The pandemic induced lockdowns and social distancing measures of COVID-19 has brought about significant changes to the way Australians shop, with many shifting from traditional in-store purchases to online shopping. As a result businesses have fast tracked investment in expanding their digital portfolio, products and e-commerce offerings in order to stay competitive in this new business and economic environment. The importance of a website in today’s digital age cannot be overstated. However, the process of designing and developing a website can be daunting. To complicate matters is the many different options and the cost associated to each.
In this article, we’ll explore the different factors that can impact the cost, provide insights to the structure of a contemporary website and explore the various options in which you can get established online.
Website Essentials
When it comes to creating a website the key elements to consider are design, development platform, ongoing maintenance and support model. These are the primary drivers that will influence the cost of your website all of which is determined by the needs of your business. Therefore to create a successful website it is essential to understand your business requirements and the goal you are trying to achieve through the website.
Design
The design of a website should reflect how you want customers to perceive your business. It should clearly articulate your message to your targeted audience drawing attention to your unique proposition and offering in your market segment.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to design whereby you can engage a design agency that can create a unique brand identity for thousands of dollars or freelance contractor where prices start from $100 / hour.
Alternatively if you know the high level design you’re looking for, there are hundreds of pre-made template web designs that can be readily purchased for under $100. These generally include a home page and a subpage design that can get you started but require knowledge around design and tools involved to edit them to suit your needs.
A more budget and user friendly approach is to use established website builder design tools (drag and drop much like PowerPoint) that are free to use but typically only allow use of basic features with limited capabilities. To access locked features would require a subscription that could cost $20 / month per user. Nevertheless they require time and investment in learning the tool with a catch of being locked into their platform.
Development
There are many options when it comes to how the website should be developed all of which would require some level of technical expertise and knowledge of the intricacies of website development. Due to the technical aspects of development many customers engage a digital agency to complete. Generally the overall cost of development can be viewed in terms of what type of website you want to create.
A basic static website with a few pages of content and minimal functionality for informational purposes will tend to be $2500 – $4000. For service focused small businesses that treat their website as another channel to attract customers or showcase a portfolio would need to consider a level of customization and design work. These generally would have a gallery and more content pages with the ability to self-author content where costs could range from $5000 – $15000. For businesses that plan to sell products or services online and process transactions an ecommerce site is required. These are highly complex implementations with product catalogue, user/inventory management, shopping cart, merchant facilities, and shipping controls to name a few. This category of websites where security concerns to protect the privacy of customer data and payment information is paramount hence could cost in excess of $20k and vary broadly based upon technology used.
Ongoing technical maintenance
Ongoing website technical maintenance is essential and will require regular maintenance to keeping your website running smoothly, up-to-date and secure. This includes tasks such as installing platform updates, resolving security issues, and patching coding bugs. The cost of maintenance can vary depending on the size and complexity of your website, for a standard informational website it can typically range from $80 – $250 per month.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is no longer an option for businesses that want to be visible online. It is a service that helps websites rank higher in search engine results pages, so that businesses can reach more potential customers.
The cost of SEO can vary depending on the size and complexity of your website, the provider you choose, and the package you select. For example, a small business might pay around $300 per month for basic SEO services, while a large enterprise might pay upwards of $10,000 per month for more comprehensive services.
Find out more about the vital role of SEO as part of our In Sights.
Domain name and hosting
Regardless the type of website you plan to create, for a customer to visit your website a domain name and hosting is required. To better understand this co-dependency is to metaphorically think your website as a commercial property. Like all buildings it requires a block of land to exist upon, which is purchased from the council. On the internet, much like the council, hosting providers allow you to purchase land upon which a website can be built; this is known as web hosting. Essentially it is a service that stores, process and manage all of the website’s data, files, media assets, and content and makes them accessible on the internet. On the other hand, a domain name is the address in which people use to search and find your website.
Domain name
Your website’s domain name is more than just an address, it serves as a summary of your site’s purpose and has an impact on how users perceive you. There are two important aspects of a domain name to consider carefully before registering one;
- Domain name – This should be a name that reflects your business and generally coincides with your business name.
