Budget Guide 2025

how much to build a website

Clear cost ranges, SEO & marketing budgets, and a step‑by‑step plan to budget like a pro.

Whether you’re a tradie, café owner or consultant—this guide breaks down one‑off build costs, recurring fees, SEO and paid marketing expenses, and gives sample budgets you can use today.

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$0–10k+

Total build cost (range)

$30–49/mo

Subscription option (Congero)

$300–5,000+/mo

Marketing & SEO monthly budget

24–72hrs

Fast subscription delivery time

In this guide

Quick cost overview One‑off vs recurring costs Build options & real price ranges SEO & marketing budgets Hidden costs to plan for Sample budgets you can copy Estimating ROI FAQs

How much does a website actually cost in 2025?

Short answer: it depends. A basic one‑page brochure site can cost virtually nothing upfront (DIY) or from $30/month via managed subscriptions. A custom agency build can be $3k–10k or higher. The real question is what you need from the website: lead generation, e‑commerce, booking systems, SEO performance — each adds cost and ongoing work.

Quick price ranges (typical)

DIY (Wix / Squarespace / WordPress.com): $0–$50/mo plus your time (20–60+ hours)
Managed subscription (done-for-you): $30–49/mo — includes hosting, domain, updates (Congero style)
Freelancer/Small agency: $1,000–5,000 one‑off plus $50–200/mo hosting & maintenance
Full custom agency: $4,000–25,000+ upfront for complex builds
E-commerce / multi-location sites: $5,000–50,000 depending on scope

One‑off vs recurring costs — what to budget for

One‑off / upfront costs

Design & development: $0–10,000+ (depends on customisation)
Custom functionality: Booking, e‑commerce, integrations — $500–20,000
Content creation: Copywriting & photos — $200–2,000
SEO setup (initial): $300–3,000

Recurring monthly costs

Hosting & domain: $10–60/mo or included in subscriptions
Maintenance & updates: $0–300+/mo (depends on who does it)
SEO & content marketing: $300–3,000+/mo for professional work
PPC / paid ads: $300–10,000+/mo depending on goals
Analytics & tools: $0–200+/mo (premium tools)

Tip: Treat your website as the foundation — the ongoing marketing budget you attach to it usually determines whether it grows your business or merely sits online.

Build options and realistic price ranges

DIY Platforms

$0–$50/month + your time

Good for low budgets and owners with time. Hidden cost = your hours.

Fast to start
Limited SEO/automation unless you do it yourself

Freelancer / Small Agency

$1,000–5,000 upfront

Great if you want a one-off professional touch. Look for clear scope and ongoing support options.

Better customization
Ongoing updates usually billed hourly

Best for busy owners

Managed Subscription (e.g., Congero)

$30–49/month, no lock-in

All-inclusive: domain, hosting, unlimited updates, SEO basics. Live sites in under 60 seconds to a few days.

Predictable monthly cost
No surprise fees for edits

Which is right for you?

- If your time is valuable and you want fast, professional results: consider managed subscription.
- If you need a highly custom system (marketplaces, complex integrations): expect significant upfront costs with custom agencies.
- If budget is minimal and you have time: DIY could work, but plan for marketing and SEO costs separately.

SEO & marketing — realistic monthly budgets and what they buy

Building a site is step one. Getting traffic and customers is where budgets matter most. Below are common monthly budgets and expected outcomes.

Starter

$300–500 / month

Local SEO basics (Google Business Profile, citations)
1–2 small blog posts / month
Small PPC trial budget ($100–300)

Growth

$800–2,500 / month

Consistent content + on‑page SEO
Active PPC campaigns ($500–1,500 ad spend)
Technical SEO fixes & monthly reporting

Scale

$3,000+ / month

Full inbound program: content, backlinks, CRO
Significant PPC budgets for volume ($1k–10k+)
Dedicated account manager + analytics

How to set your SEO & marketing budget

Decide your goal: leads, sales, bookings — how many per month?
Estimate customer lifetime value (CLV) and target cost per acquisition (CPA).
Work backwards: budget = (target CPA) x (target leads per month).
Start small, measure, scale what works. Expect 3–6 months to see SEO traction.

