For most Australian small businesses, the website does a lot of heavy lifting. It is where Google sends searchers, where social media followers go to learn more and where referrals check you out before they call. A good website turns that attention into enquiries, bookings and sales. A poor one quietly sends customers to competitors.
Pricing, though, is all over the place. One designer quotes $900, another $12,000, and both describe the result as a "professional website". This guide explains what you are actually paying for, what drives the cost, Australian-specific considerations and typical starting prices in AUD.
The main types of websites
DIY builders
Wix, Squarespace and Shopify let you build a site yourself for a monthly subscription. This keeps costs low but takes time, and results depend on your design, writing and technical skills. It suits very small businesses that are comfortable doing it themselves.
Template-based professional sites
A designer customises a quality theme on WordPress, Webflow or Shopify with your branding, content and features. For many small businesses, this offers the best balance of cost, speed and quality, and it is easy to update after launch.
Custom-designed sites
A designer plans and creates unique layouts based on your customers, brand and goals, then builds them on a content management system. Custom sites suit businesses that need to stand out, have complex content or require specific functionality such as portals or calculators.
E-commerce stores
Online stores need product catalogues, payment gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, Afterpay or Zip, shipping rules for Australia Post and couriers, GST settings and thorough testing. They usually cost more than brochure sites.
What affects the price?
- Pages and templates: a five-page site versus a forty-page site with several layouts
- Design approach: template customisation versus custom design
- Copywriting: whether you supply the words or the agency writes them
- Photography and video: stock images versus original shoots
- Functionality: bookings, quotes, memberships, calculators, multilingual content
- Integrations: CRM, email marketing, Xero or MYOB, booking platforms
- E-commerce scope: products, variants, subscriptions, wholesale pricing
- SEO setup and migration: redirects, on-page optimisation, local SEO
- Accessibility: designing and testing to WCAG
- Ongoing support: hosting, updates, security and backups
Australian considerations
Accessibility
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with disability in the provision of goods and services, and the Australian Human Rights Commission has published guidance that websites should be accessible, referencing the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Government agencies generally work to WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA. For businesses, building to WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA is good practice and reduces risk.
Key accessibility features include good colour contrast, descriptive alt text, keyboard-friendly navigation, clear form labels, captions for videos and a logical heading structure.
Privacy
The Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles apply to many businesses, including those with annual turnover above $3 million and certain smaller businesses such as health service providers. Even if the Act does not apply to you, publishing a clear privacy policy that explains what your forms, cookies and analytics collect builds trust. Privacy law reforms have been progressing, so check current requirements.
Consumer law
Website content must not be misleading or deceptive under the Australian Consumer Law. Prices should be clear and include unavoidable charges, reviews must be genuine and claims must be accurate. The ACCC has taken action against businesses over drip pricing and fake reviews.
Spam Act
If your website collects email or SMS sign-ups, the Spam Act 2003 requires consent, sender identification and a functional unsubscribe. See our Spam Act SMS marketing guide.
This section is general information, not legal advice.
Typical starting prices
| Website type | DND Teams (starting from) | Typical inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Starter business site | from A$990 | Up to 5 pages, mobile-friendly template design, contact form, basic SEO |
| Professional business site | from A$1,990 | Up to 12 pages, custom styling, local SEO setup, booking or quote forms, accessibility checks |
| E-commerce store | from A$3,290 | Shopify or WooCommerce, up to 50 products, payments, shipping and GST settings |
| Custom website | from A$5,990 | Custom UX and design, advanced functionality, integrations |
| Care plan | from A$79 per month | Hosting management, updates, backups, security monitoring, minor edits |
These prices are positioned below typical Australian agency rates because our design and development team works from India while we communicate during Australian business hours. Contact us for an exact quote.
Ongoing costs to budget for
- Domain: a .com.au domain requires an Australian presence, such as an ABN, and must be renewed
- Hosting: ideally with Australian data centres for speed
- Platform subscriptions: Shopify, Webflow or Squarespace plans
- Premium plugins and themes: annual licences
- Payment processing fees
- Maintenance and security
- Content updates and new pages
Ask every provider for a full list of first-year and ongoing costs before you sign.
What every small business website needs
- A clear headline explaining what you do and where you work
- Prominent calls to action: call, book, get a quote
- Click-to-call on mobile
- A page for each core service
- Suburb or city information for local businesses
- Genuine reviews or testimonials, used with permission (health practitioners have special rules)
- Fast loading on mobile
- On-page SEO basics and a link to your Google Business Profile
- Analytics and conversion tracking
- An accessible design and a privacy policy
How to choose a web design provider
- Look at real, live examples of their work and test them on your phone.
- Ask who will build the site and where the team is based.
- Confirm you will own the domain, the website and the content.
- Ask about accessibility, SEO, security and backups.
- Get a written scope, timeline and payment schedule.
- Ask what support you will get after launch.
Red flags
- Extremely low prices with vague scope
- Domains registered in the agency's name rather than yours
- No mention of mobile speed, SEO or accessibility
- Proprietary platforms that make it hard to move later
- Lock-in contracts for hosting at inflated prices
- Portfolio sites that are not real or not live
Timelines
A starter site often takes 2 to 4 weeks, a professional site 4 to 8 weeks and an e-commerce or custom site 8 to 12 weeks or more. Most delays come from content and feedback, so prepare text, photos and decisions early.
Choosing a platform
- WordPress: flexible and widely supported, with plugins for almost anything, but it needs regular updates.
- Shopify: the simplest choice for most online stores, with Australian payment options and GST settings.
- Webflow: strong design control with managed hosting.
- Squarespace and Wix: easy for owners to manage simple sites.
Redesign or improve?
If your site is slow, hard to update, insecure or not mobile-friendly, a rebuild may be worthwhile. If the platform and structure are sound, improving copy, calls to action, speed and SEO may deliver results faster and for less. Protect your existing rankings by mapping old URLs to new ones with 301 redirects during any redesign.
Writing copy that converts
Use Australian spelling and the words your customers use, mention the suburbs and regions you genuinely serve, show prices or price ranges where possible and end every section with a clear next step. Many websites gain more enquiries from better words than from a new design.
Measuring results after launch
Track enquiries, calls, bookings and sales from the website, not just visitors. Set up Google Analytics and Search Console before launch, review them monthly and keep improving the pages that bring the most valuable traffic.
How DND Teams helps
We design websites for Australian businesses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and nationwide, with SEO, accessibility and conversion built in. Pair your new site with SEO using our Australian SEO pricing guide, or request a free website audit.
Prices shown are indicative "starting from" figures in local currency and exclude taxes and third-party charges (such as Meta or carrier fees) unless stated. Contact us for an exact quote. This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects our understanding as of October 2026.