You’ve asked three people for a website quote, and the numbers don’t make sense. One’s $4,000. One’s $9,000. One’s $14,000. They all say “custom website”. Is the dear one gold-plated? Is the cheap one a trap? Are they even quoting on the same thing?
Website quotes differ because they include different things. The number on the front page tells you almost nothing until you know what’s behind it. Compare what each quote includes, and what you’d still have to do or pay for yourself, before you compare the prices.
What we found when we compared the quotes
In November 2026 we read the published pricing and package pages of 17 Australian web design studios, to see what each price buys. We left out the very cheapest template sellers and the big agencies, and kept the small studios a business or organisation would realistically shortlist.
Five things stood out:
- Headline prices for a custom small-business site ranged from about $2,500 to $14,000.
- The words were the most common thing left out. Many studios expect you to supply your own copy, or charge extra to write it, typically $150 to $200 a page when the studio adds it. Independent copywriters commonly charge somewhere around $600 to $1,000 a page.
- Most studios that say how many rounds of changes you get include two or three. Only one published the price of an extra round: $450.
- The technical groundwork was rarely mentioned. None of the 17 mentioned setting up email authentication on the contact form. Four mentioned Google Search Console. Four mentioned accessibility. One mentioned redirects from an old site.
- Of the studios that stated a timeline, most promised a finished site in six weeks or less. One studio’s own guide estimates that $10,000 buys roughly 60 to 80 hours of skilled work, which gives you a feel for how much time a lower price can cover.
None of this makes a cheaper quote wrong. It means two quotes with the same words on them (“custom website, five pages, mobile friendly”) can describe very different amounts of work.
Some quotes sell strategy. Some don’t.
Some websites are sold as a well-built template you fill in yourself. The studio builds the structure, and the words, the plan and the thinking behind them are up to you. That can be exactly right if you already know what you want to say.
If you want something strategic, you’ll need to engage a strategist and a copywriter as well as a builder. They may be the same person, but they may not be, and each one is another quote.
A technically well-built site is a totally different kettle of fish to a website that’s well written, strategic and well built. Both can look good on launch day. The difference shows in what happens next: whether the right people find what they need and get in touch.
The eight questions to ask every quote
Ask every studio the same eight questions. Write the answers next to each price, and the comparison starts to make sense.
1. Who’s writing the words?
If the answer is “you supply the content”, budget for your own time or a copywriter. The words do most of the selling, so this is the biggest gap you’ll find.
2. Who’s doing the strategy, and what’s the plan before the design starts?
If the answer is “that’s up to you”, you’re buying the build, and the strategy is a separate job. If it’s included, ask what you’ll receive: a sitemap, what each page needs to say, a homepage design you can approve. A plan you can see is a plan you can hold someone to. (Here’s what ours looks like, stage by stage.)
3. How many rounds of changes are included, and what does another one cost?
Two or three rounds is normal. What matters more is knowing the price of an extra round before you need one, and what counts as a round. We’ve written up how to give feedback that moves your website forward if you’d like to see how ours work.
4. Will my enquiries reach me?
Contact form emails often land in spam unless the sending is set up properly. Ask whether they set up and test email authentication, not only whether there’s a form.
5. What SEO groundwork is included?
Page titles and descriptions, schema, image alt text, a clean heading structure, a sitemap, Google Search Console, and redirects from your old site. This is the foundation, and it’s much cheaper to get right at the start than to fix later.
6. Is it built to accessibility guidelines?
An accessible site works for more of your visitors, and for organisations and funded projects it’s increasingly expected. Ask what standard they build to.
7. What happens after launch, and what will it cost each year?
Ask about support, training, hosting, plugin licences and maintenance. A cheaper build can come with ongoing costs a dearer one includes. Our care plans show our prices for that, in the open.
8. Who owns the site, and when?
You should own your website once it’s finished and paid for. Ask how and when it’s handed over, and what happens if you move to someone else later.
How to cost a quote properly
Take each quote and add the price of anything it leaves out. Then compare the totals.
Say Quote A is $6,000 and doesn’t include copy. Six pages at $600 to $1,000 a page adds $3,600 to $6,000. If Search Console, redirects or email setup aren’t included either, add the time or cost of getting those done. Quote A might really be $10,000 or more.
Quote B is $11,500 and includes the words, the plan and the setup. Now you’re comparing like with like.
When a cheaper quote is the right choice
Sometimes it is, and that’s fine. A cheaper quote can be the better fit if:
- you need a simple site, quickly, and you’re happy to write the words yourself
- you’re testing a new idea and want something small to start with
- your budget is fixed this year, and you’d rather start simple and grow the site later
The point isn’t to pay more. It’s to know what you’re paying for.
If you’re an organisation taking quotes to a board
Boards and committees need to compare quotes fairly, and to know a project won’t run over. (If that’s you, here’s how we work with organisations.) A few extra questions help:
- Who signs off each stage? Agree it at the start, so decisions don’t get reopened later.
- Is there a point where we can pause? A documented plan before the build is a natural place to stop and check.
- Can we stage it? Doing the most important part first, and adding more when funding allows, can fit a budget without cutting corners.
- What will we need to budget for every year? Hosting, licences and care, in writing.
- How do revision rounds work with a committee? Ask whether a “round” means one combined set of feedback, and who’s responsible for combining it. If every committee member’s comments count as separate changes, a small project can quickly become a long one.
- Is meeting time and board documentation included? Some studios include a summary for your board at each stage, or time at your meetings. Others charge for it separately. Either is fine, as long as you know which.
- What happens if we change direction partway through? Plans change, especially when a new board or manager arrives. Ask how a change of direction is handled and priced, compared with an ordinary round of changes, before you need to.
Ready to compare ours?
Our Turn Key websites are a set package: strategy, copy, design and build, with the SEO groundwork included, for $11,500 + GST. Bigger builds with memberships, directories or integrations are our Full Tilt work. And if you’d like to know what it’s like to work with us, here’s what our clients say.
Not ready yet? Our No-Regrets Website Guide walks you through the five things to get clear on before you start.
