“How much does a website cost?” is one of the most common questions we are asked. The honest answer is that it depends on what the website needs to do. A simple online business card costs far less than an online shop with hundreds of products. But the more useful question is not what a website costs. It is what a website is worth to your business.
This article explains what goes into the price of a website, what you should expect at different budgets, and why a well-built website is one of the best-value investments a small business can make.
What you are actually paying for
When you pay for a professional website, you are not just paying for a design. The price usually covers:
- Planning. Working out who the site is for, what pages it needs and what visitors should do next.
- Design. Layouts that match your branding and work on phones, tablets and computers.
- Content. Structuring and writing pages so they are clear for customers and understood by Google.
- Build and set-up. Installing and configuring WordPress, forms, menus, galleries and any special features.
- SEO foundations. Page titles, descriptions, headings, sitemaps and Google Search Console set-up.
- Security. SSL, login protection, spam protection and backups.
- Training. Showing you how to update your own content.
- Domain and hosting. Your web address and the server your site lives on.
Think of your website as your hardest-working employee
Here is a simple way to look at the value of a website. Imagine hiring a staff member who:
- Works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and public holidays
- Answers the same customer questions perfectly, every time
- Talks to many people at once without making anyone wait
- Shows off photos of your best work to anyone who asks
- Takes enquiries, bookings or orders while you are on a job or asleep
- Never takes sick leave, and never asks for a pay rise
Now compare the cost. Even a $3,000 website used for three years works out to about $1,000 a year, or less than $3 a day. There is no person you could hire to do all of that for that price. That is why a well-built website is such good value, even before it brings in its first customer.
The catch is that, like any employee, it has to be trained properly. A website that is slow, hard to use or invisible on Google is like a staff member sitting in the back room with the door shut.
Typical website prices for small businesses
Prices across the industry vary widely, from a few hundred dollars for a quick template to tens of thousands for large custom builds. As a guide, our current packages are:
- Basic website – from $900. A home page and landing page for a simple web presence. Ideal if you will not need regular updates.
- Advanced website – from $1,900. Our most popular package. Up to 10 pages, built on WordPress so you can update it yourself.
- Premium website – from $3,300. Everything in Advanced, plus an online shop.
All websites include 12 months of free domain name registration. Custom development, special plugins and branding work are quoted separately. See our prices page for the full details.
Ongoing costs to budget for
- Domain renewal – your web address, renewed each year.
- Hosting – our business hosting plans start from $185 per year and include nightly backups kept for 7 days. See hosting packages.
- Updates and maintenance – keeping WordPress and plugins up to date. You can do this yourself or we can do it for you.
- Content – new photos, pages and posts to keep the site fresh and useful.
Why the cheapest option rarely saves money
A very cheap website often skips the parts that make it work: planning, SEO, speed, security and the ability to update it yourself. Many end up being rebuilt within a couple of years. We cover the common pitfalls in Why Cheap Websites Cost You More.
How to get the most value from your website
- Be clear on the main job of the website, for example phone calls, quote requests or online sales.
- Provide real photos of your work and your team.
- Keep your prices, services and contact details up to date.
- Add helpful content that answers your customers’ questions. See what Google’s helpful content changes mean for local businesses.
- Choose a platform you can manage yourself. Read the impact of having a WordPress website.
So, how much does a website cost?
From your point of view, the real question is how much a good website can earn or save your business. If it brings in even a few extra jobs a year, it has usually paid for itself.
Tell us what you need and we will give you a clear, fixed price. Get a quote today.