Cost Guide 2025

average cost to run a website

A clear, practical guide to ongoing website costs, budgeting and savings strategies that improve SEO and lead generation.

Learn the typical monthly and annual costs (hosting, domain, maintenance, security, content and marketing), plus actionable ways to cut expenses while boosting search visibility and conversions.

See Cost Breakdown Try a Demo — Free

$49

Typical all-in monthly (managed)

$10–50

Hosting & domain (DIY)

0–150+

Hourly developer rates (AUD/USD)

24–72 hrs

Time to launch with managed services

In This Guide

Typical monthly & annual costs Sample budgets by business size Hidden and one-off costs How to manage and reduce costs Budgeting for SEO & content DIY vs managed services FAQs Getting started

Typical costs to run a website (monthly & yearly)

Below are the most common ongoing costs you should budget for in 2025. Ranges are shown so you can plan conservatively.

Hosting & server

Managed shared hosting is inexpensive; dedicated or high-performance hosts cost more. If you need fast global delivery use a CDN (additional cost).

Shared hosting: $5–20/mo
Managed WordPress hosting: $15–60/mo
VPS / cloud: $40–200+/mo (depends on traffic)
CDN: $0–50+/mo (often usage-based)

Domain & SSL

A domain and SSL are mandatory for credibility and SEO.

Domain name: $0–25/yr (first-year promos often free)
SSL certificate: Free (Let’s Encrypt) to $50+/yr for premium certificates

Maintenance & updates

Keeping software, plugins and content up-to-date prevents security issues. You can do this yourself or pay for management.

DIY: Free (your time)
Managed updates: $20–200+/mo depending on provider
Developer hourly: $50–200/hr for ad-hoc fixes

Security & backups

Backups and basic security can be inexpensive but critical.

Automated backups: $5–20/mo
Security scanning & firewall: $0–50+/mo
Incident response: $100–300+ for emergency fixes

Content & media

Quality content helps SEO but costs time or money to create.

Stock images: $0–50/image
Professional photos: $200–800 per shoot
Copywriting/blog posts: $50–500+ per article

SEO, analytics & marketing

Investment here pays off in traffic and leads. Small monthly spends compound.

Basic SEO (setup): $0–500 one-off (DIY vs pro)
Ongoing SEO/marketing: $200–2,000+/mo
PPC advertising: $200–5,000+/mo (campaign dependent)
Analytics tools: Free to $100+/mo

Typical total — quick examples

$10–50/mo

Bare minimum: hobby/very small brochure site (DIY)

$49–200/mo

Managed subscription: small business with included updates & basic SEO

$500–3,000+/mo

Growth-focused: heavy content, ads, professional SEO/maintenance

Hidden and one-off costs to watch for

Premium plugins, themes and licences

Plugins for bookings, ecommerce, or advanced forms can add $50–500/year. Premium themes may require yearly renewals.

Migration or redesign fees

Switching hosts or redesigning a site can cost $200–5,000 depending on complexity. Plan for this every 2–4 years.

Ecommerce transaction and gateway fees

Payment providers charge per-transaction fees (2–3% + fixed amount). Also budget for increased hosting and security for stores.

Technical debt and legacy fixes

Old plugins or custom code can break and require developer hours to fix — budget $200–1,000+ for large issues.

How to manage website costs without hurting performance

Focus your budget on areas that drive traffic and conversions (SEO, fast hosting, clear CTAs). Here are pragmatic steps to keep costs predictable and effective.

Bundle where it makes sense

Look for providers that include hosting, domain, SSL, updates and basic SEO in one predictable monthly fee. Bundles reduce admin and often cost less than buying services a la carte.

Example: Managed subscriptions at ~$49/mo often include domain/hosting/updates — lower total cost than paying separately.

Automate backups & updates

Automated backups and one-click updates reduce risk and developer bills. Many managed hosts include these features.

Automating saves hours and prevents expensive emergency work.

Outsource wisely

Use specialists for high-impact tasks (SEO strategy, conversion copy, paid ads) and handle simple tasks in-house.

Pay for results; get quotes with clear deliverables and KPIs.

Prioritise high-ROI work

Invest first in speed, on-page SEO, and conversion elements (clear contact CTA, trust signals). These offer the fastest returns.

Small SEO/content wins often outperform increases in ad spend.

Negotiation & packaging tips

Ask for an itemised quote — know what's included
Negotiate multi-month discounts or bundle with marketing services
Prefer month-to-month to avoid lock-in for services that don't deliver

How much should you budget for SEO & content?

SEO is a medium- to long-term investment. Set realistic monthly budgets aligned with goals:

$0–300/mo

DIY + minimal tools: content creation, basics of on-page SEO

$300–1,200/mo

Local SEO services, regular content, minor technical fixes

$1,200+/mo

Full-service SEO + content production + link building for competitive niches

Where to spend for the best returns

Optimize top-converting pages first
Create 1–2 high-quality pages/month rather than many low-quality posts
Measure conversions and scale what works

DIY vs Managed: Which is right for your budget?

DIY pros & cons

Pros: Low out-of-pocket costs, full control.
Cons: High time cost, steep learning curve, inconsistent SEO.
Total time: 30–100+ hours for a quality site.

Managed pros & cons

Pros: Predictable monthly fee, professional design, unlimited updates, faster launch.
Cons: Monthly cost (but often offset by saved hours and faster ROI).
Example: Congero — AI-driven builds, domain/hosting/updates included from $49/mo.

Decision guide

If your time is worth > $30–50/hr, consider managed services.
If you need to be online fast and want SEO handled, choose managed.
If you enjoy building and have spare time, DIY can work—but budget your hours.

Sample monthly budgets (practical)

Solo tradesperson

Hosting + domain: $10–20
Basic SEO (monthly): $0–150
Maintenance (managed): $0–49
Ads (optional): $0–300
$10–519/mo

Small local business

Managed site (hosting, updates, domain): $49–150
SEO/content: $200–800
Ads: $200–1,000
$449–2,950/mo

Growth-focused business

High-performance hosting: $200–800
Full SEO & content: $1,200–5,000
Ads & campaigns: $1,000–10,000+
$2,400–15,800+/mo

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum I should budget monthly?

For a credible business site: $30–60/mo (managed subscription) or $10–25/mo (bare-minimum DIY hosting) plus your time.

Will a cheaper site hurt my SEO?

Not if it's fast, mobile-friendly, and has decent content. Google cares about UX, quality content and speed — not the price you paid.

Is it cheaper to pay hourly for fixes?

Ad-hoc hourly work can be expensive over time. If you expect regular updates, an unlimited updates subscription often lowers total cost.

How do I measure ROI?

Track leads and conversions, attribution (Google Analytics) and customer value. Compare revenue from website leads vs your total web spend.

Manage costs and start with confidence

If you want predictable, low-administration costs and professional SEO included, consider managed subscription services that bundle hosting, domain, SSL, performance and unlimited updates into one monthly fee.

Why many small businesses choose a managed subscription

Predictable monthly cost (no surprise bills)
Fast launch — often 24–72 hours
Basic SEO, domain, hosting and updates bundled
Analytics & ongoing optimisation to improve ROI

See a Free Demo — Start Your Site

Tip: If you want a simple, predictable website that includes local SEO and unlimited updates, a $49/month managed subscription often saves time and money versus DIY + hourly support.