If there is one thing that has become a must-have for any aspiring business owner, it’s a good website. Studies show that over 95 percent of all people search for local businesses near them online rather than via phonebooks or any other method. If you don’t have a website, you lose out on the possibility of getting more clients. 

Throughout the world, the demand for quality web design is at an all-time high. People love having a slick site that looks just as good online as it does on a mobile phone. While you can technically DIY your own website using a website making app, the truth is that getting the best possible work means you’ll have someone give you a professionally-made site.

Trying to figure out how much that costs, however, is kind of a nightmare. So, how much should you expect to pay for professional web design that’s based out of Australia? Moreover, how much does a web designer cost if you want a site that works well for your budget?

How much you should expect to pay for professional web design depends on what you want to do with the website. 

• Single static page websites (sometimes called placeholders) will cost $1,000 to $2,000 to make at most.
• A simple company website will cost around $2,000 to $6,000 to make. 
• A standard company website with some SEO and Google Places work will be between $5,000 to $10,000. 
• Large-scale e-commerce websites will typically range between $10,000 to $20,000. 

Before you put together your annual budget, it’s a good idea to know what you should expect from typical web design costs. This guide will help you get a full understanding of it. 

Before You Begin: Do You Need To Hire A Web Designer?

Outsource or not, a professional web designer can offer a lot for your online presence as well as your digital marketing endeavors. However, it’s not always necessary. If you are okay with a simple, cheap website, you can usually do it yourself via a website builder. 

Most companies that are just starting out will have to make do with a shoestring budget and a DIY attitude. Website building platforms like Wix and WordPress make it possible for you to make your own website in a pinch. This can reduce your costs dramatically. 

How Much Does It Cost To DIY Your Own Web Design?

If you decide to go the DIY route, you’ll still have to pay costs, such as your SSL certificate and your hosting. However, the price will be dramatically different and decreased. You can make your own website for as little as $200 upfront. However, most will cost between $500 to $1000 to make. 

What Goes Into Designing A Typical Website?

The first thing that people tend to do when they see the price of a website is balk. I cannot blame them. It is a huge price tag to take in, at least when you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. Here’s why designing a typical website costs so much…

1. The Initial Design Phase

Before you get any kind of website put together, your web designer needs to understand what you want from your website in terms of appearance. This is the time when the designer will work with you to figure out the layout, color schemes, fonts, and other elements of design. 

Part of your design phase is getting your site’s branding together. If you do not have a logo ready for your website, then you will also need to have your logo sketched out. This can add an additional fee to your site build.

In most cases, your web designer will have to make multiple versions of your potential website. That can take work. Once it’s approved, you can move to the next phase. 

2. Getting The Domain Name

One of the most important parts of your web design process is going to be getting the domain name and website hosting. Most web design firms have a go-to hosting company that they rely on. However, getting your domain name registered is going to be a pricey endeavor in many cases.

Domain name registration can cost big, especially when it comes to ideal URLs. In some cases, you might have to buy a domain name from someone who already owns the one you want. This can easily cost hundreds of dollars.

3. Putting The Site Together

Coding alone is actually only a small slice of web design---at least, if your web designer is going to be doing a large amount of customization. Most web designers will have to get templates for the site layout, plugins to help integrate features you want, and also get your security certificate. 

Putting everything together and adding all the integrations can be a huge endeavor, even if you are a long-time designer. This means that there will be hours upon hours of labor involved. Having them build a website, even through the use of a high-end website builder, is the costliest part.

4. Testing

Website testing is a must, unless you want some serious egg on your face. At times, integrations may not work well with the platform that you’re using. (Glitchy WordPress plugins, anyone?) This can lead to additional hours of work until you’re able to get it working. 

5. Adding Content

Believe it or not, most web designers actually add content to sites after the original site has been put together. This is the point where web designers will hire writers (like me!) to write out SEO articles, an About Us, and blog posts that help make your site easier to search.

6. Maintenance

Security upgrades, continued SEO, and other maintenance will occasionally need to be done. As you can see, a web design task has a lot of inner steps that need to be put into consideration. So, it’s definitely worth it. 

What Factors Are Included In Australia’s Web Design Costs?

There are several major factors that impact the way that web designers will price their quotes. When you’re getting a quote, remember these top factors and how they can play a role in your company price tag:

• Size. More pages means more work. More storefront means more work. This can cost between $300 to $500 per page.
• Labor. Most web designers will charge between $50 to $75 per hour.
• Speed. Putting together a fast-loading website can make all the difference between making a sale and making people leave from frustration. 
• Complexity. There’s a big difference between the workload that you get from an e-commerce store and a simple static page. The more integrations you have, the more work has to be done in testing and security. 
• Platform/Template Style. If you use WordPress or a similar site, it’ll be easier. Making stuff from scratch is usually going to be the bigger buyer. A template will cost between $99 to $1000, which is still cheaper than the $1000 minimum for “scratch” design.
• SEO/Advertising. Getting your company seen by Google’s crawlers is going to be a major issue. You will need planning and a lot of content to be number one in high-competition fields. You should expect to pay between $300 to $500 at a minimum for this. Many top SEO companies charge $2,000 per month!
• Content. Sites need content, even if they are strictly for e-commerce purposes. This costs money, especially if you want it to be professional-grade. Getting 10 to 20 images can cost $100. Most sites will need at least $1000 in content, including the price of writing. 

How Can You Reduce The Costs Of Web Design In Australia?

Honestly, there are only so many ways that you can curb costs. A good web design is worth its weight in gold. However, there are certain factors that you can trim down if you’re serious about cutting costs.

Using A Platform

Most web designers no longer code their sites from scratch anymore. It’s not the 1990s, ya know! While there are some designers who specialize in proprietary code that’s unlike most other sites on the net, most will use a platform to do the bulk of the work. 

The most common platforms that people use include Shopify, Magento, Joomla, and WordPress. WordPress, of course, is generally seen as the most affordable way to put a site together for simple business or blogging purposes. 

Limiting The Number Of Pages

If you run a business along the lines of restaurants or construction, chances are that you’re not going to need more than 15 pages to get your information across. Most website designers will charge per page (or add a fee for it). So, trying to make your site short and simple can make a lot of sense. 

Unfortunately, if you have an e-commerce site or an online store, then you might not have this option available to you. However, this may change from designer to designer. 

Using A Template

Here’s the cool thing about being a citizen of the internet today: you don’t always have to design a website from the bottom up. There is an entire marketplace devoted to templates that you can use on major website design platforms. 

If you use a template, you should expect the cost of web design to drop significantly. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, either. Most templates on the market look elegant and rarely ever get noticed as templates. Even when it’s clear you used one, customers don’t frown on it.

Do Content Yourself

If nothing else, Australia has a reputation for being filled with creative people. This includes a bunch of entrepreneurs who know how to do good content. If you are adept at quality content creation, you might be able to sidestep this issue. 

Get A Cheap Domain Name

Though there are plenty of affordable domain names available in Australia, the truth is that most medium-to-large businesses try to compete for a domain name that’s rather high-competition. This can jack up the price a lot, especially if you want something like soda.com. It’s okay to compromise on your domain name.

Should You Outsource Your Web Design?

Though it’s up to you at the end of the day, outsourcing your web design can save you some money. Most companies will not need an in-house web designer unless they work in the tech field. If you want to get a website, most people in Australia outsource that work to a local company. 

Regardless of what you choose to do, SavvySME can help you find the right web designer for your needs. Check out our service marketplace today!