mobile polish.
- 03
Copy and content
If you supply final text and images, build cost stays lower. Professional copywriting, photography, or stock licensing adds to website creation cost.
- 04
Integrations and extras
Booking systems, calculators, member areas, or ecommerce push you past a simple brochure site. Basic contact forms and maps are normal; complex features are quoted separately.
- 05
Who does the work
Web developer cost for a freelancer or agency includes their hourly or project rate. DIY has a low dollar cost but a high time cost. Compare website design rates on total outcome, not just the headline figure.
Ongoing website cost per month and per year
After launch, you pay to keep the site online. Domain renewal is typically $15 to $50 AUD per year through your registrar (see our domain name cost guide for detail). Hosting on mainstream shared plans is often $10 to $40 per month; SiteSubs managed hosting is $20 per month after a build.
Professional email on your domain is optional and usually $10 to $25 per user per month via Google Workspace or similar. It is not included in a SiteSubs build. Small content edits are scoped separately; ongoing WordPress maintenance is a different service if you run WordPress.
Website cost per month for a simple SiteSubs site is often $20 hosting plus domain averaged across the year. Website yearly cost might land around $250 to $350 before email, versus higher totals when agency retainers or premium builders are in the mix.
Pricing snapshot
Transparent pricing. No surprises at the proposal.
If you want a straightforward small business site without agency pricing, this is what SiteSubs costs. Larger sites, ecommerce, and WordPress-on-existing-hosting projects are quoted separately.
Base build
AUD flat fee · five core pages · custom build
$20/mo
Managed hosting + SSL
Included
- Custom five-page site (not a drag-and-drop template)
- You own the code, no builder lock-in
- Mobile-ready layout and on-page SEO basics
- Domain registered separately (you keep control)
- Optional SEO package (+$500) and logo (+$200)
Small business website cost in Australia
Average website cost for small business owners in Australia often lands between a cheap DIY subscription and a multi-thousand-dollar agency proposal. Website cost for small business is usually lower when scope stays tight: five pages, your supplied copy, standard contact forms, and no custom app work.
Website design cost Australia quotes tend to be competitive with global freelancers but include local support expectations and GST on Australian invoices. Cost to build a website Australia from a solo operator like SiteSubs is deliberately flat ($800) so you are not guessing.
If you only need small edits on an existing site, that is a lighter job than a full build. If the design or platform is the problem, see website redesign services instead of treating it like a new-site quote.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Ready when you are
Know your budget?
Send what you need (pages, industry, timeline). I will tell you whether SiteSubs fits or if you need a larger quote.
Reply within ~24 hours · No obligation · You own the site