How much does a website cost in Australia?

For an Australian business, a website with Eloti Designs starts from A$800. An online shop starts from A$1,200, and an app from A$1,900. The website price includes your domain and hosting for year one, and from the second year renewal is A$230 a year. Your exact price is set in a written quote, which you see and agree before work starts.

That is the headline. The sections below unpack it: what sits behind each starting price, why two quotes for "a website" can be so far apart, what to budget for after launch, and how paying works. We finish with two Australian rules worth reading before you go live: what auDA asks of you for a .com.au or .au name, and whether the Privacy Act 1988 reaches your enquiry form.

Behind the starting prices

The business website is for winning enquiries. Visitors can call, chat or send a message from wherever they are on the site, it displays properly on any screen, it is set up to be found on Google, and you can edit it yourself without calling anyone. Website design covers it in full.

The online shop is for selling around the clock. Shoppers can find a product in seconds and pay at a card and PayPal checkout they feel safe using, delivery and pickup are both on offer, and every order lands in one dashboard. Our e-commerce website page has the detail.

The mobile app keeps you a tap away from your customers. It runs on Android and iPhone, is listed on Google Play and the App Store, sends notifications that draw people back, and works with your website or portal. See mobile app development.

All three come with the same promise on ownership: the site, the domain and the content are yours, with full admin access from day one. Compare them on our Australian pricing page, or browse finished work in the portfolio.

Why two quotes for a website can be far apart

Most of the gap between quotes comes from people pricing different jobs. Five things do most of the moving, with any designer you ask:

1. Size. A sole-trader electrician might need a home page, a services page and a way to get in touch. An accounting practice with several partners, a page per service and a page per partner is a far bigger build. Each page needs its own layout, copy, images and a check on any screen.
2. Selling. Taking money online means products, prices, photos, postage options and a checkout you can rely on. A small range is quick to load. A catalogue where every item comes in sizes or colours is real work, so tell us roughly what you plan to stock.
3. Features. Bookings for a physio or a dog groomer, a portal where clients log in, a members area, a quote calculator or a link to the software you run the business on each add time. Our web development page explains how bookings and portals are built around the way you work.
4. Content. Copy and photos are where budgets slip. Arrive with text, a logo and decent photos and things move quickly; if you need copy written, products photographed or a logo and brand designed first, that is extra and quoted separately. Our list of what to prepare before a website project helps.
5. An app. An app for Android and iPhone is its own project. It can share accounts, bookings and orders with the website but carries its own price. Still deciding? Read website, online shop or app: which do you need?

The fix is simple: send every designer the same list of pages and features, then compare what each written quote actually covers.

Budgeting for year two and beyond

Year one of domain and hosting is already paid for in the website price. After that, renewal is A$230 a year. That is the one fixed yearly cost; anything beyond it depends on your plans.

If you would like someone else to run updates and backups and make small edits, a website care plan is quoted for your site. Every business website is set up to be found on Google at launch, and if you want ongoing search work after that, SEO is priced per project, as are digital marketing and branding. And when the business is ready, an online shop or an app can be added to what you already have.

How paying works

You will have a written quote for your project in hand before work begins, and it sets out the payment terms. Pay by card or PayPal, whichever suits you.

We are a remote team. We talk over video calls, email and WhatsApp, and we set meeting times around your working day, whether you are in Perth or in Brisbane. While the build is under way you can open a private link at any time to see how it is going.

com.au or .au: what auDA asks of you

Your first year of domain registration is included, so the choice is which Australian ending to take. Both are managed under rules from the .au Domain Administration (auDA), and both are licensed for terms of one to five years at a time.

com.au

This is for commercial entities with a connection to Australia. auDA says the usual route is an active ABN or ACN; without one, an ARBN or an Australian trade mark can still qualify you. The name has to relate to your business, and you do not need a physical Australian address as long as you meet the commercial presence requirement. You must stay eligible for as long as you hold the name: close the business and cancel its ABN or ACN, and the com.au goes with it.

.au direct

The shorter yourname.au is open to anyone with a validated link to Australia, including citizens, permanent residents, holders of an Australian trade mark and organisations registered here. You do not need an ABN to hold one.

One point matters when someone builds your website. auDA allows a web developer to register a com.au for you with your written permission, but says they should use your own details and ABN, because those details decide who holds the licence. That matches how we work: your domain is registered to you.

Does the Privacy Act cover your enquiry form?

An enquiry form collects names, emails and phone numbers, so it handles personal information. In Australia the main law is the Privacy Act 1988, which contains 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) explains who it reaches:

• businesses and other organisations turning over more than A$3 million a year, plus most Australian Government agencies;
• some smaller businesses whatever their turnover, including health service providers (a group that takes in allied health professionals, pharmacists, complementary therapists, child care centres and private schools), businesses that trade in personal information, and contractors working under a Commonwealth contract;
• any small business that chooses to opt in.

The OAIC says most small businesses are not covered, but some are, so check before you assume. If the APPs apply to you, three of them bear directly on a website form: you need a clear, current privacy policy (APP 1), you must tell people certain things when you collect their details (APP 5), and you must take reasonable steps to keep those details safe (APP 11).

Even if the Act does not cover you, the OAIC still recommends protecting the personal information you hold. A short privacy policy linked from the form, fields limited to what you need, and messages kept secure are sensible on any website. The OAIC publishes a checklist for small businesses; for anything specific to your situation, ask a lawyer.