Ask three web designers for a quote and you might hear A$1,500, A$6,000 and A$15,000 for what sounds like the same website. Are two of them wrong? Usually not. They're quoting different things, and the gap comes from pages, design, features and what happens after launch.
The website still matters. More than half of Australian small businesses (56%) now have a dedicated website, up from 49% a year earlier (auDA, Digital Lives of Australians 2026). And when Australians shop online, almost three in four (72%) will only buy from a business that has a website (auDA, Why .au, 2026).
This guide shows what Brisbane web designers charge for each type of website, what DIY builders cost, the yearly running costs many quotes leave out, and what to check before you sign. All prices are in Australian dollars.
Key takeaways
- Most small business websites cost A$1,800 to A$6,500 in Brisbane. Around A$3,000 is common for a 5 to 10 page site, based on local web designers' published price lists we checked in November 2026.
- Online stores and custom builds cost more. Template online stores start at about A$3,500 to A$5,000, and Brisbane cost guides put larger stores at A$7,500 to A$25,000 or more.
- DIY builders trade money for time. Squarespace plans cost A$17 to A$109 a month billed yearly (Squarespace), but you do the writing, design and updates yourself.
- The build is only the first cost. A .com.au domain costs about A$11 to A$25 a year, hosting about A$10 to A$40 a month, and Brisbane care plans mostly A$75 to A$250 a month.
- Check whether GST is included. Prices shown only to other businesses don't have to include GST (ACCC), so a A$3,000 + GST quote is A$3,300.
How much does a small business website cost in Brisbane?
A small business website from a Brisbane web designer typically costs about A$1,800 to A$6,500, and around A$3,000 is common. That's from the published price lists of nine Greater Brisbane web designers, checked in November 2026. Entry packages start from about A$1,000, and the median starting price was A$1,750.
The type of website matters more than anything else. Here's what each type usually costs.
| Website type | What you usually get | Typical Brisbane price |
|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | A template you set up and update yourself | About A$17 to A$149 a month in plan fees, plus your time |
| Starter website | 1 to 5 pages on a template, a contact form, mobile-friendly | About A$1,000 to A$3,000 |
| Small business website | 5 to 10 pages, some custom design, basic SEO setup | About A$3,000 to A$6,500 |
| Larger service website | 10 to 20 pages, custom design, booking or quote forms | About A$5,000 to A$12,000 |
| Online store | Products, payments and shipping | About A$3,500 to A$8,000 for a template store; A$7,500 to A$25,000 or more for larger stores |
| Custom build | Design and features made from scratch | About A$8,000 to A$20,000, and more for complex projects |
- Starter website1000
- Small business website3000
- Online store3500
- Larger service website5000
- Custom build8000
Source: Brisbane web designers' price lists and cost guides, Nov 2026
The ranges for larger stores and custom builds come from cost guides that Brisbane agencies publish, because few studios list those prices. Their 2025 and 2026 guides put a 5 to 15 page service website at about A$5,000 to A$12,000, and an online store at about A$7,500 to A$25,000 or more.
Why quotes for the same website can differ so much
Two quotes can both say "five pages" and still describe very different work. A cheaper quote might use a ready-made template, leave the writing to you and stop at launch. A dearer one might include custom design, copywriting, photos, SEO setup and a month of fixes afterwards. Neither is wrong. They're just not the same product.
So don't compare the headline price. Compare what you get for it.
Is a DIY website builder cheaper?
A DIY builder costs less up front. Squarespace plans run from A$17 to A$109 a month billed yearly, or A$24 to A$149 billed monthly (Squarespace). For an online store, Shopify's Basic plan is A$42 a month billed yearly (Shopify). The trade-off is your time.
Watch the fine print on very cheap plans. Hostinger's builder starts at A$2.99 a month, but that's on a 48-month term paid up front, and it renews at A$15.89 a month (Hostinger). The Australian Government's business.gov.au notes that a cloud-based content management system is a paid subscription, while a self-hosted one needs separate hosting and your own security updates (business.gov.au).
A builder makes sense when your budget is tight, you're happy to write and update the site yourself, and you don't need custom features. It's harder when you want a site built around enquiries, with service pages, fast load times and SEO set up properly. That's usually where a designer earns their fee.
What pushes the price of a website up or down?
The number of pages and how much is custom are the two biggest drivers. Brisbane price lists show it clearly: one studio charges A$1,750 for 5 pages, A$3,500 for 10 and A$5,000 for 20, and others step up the same way (Brisbane web designers' price lists, November 2026). Seven things move the price most:
- Pages. Each service, location and product category usually needs its own page.
- Design. A ready-made template costs far less than a design made for your brand.
- Words and photos. Copywriting and professional photos add cost, but they're often what makes a site convert.
- Features. Online booking, quote forms, secure uploads, member areas and connections to other software all add work.
- Online sales. Products, payments, shipping rules and stock syncing take longer to set up and test.
- Moving an old site. Carrying over pages, redirects and rankings from an existing site takes care, and time.
- Speed and SEO setup. A site that loads fast and is set up for Google from day one takes more work up front, but saves fixing it later.
