How Much Does A Website Cost In The Whitsundays?
What you'll actually pay for a small business website in Airlie Beach, Cannonvale, Proserpine and Bowen, and what changes the price.
The short answerAround the Whitsundays you'll see small business websites from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. Mine are $999, $1,400 or $2,999 depending on size. The bigger question is what's included, and what it costs you every year after that.
It's the first thing most people ask me, and fair enough. Website pricing is all over the place, and it's hard to compare quotes when everyone includes different things.
So here's how it actually works, including my own prices, so you can compare properly.
What Changes The Price
- How many pages. A tradie with three services needs fewer pages than a tour operator with eight tours. More pages, more work.
- Who writes the words. Writing good copy takes time. Some designers leave it to you. I write it, because most owners would rather be doing anything else.
- Bookings or a shop. Connecting a booking system or setting up an online store is a bigger job than a brochure site.
- Template or built from scratch. A template is quicker and cheaper. A site built for your business takes longer. More on that in templates vs hand-coded websites.
- Whether it's set up to be found. A site that looks nice but isn't set up for Google is cheaper to build and much harder to get work from.
My Prices
| Package | Price | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Start Up | $999 | Up to 3 |
| Small Business | $1,400 | Up to 6 |
| Business | $2,999 | Up to 12 |
Every one includes the copy written for you, a site built for phones first, your Google Business Profile set up, local SEO basics, and hosting and your domain for the first year. Booking sites and online stores are quoted on what you need. The full list is on the pricing page.
The Costs After Launch
This is the bit that catches people out. A website isn't a one off cost. It needs somewhere to live and a domain name, every year.
- Hosting and domain: $299 a year with me, from year two.
- Site Care Plan: from $150 a month if you want updates, backups, security and an hour of changes handled for you. What's in it.
- Local SEO: from $299 a month if you want ongoing work to climb the Google results. Optional, but it's what moves you up.
For the full rundown of what I build, see website design in Airlie Beach. You don't need all of these. Plenty of my clients just pay the $299 a year and call me when they need something.
Watch Out For These
- You don't own the domain. If it's registered in the designer's name, you can't leave without losing it. Make sure it's in yours.
- Locked contracts. Some packages tie your website and Google profile to a fixed term. Read the fine print before you sign.
- Cheap now, expensive later. A low price with high monthly fees can cost more over three years than a proper build.
- No one to call. If something breaks, can you ring a real person who knows your site?
Questions To Ask Any Web Designer
- Is the price fixed, and is it in writing?
- Who writes the words?
- Will the domain be in my name?
- What does it cost each year after launch?
- Can I see sites you've built that rank on Google?
Any good designer will answer those straight. If they won't, that tells you something.
Nath J is the website designer and SEO specialist behind Ripple Effect Online, in Airlie Beach since 2001. More about me.
Get A Written Quote
Tell me what your business does and I'll tell you which package fits, or whether you need one at all.
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