"How much does a website cost?" is one of the first questions almost every small business owner in Melbourne asks — and one of the hardest to get a straight answer to, because the honest answer is "it depends." That said, there are real, consistent price bands you can use to budget properly, once you know what's actually driving the number.
Web design in Melbourne typically costs $1,500–$3,000 for a custom small business website built by a freelancer, $3,000–$10,000+ for an agency build with more pages or features, and $0–$300/year for a DIY template site you build yourself. The final price depends on the number of pages, the platform, whether you need e-commerce or bookings, and how much content and design work is involved.
Melbourne web design pricing at a glance
| Option | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| DIY (Wix, Squarespace, Canva sites) | $0–$300/year + your own time |
| Freelance web designer | $1,500–$5,000 for a custom small business site |
| Small/mid web design agency | $3,000–$10,000 depending on scope |
| Large agency or complex e-commerce build | $10,000–$50,000+ |
These bands overlap deliberately — a simple 3-page freelancer site and a stripped-back agency quote can land in similar territory. What actually separates a $1,500 website from a $10,000 one usually isn't the designer's skill; it's scope, platform, and how much custom functionality is involved.
What actually drives the price up or down
- Number of pages. A 5-page brochure site costs far less than a 12-page site with dedicated service pages, location pages and a blog.
- Custom design vs template. A fully custom layout takes more design time than customising an existing theme, but avoids the "everyone's site looks the same" problem.
- E-commerce or bookings. Product catalogues, payment gateways and booking systems all add build time and testing.
- Content. If you're supplying finished copy and images, the build is faster. If copywriting, photography or blog posts need to be created from scratch, that's additional scope.
- Platform. WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace all have different licensing, plugin and hosting cost structures on top of the build fee.
- Ongoing support. Some quotes include a support period after launch; others charge separately for every future change.
Freelancer vs agency: where the money actually goes
An agency quote for the same scope of work is usually higher than a freelancer's because it's covering more than just the build — account management, office overheads, and often multiple staff touching your one project. That's not necessarily bad value for a large, multi-stakeholder project, but for most small businesses it means paying for layers you don't need.
A freelance web designer working directly with you cuts most of that overhead out. You're paying primarily for the design and build itself. See a full side-by-side in freelance web designer vs agency in Melbourne.
What actually goes into that price
Whatever platform you land on, the fee covers the same core work: a custom website design phase, the build itself, and — depending on the platform — either a WordPress Web Design setup, a Shopify store build, or a Squarespace site. Ongoing costs after launch are usually covered by a website management plan rather than the original build fee.
What's included at each price point on this site
BASIC — $1,500
5-page custom website, blog setup, mobile-friendly, basic on-page SEO, 2 revision rounds.
ADVANCE — $2,000
Up to 8 pages, custom design, contact form + maps, on-page SEO, 3 revisions + 30 days support.
PREMIUM — $3,000
Up to 12 pages, custom animation, bookings/e-commerce ready, priority support, 60 days post-launch.
See the full web design Melbourne page for what's included in every package, or get in touch for a fixed quote based on your specific project.
Hidden costs to ask about before you sign
Whoever you hire, always confirm what's not included in the headline price: domain registration, hosting, stock imagery licensing, third-party app fees (booking systems, payment gateways), and what happens if you need changes after the support period ends. A proper quote should spell these out upfront rather than surprising you on the final invoice.