What about devices? In Australia, web traffic is now split almost evenly between mobile (48.56%) and desktop (48.49%) (StatCounter, October 2026). Your site needs to work well on both, so any quote should include testing on phones and computers.
What does a website cost to run each year?
The build is a one-off, but a website has running costs too. A .com.au domain costs about A$11 to A$25 a year at Australian registrars (VentraIP; Crazy Domains), and hosting usually costs about A$10 to A$40 a month once intro offers end. Many quotes don't mention these, so ask.
| Running cost | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| .com.au domain | About A$11 to A$25 a year | You need an Australian business, usually with an ABN |
| Web hosting | About A$10 to A$40 a month after intro offers | Not needed if you use a website builder |
| Website builder plan | About A$17 to A$149 a month | Replaces hosting; online store plans cost more |
| Care plan (updates, backups, security) | About A$40 to A$550 a month; most A$75 to A$250 | From Brisbane agencies' published plans |
| Changes and new pages | Often A$100 to A$150 an hour | Some care plans include a few hours a month |
Intro prices can be misleading. Hostinger's WordPress hosting starts at A$2.99 a month on a 48-month term but renews at A$15.89 (Hostinger), and SiteGround's plans renew at A$26.99 to A$64.99 a month before GST (SiteGround). Always check the renewal price.
The .com.au domain has its own rule. auDA says "you must be an Australian commercial entity", such as a business with an ABN, and you must keep meeting the rules for as long as you hold the name (auDA).
Example: the first year of a A$3,000 website
Say a Brisbane designer builds you a A$3,000 website. Add a .com.au domain at about A$25 and hosting at about A$25 a month (A$300 a year), and your first year comes to about A$3,325. Add a care plan at A$150 a month and it's about A$5,125. From year two, you'd pay about A$325 a year without the care plan, or about A$2,125 with it.
- Build only3000
- With domain and hosting3325
- With a A$150 a month care plan5125
Source: Brisbane web designers' price lists; Australian registrars and hosts, Nov 2026
Is a care plan worth it? It depends on who'll do the updates. WordPress sites need regular plugin and security updates. If no one on your team will do that every month, a care plan is cheaper than fixing a hacked or broken site.
What should you check in a website quote?
Start with GST. The ACCC says prices shown to consumers must be a single total that includes GST, but "if a business is displaying prices only to other businesses, it doesn't need to include GST" (ACCC). That's why many web quotes say "+ GST". Then ask:
- How many pages, and how many rounds of changes? Get both in writing.
- Who writes the words and supplies the photos? If it's you, budget the time.
- Who owns the domain, the hosting account and the site itself? They should be in your business's name, with your logins.
- What happens after launch? Ask what's fixed for free, for how long, and what changes cost after that.
- Will it be fast on phones and computers? Google's Core Web Vitals give clear targets, such as the main content loading within 2.5 seconds (web.dev).
- Is SEO set up? At a minimum: page titles, descriptions, a sitemap, Google Search Console and a Google Business Profile link.
- What are the yearly costs? Domain, hosting or builder plan, and any care plan, as separate figures.
A website is only worth what it brings in. Our family law website checklist was written for law firms, but most of its checks apply to any service business that wants enquiries.
This is general information about website costs, not financial advice. Prices change often, so check current prices before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
In Brisbane, a small business website from a local web designer typically costs about A$1,800 to A$6,500, with around A$3,000 common, based on published price lists in November 2026. Starter sites can cost about A$1,000, while online stores and custom builds can cost A$8,000 to A$25,000 or more.
A template online store from a Brisbane designer usually starts at about A$3,500 to A$5,000. Larger stores with many products, custom design or software connections cost about A$7,500 to A$25,000 or more, according to Brisbane agencies' cost guides. On top of that, Shopify plans start at A$42 a month billed yearly.
The basics are a .com.au domain at about A$11 to A$25 a year and hosting at about A$10 to A$40 a month. A care plan for updates, backups and security costs most Brisbane businesses about A$75 to A$250 a month. Ad hoc changes often cost A$100 to A$150 an hour.
Up front, yes. Squarespace plans cost A$17 to A$109 a month billed yearly, compared with about A$3,000 for a typical Brisbane-built site. But you do the design, writing and updates yourself, and plan fees continue every month. A builder suits a tight budget; a designer suits a site built for enquiries.
It's not required, but it can help. auDA's 2026 research found that half of Australian consumers will only buy online from a business with an Australian website ending in .au. To register a .com.au, you must be an Australian commercial entity, usually with an ABN, and keep meeting the rules while you hold it.
Talk to us about your project
The right website depends on what your business needs it to do. A tradie who gets most work from referrals needs something different from a clinic that takes online bookings, or a shop that sells across Australia. Start with the job the site has to do, then pick the type and budget to match.
We build websites for small businesses in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and across Queensland, and we'll give you a clear, itemised quote that lists the running costs too. Our web development page shows how we work.
Tell us about your business and what you want the site to do, and we'll suggest a plan that fits. Talk to us about your project.