- Top-level domain (TLD) – The suffix to a domain name and by convention outlines to users your website’s purpose, owner or geographical area. For example, a .gov top-level domain allows users to immediately identify the site as a government entity
| TLD | Purpose | Cost |
| .com | Although originally intended for commercial business entities, the .com top-level domain (TLD) became the main TLD for domain names and is currently used by all types of entities, including non-profits, schools, and private individuals. | ~$15-$25AUD / year |
| .org | It is commonly used by non-profit organizations, open-source projects, and communities and often associated with organizations that have a public service or humanitarian mission. It is recognized worldwide as a trusted symbol of non-profit activity. | ~$12-$20AUD / year |
| .net | Intended for use by organizations involved in networking technologies, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and infrastructure companies. Many businesses use the .net TLD as an alternative to .com, as it can be easier to find an available domain name with .net compared to .com. Businesses that are directly involved in networking or technology-related industries may still prefer to use the .net TLD to emphasize their expertise in these areas. | ~$18-$25AUD / year |
| .biz | It was created specifically for businesses and was intended to be a more organized and focused alternative to .com. The .biz TLD is still primarily used by businesses, but it is also sometimes used by other types of organizations or individuals looking to create a professional and commercial online presence. | $15-$22AUD / year |
| .shop | The .shop TLD was created to help customers quickly and easily identify online shops, and to help businesses establish a recognizable brand for their online storefront. The .shop TLD is open to all registrants, regardless of location or industry, making it a flexible option for anyone looking to create an online store. | $35-$75AUD / year |
| .info | Intended for informational websites, such as those that provide news, educational content, or other informative resources. | $35-$54AUD / year |
In the past, top-level domains were limited and had specific purposes, but now the list has expanded to over three digits and most restrictions have been removed (e.g. .io, .eth, .travel). When registering with a specialized or country-specific domain, certain principles must be met, but generally a generic top-level domain mostly depends on cost and personal preference. Consider how the different options pair with your brand name and whether they can strengthen your message.
Hosting
For basic informational sites with low traffic (typically < 100,000 visits) it can be as low as $10/month and under $100/month for the majority of standard websites. However large interactive complex websites or bespoke web applications with high volumes of traffic you could expect to pay a lot more. How much more would depend on the your site’s requirements and specifications including but not limited to:
- Storage requirements based upon amount of content
- Complexity and technology
- The number of visitors you have
- Performance
- Security
- Minimum uptime
- Maintenance and support
Security
With the current landscape of the ever growing list of large enterprises succumbing to security breaches and data leaks, customers are becoming more wary of digital scams and identity theft when browsing the internet. It is essential that your website is secured with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate which is a security protocol that encrypts the interaction between your website and the customer’s browser providing the necessary protection for your businesses’ and customers’ data. Additionally it conveys creditability and trustworthiness by visually displaying padlock beside your domain name indicating the business entity has been identified and validated serving as an assurance to customers the site is not an imposter. Furthermore there are SEO benefits as Google and other search engines prioritize websites that have SSL enabled, as it is a signal that the website is secure and trustworthy.
There are three types of SSL certificate:
- Domain Validated (DV) SSL Certificates: These are the most basic SSL certificates and are issued only after the domain ownership is verified. They provide basic encryption and are ideal for small websites or blogs that don’t collect sensitive information and typically cost between $5 – $50 / yr.
- Organization Validated (OV) SSL Certificates: These certificates offer higher validation than DV SSL certificates and require a more rigorous verification process. In addition to domain ownership, the Certificate Authority (CA) also verifies the organization’s name, address, and other details. OV SSL certificates are suitable for small to medium-sized businesses that collect sensitive information from customers and typically cost between $50 – $120 / yr
- Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates: These certificates offer the highest level of validation and provide the most comprehensive encryption. The verification process for EV SSL certificates is the most rigorous and requires the most documentation, including legal and operational information about the organization. EV SSL certificates are best for large corporations and businesses that handle sensitive information, such as financial institutions or e-commerce websites. The cost of EV certificates typically are in the hundreds per year.
The cost of a website in Australia
Throughout this article we’ve highlighted the main aspects of creating a website and provided an indicative cost to each respective element. It is important to understand your business requirements and the goal you are trying to achieve through the website as it will ultimately influence the final cost. You must also take into consideration other factors such as time, technical skills, and design skills required to create a website, which doesn’t necessary have monetary value but the intrinsic value that could be spent if you had invested that in your core business.
Here is a recap of the different types of websites and their average cost of design and development.
| Type of Website | Best For | Fixed Price |
| CMS Website (Template Based) | Small business operators | $3600 – $6000 |
| CMS Website (Custom) | Medium-sized business | $6000–$10,000 |
| Ecommerce Website | Ecommerce businesses, web-stores, online retailers | $11,000 – $25,000 |
| Custom Development | Custom feature-rich site with integrations to other systems/platforms | $25,000+ |
Quality web design and development takes time and money. However, you should view it as an investment rather than an upfront cost. Spending money on your web design and development will ensure you get a flexible and scalable website tailored to your business. It will also help to reduce the ongoing maintenance and development costs and ensure the best possible user experience for your customers.