Have you ever wondered just how much a website would cost? Or what factors go into pricing a web design in the first place? Is the budget you've put aside for a new website too low? or too much?

Or more to the point, why don't web design companies have set prices up on their websites? These things can make it very difficult to determine how much you should set aside for your web design project.

Unfortunately, there isn't a single industry-standard rate that we can publish, as every web design company will have different pricing.

However, the good news is that we can list several determining factors that will likely affect the variance in that pricing, and we'll cover those in this article.

Cost of a website in Australia versus other countries

The cost of a website in Australia can be different compared to the same website quoted from a web design business in another country.

Now that isn't because one country is better than another, far from it. Each country is going to have its unique variables come into play. It could be that the cost of living in one country is going to be less expensive than in Australia. Or it might be only that the competition between web design companies is more fierce when compared to Australia.

But it's also important to recognise that regardless of which country you get your web design quote from, the quality of that work will come down to how that web design business executes the work and the result, irrespective of their geographical location.

So is it worth pursuing a web design business in Australia if that's the case? Absolutely. Australian web design businesses are still reasonably competitive for the quality of work produced. There's also something to be said for supporting the Australian economy between your business and that of the Australian web design company you might be considering.

And if you are in Australia, having a web design business in your same time zone is a tremendous advantage as you won't need to contend with late-night calls or communication via email alone.

Complexity means more development time

A no-brainer, but there is a big difference between whether you are after just a one-page web design or a multi-page website.

A web developer can complete a single-page website a lot quicker than a full-scale, multi-paged website because there is less involved.

Adding on top of the critical functions the site has to perform (like keeping a shopping cart record and processing credit card payments) will involve more time to build, test, and launch.

Expertise

The experience and skill of the web designers involved in building your website can also affect pricing. Like any trade, it takes time to acquire the knowledge needed to make an excellent website.

And yes, the quality of a website from someone whose been making websites for six months will be different from someone who has been doing it for five years or more.

A web developer with more experience under their belt will solve problems much quicker, be more resourceful, and develop more elegant solutions.

Another way to look at it is by picturing an apprentice plumber working on your hot water system versus a seasoned plumber whose been in the industry for many years. The apprentice may get the job done, but the seasoned plumber can find the problem faster and leave the pipes in better condition than they were when you bought the house.

Discovery and planning

A website built on look only isn't always going to guarantee you more sales or better results. Web design companies will often want to include some form of pre-discovery phase.

Pre-discovery usually involves asking important questions before doing anything. What are the goals of the client's business? What goals are they hoping the website to achieve? What will that look like when it's time to review the performance of the site?

How much discovery and planning will go into a website project can vary between web design companies and how thorough they can weigh in on price.

That said, it can improve chances of success for a website's commercial objectives if done well and save you from potentially throwing your money away on a website doomed to fail from the start due to poor planning.

Quality of assets

We refer to things like photos, video, fonts, graphics, music, and 3D models when we say assets.

If a web design client already has some photos of their own, they want to include them on their website, in which case there's less chance of needing to source photo stock for them.

However, if a web design client doesn't have enough photos or doesn't have photos at all to provide, or the images they provide are not of high quality, the web designer will likely need to step in to fill that gap.

A good web design company will have access to premium quality images, fonts, and other assets which they acquire at a cost. While using these premium assets can affect the web design project's price, resulting in a higher-quality website.

The number of revisions

Sometimes, one has to go through a few revisions of a web design mockup to ensure that the client is happy and that the design achieves what it intends to achieve.

Revisions, of course, means time and more time can affect the price. Most web design companies will factor in what they view as a reasonable number of modifications to account for this inevitability.

The technology

Every website is going to have different needs. Some will need more performance grunt when it comes to handling human interaction or data. Your own needs will likely determine what technology is going to be a good fit for your website.

If you are a business that only needs to provide your customers with information, you may not need a website that uses the latest bleeding-edge technology.

On the other hand, if you are running a full-scale international business that handles hundreds of thousands of customer records, then you'll need something more cutting edge.

You don't necessarily need to know the ins and outs of all these different programming languages and frameworks; the web design company can determine one for you. But know this too can also affect the price.

Speed to launch

Have you ever heard someone say they want something and want it yesterday? If you are in a hurry to get a website up and running much sooner, the web designer might be able to accommodate this but at an additional cost.

Web designers may need to reshuffle their schedules or work long hours to make that happen. However, it's important to note that sometimes it may just not be possible to make a web design project go any faster due to the nature of the work involved.

The best thing to do is to have a conversation with the web designer to determine your needs and work out if that's something they can do.

What about hosting?

Web hosting technically isn't about creating a design and building a website. Its more to do with providing a home for the website. However, we've added this to the article because some (not all) web design businesses can include it in a web design package.

Some may even offer free hosting for a set period (e.g., a year). If a web design company offers this to you, be sure to know how much the hosting will cost after that free period is over.

The house building analogy

With all the different aspects that can influence a website's cost, an excellent way to look at it is like asking to have a house built. You can't just call up a home builder and ask, 'How much for a house.' Naturally, the house builder is going to want to know several variables.

How many bedrooms do you want? Will it need a carport or a garage? Are you looking to have a large kitchen and a separate entertainment area? What about a swimming pool?

The more information the house builder has, the better. And the same goes for your website project. Think about how many pages you need, what you want the website to do. What will this website include? You get the idea.

Be upfront about your budget

Many web design clients often hesitate to tell a web design business how much money they are looking to spend on a website, being concerned the web designer will increase the price.

Good web design companies will tell you openly and honestly if you are well within budget for what you need. Their price may even be under what you are looking to spend.

And that's why we recommend being open about what you're looking to spend. If you have a set budget, but you only reveal you have a fraction of that to pay, the web designer might not provide in their quote other things outside of that smaller budget that could make your web design project go far.

On the flip side, if what you want is outside of your budget, the web designer might be able to tell you what they can do for you with the money you have available.

Are you looking for a web designer for your next web design project? Why not contact us for a web design quote today.

How much does a website cost in Australia?

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