Hidden costs many business owners forget

Your time

DIY builds require hours you could spend on revenue-generating activities.

If your time is worth $50/hr and you spend 40 hours building a site, that’s $2,000 in hidden cost.

Content & photography

Good photos and copy convert better — cheap stock and poor copy will hurt conversions.

Professional photography: $300–1,200. Copywriting: $200–1,500 depending on pages.

Ongoing maintenance

Security, backups, plugin updates, and small edits add up if billed hourly.

Hourly edits: $50–150/hr. Monthly maintenance retainer: $50–300+/mo or included in managed subscriptions.

Third‑party integrations & licences

Booking plugins, payment gateways, or premium themes often have annual fees.

Budget $50–500/yr depending on services.

Sample budgets you can copy

Pick the scenario closest to your business and adjust the numbers to your market.

Simple local business

Website: Managed subscription — $49/mo
Initial content & photos: $500 (one-off)
Starter SEO & GMB: $350 (one-off) or $300/mo for ongoing
PPC test budget: $300/mo
Estimated total Year 1 cost: $49*12 + $500 + $350 + $300*12 = ~$5,288

Growth-focused service business

Custom site build (freelancer): $3,000 one-off
Hosting & maintenance: $50/mo
SEO & content: $1,000/mo
PPC campaigns: $1,000/mo ad spend + $300 management
Estimated total Year 1 cost: $3,000 + (1,350*12) = ~$19,200

Small e‑commerce store

Platform + store setup: $2,000–8,000
Payment fees: 1.5–3% + per-transaction
Marketing (SEO + ads): $2,000+/mo
Estimated total Year 1 cost: $6,000–50,000 depending on inventory & scale

Low-cost DIY starter

DIY site: $15–30/mo
Premium template/photos: $100–300
Optional copy help: $200–600
Estimated total Year 1 cost: $300–1,000 + your time (40+ hrs)

Actionable step: Pick one scenario, write down expected monthly and one-off items, then add a 15% contingency for unexpected costs.

How to estimate ROI from your website investment

A simple ROI model you can use:

Estimate monthly visitors from SEO and ads (e.g., 300 visitors).
Estimate conversion rate (e.g., 3% → 9 leads).
Estimate lead to sale rate and average sale value (e.g., 30% → 2.7 sales × $1,200 = $3,240 revenue).
Compare revenue to monthly cost (if marketing + site = $1,200/mo → profit $2,040/mo).

Note: Track these metrics with analytics and CRM. Adjust budgets to hit target CPA (cost per acquisition) and target ROI.

How to save money without killing results

Use a managed subscription for predictable costs and unlimited small edits.
Prioritise conversions over bells and whistles — good copy, clear CTA, and photos beat fancy animations.
DIY content, outsource technical work — keep technical spend where it matters.
Measure campaigns — stop what doesn't work and reinvest in top performers.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I budget for SEO in year 1?

Plan $300–2,000+/month depending on competitiveness. Local businesses can start on the lower end; competitive niches need more.

Is $30–49/month enough for a professional site?

Yes for many small businesses — managed subscriptions include design, hosting, SSL, updates and basic SEO. Add marketing budget separately.

Should I pay upfront or go subscription?

Subscription gives predictable costs and cheaper first-year spend. Upfront custom builds make sense if you need unique features and full ownership of platform code.

How long until I see results from SEO?

Expect 3–6 months for meaningful organic growth. PPC delivers immediate traffic but costs money.

Ready to budget your website with confidence?

If you want a professional, mobile-first website with predictable pricing and unlimited updates, Congero builds and manages sites for $30–49/month with no lock-in and integrated local SEO.

See a Demo — Fast & Free Learn About Services

Pro tip: Add a 10–20% contingency to your first-year budget to cover unforeseen costs and marketing tests.

Content provided by Congero — Australia’s AI-powered web design agency. Professional websites from $30/month with domain, hosting, SSL, local SEO and unlimited updates. Cancel anytime.