Somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000 for most small businesses.
Yeah, that's a wide range. But here's the thing — it depends on what you actually need, not what some agency wants to sell you.
December 2024
Somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000 for most small businesses.
Yeah, that's a wide range. But here's the thing — it depends on what you actually need, not what some agency wants to sell you.
A basic 5-page site for a tradie or local service business? That's the $2-4k range. You get a homepage, about page, services, contact form, maybe a gallery. Done properly, mobile-friendly, shows up on Google.
That's what I built for Studio at 65 — a local hair salon that needed a clean site with online booking. Nothing over the top. Just exactly what the business needed.
An online booking system, e-commerce, or something with more grunt? That's where you're looking at $5-10k. Custom functionality costs more because it takes more time to build properly.
Mallacoota Barbie Boats is a good example. Gutsy needed a full booking system that could handle availability, deposits, and confirmations — all without him being glued to his phone. That's not a template job.
The wildcard is content. If you've got your photos, your copy, your logo sorted — it's faster. If I'm writing everything, sourcing images, and figuring out your brand from scratch — that's more hours.
$500 websites: You're getting a template with your logo slapped on it. You'll hate it in six months and pay someone else to fix it.
$20,000+ quotes from Melbourne agencies: You're paying for their office rent and account managers. The actual website isn't ten times better than a $5k one.
"Free" website builders: They're not free. You'll pay in time, frustration, and a site that looks like everyone else's.
I'm not the cheapest. I'm not the most expensive. I'm somewhere in the middle and I build stuff that works.
Most of my projects land between $2,500 and $6,000. That gets you a proper site, built for your business, that you can actually use to get customers.
No templates you have to finish yourself. No "just add your own content." Done properly, handed over ready to go.
It's not "how much does a website cost?" It's "what's it costing you to not have one?"
If you're losing jobs because people can't find you online, or you're embarrassed to send people to your current site — that's the real expense.
I'll tell you what you need. Or what you don't need. If a website isn't the right move for your business right now, I'll say that — even if it means I miss out on the work.
I'd rather point you in the right direction than sell you something that doesn't make sense.