how much will it cost to create a website
A practical, jargon-free guide to upfront, monthly and marketing costs — plan your budget with confidence.
Whether you're a tradie, shop owner, or service provider, this guide breaks down realistic price ranges for 2025: setup, hosting, SEO, content, and paid marketing — plus the hidden costs most businesses forget.
In this guide
What you actually pay to create a website
There are three buckets of cost to consider:
- One-off setup costs: design, custom development, e-commerce setup, premium plugins, and content creation.
- Ongoing monthly costs: hosting, domain renewal, SSL, maintenance, and managed services.
- Marketing & growth: SEO, content writing, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, local listings — often the largest ongoing expense if you want steady leads.
Typical payment flows
Some providers charge high upfront fees and low monthly maintenance. Others use an all-inclusive subscription (monthly) with little or no upfront cost. Understand which model you prefer.
Upfront / One-time costs
- Template setup (DIY with tweaks): $0–$500 — you do most work.
- Professional one-page site: $500–$2,000 — small businesses, custom content.
- Multi-page brochure site (agency): $2,500–$10,000+ — custom design, integrations.
- Custom e‑commerce store: $3,000–$25,000+ — inventory, payments, advanced features.
- Content & photography: $200–$3,000 — copywriting and pro photos speed trust and conversions.
Ongoing monthly costs
- Hosting & domain: $10–$80 / month for reliable, managed hosting.
- Managed website subscription: $30–$300 / month — design, updates, hosting bundled.
- Maintenance & edits (if billed hourly): $50–$200 / hour.
- Security, backups, uptime monitoring: $5–$50 / month.
- Analytics & reporting: $0–$50 / month (depends on tools used).
Marketing & SEO costs (what drives traffic)
Building the site is the first step. Getting visitors and leads is ongoing work and often the largest cost you’ll incur.
SEO & Marketing: how much should you budget?
Your marketing budget depends on goals. If you need immediate leads, you'll lean heavier on paid ads. If you want steady, low-cost leads over time, invest in SEO and content.
Practical budgeting ranges
Quick tips to get ROI from your spend
- Track leads: use analytics and simple conversion tracking — if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
- Start small with ads: test creative and landing pages with $300–$500 before scaling.
- Prioritise quick wins: local SEO, Google Business Profile, and on-page fixes deliver fast visibility for trades.
- Invest in good landing pages: a well-designed landing page can cut lead costs by 30–70%.
Which option is right for your budget?
DIY (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress)
Cost: $0–$500 upfront, $10–$50/month. Time: 20–80 hours.
Good if you have time, enjoy learning, and need the lowest upfront spend. Hidden cost: your time.
Traditional Agency
Cost: $2,500–$25,000+. Time: 4–12+ weeks.
Good for large, custom projects with complex integrations. Higher upfront cost, professional design and ownership clarity.
Managed Subscription (Modern option)
Cost: $30–$300/month. Time to launch: 24–72 hours.
Combines professional design, hosting, updates and local SEO into a predictable monthly fee. Great for busy small businesses who prefer no surprises and unlimited updates.
How to build a website budget that actually works
- Set goals first: estimate expected monthly leads and revenue. That tells you how much you can afford to spend on getting those leads.
- Decide your model: prefer low upfront (subscription) or own-it-now (agency/custom)?
- Plan 12 months of costs: include monthly fees + initial marketing spend for launch (3 months).
- Allocate for measurement: set aside budget for analytics and tracking so you can measure ROI.
- Leave room for tests: early ad tests and landing page A/B tests typically need extra budget ($300–$1,000).
Example 12‑month budget (local trades)
Frequently asked questions
Why do some websites cost $5/month and others $5,000?
How much should I budget for SEO?
Is it worth paying a monthly subscription instead of a one-off build?
What’s the first thing I should spend money on?
Ready to find out what your website will cost?
If you want a simple way to get a full price estimate and see options side-by-side, start with a quick demo and a transparent cost breakdown.
No obligations — learn estimated upfront and monthly costs, and pick the approach that fits your business.
