A properly built website for a trade business represents 20–50 hours of skilled professional work. At typical freelance rates in Australia (AUD $80–$120/hr) or the UK (£40–£70/hr), that's not expensive — it's the honest maths. The question worth asking isn't “why does a website cost so much?” — it's “what am I actually getting, and will it pay for itself?”
What you're actually paying for
When a developer quotes you AUD $2,000–$4,000 for a trade business website, here's a realistic breakdown of what that covers. These aren't inflated or made up — this is what a properly scoped project actually takes:
Discovery & planning
2–4 hrs
Understanding your services, target areas, what the site needs to achieve, and how competitors are positioned
Design
4–12 hrs
Creating a custom layout, visual hierarchy, colour system, typography, and brand-appropriate aesthetic — desktop and mobile
Development
8–20 hrs
Writing the actual code — pages, navigation, forms, animations, mobile responsiveness, and cross-browser testing
SEO setup
2–4 hrs
Meta tags, page titles, schema markup (LocalBusiness, Service, FAQ), Google Analytics, sitemap, and robots.txt
Content formatting
2–4 hrs
Placing and formatting your text, resizing images, writing alt text, ensuring readability on all screen sizes
Testing
2–4 hrs
Cross-browser and cross-device testing, form submissions, load speed, and Core Web Vitals audit
Launch & handoff
1–2 hrs
Domain pointing, live deployment, DNS setup, training you on how to update basic content, written documentation
At AUD $80/hour and a conservative 25 hours of work, that's a $2,000 site — which is about right for a straightforward trade business website with proper SEO built in. At the higher end of scope (multiple location pages, booking integration, custom features), 50+ hours at AUD $100/hr = $5,000+. These aren't inflated numbers.
Why prices vary so much — from $300 to $30,000
| Price range | Who's building it | What you typically get |
|---|---|---|
| Under $500 | Student, overseas outsource, or DIY template | Template with your branding applied, minimal or no SEO, no discovery process |
| AUD $1,500–$5,000 | Experienced freelancer or small specialist studio | Custom design and build, local SEO included, proper schema markup, mobile-first performance |
| AUD $5,000–$15,000 | Established studio or senior specialist | Above plus multi-location pages, custom integrations (booking, CRM), or complex design requirements |
| AUD $15,000+ | Larger agency or full-service team | Enterprise scope — large catalogues, custom web apps, extensive brand work, ongoing retainer |
The wide range exists because “a website” covers an enormous spectrum — from a template populated in four hours to a multi-month custom build with complex integrations. For most trade businesses, the AUD $1,500–$5,000 range from an experienced freelancer or small studio is both appropriate and genuinely good value.
What a $500 website actually looks like
A $500 website almost always means one of three things: a template purchased for $50–$100 and populated in a few hours; a developer working far below market rate (often outsourcing the actual work); or a site built without any meaningful SEO consideration — generic meta tags, no schema markup, no location-specific structure.
This isn't always bad. For a brand-new side project or a proof of concept, a $500 site might be completely appropriate. For a trade business expecting the site to rank in local search and convert visitors into paying customers — a $500 site usually isn't. Not because the developer was incompetent, but because the scope didn't include the work required to make local SEO actually function.
The real cost of a cheap website isn't the price you paid — it's the business you didn't get because the site didn't rank, didn't load properly on mobile, or didn't convince a visitor to make contact.
When it's genuinely fine to say “not yet”
This is the part most web developers won't tell you — because it's in their interest not to. But it's true: sometimes right now isn't the right time to invest in a proper website, and it's better to wait than to spend money on something undercooked.
Not the right time if:
- –You're in the first 3–6 months of trading and not sure the business will stick
- –You don't have AUD $1,500 / £800 available without financial stress
- –You haven't set up your Google Business Profile yet — do that first, it's free
- –You're planning to significantly change your services in the next 12 months
- –You don't have photos of real completed work to put on the site
Right time if:
- check_circleYou have consistent work but want inbound leads instead of chasing them
- check_circleYou're running ads or considering it — a proper site multiplies ad ROI
- check_circleYou serve more than one suburb and want to rank in each
- check_circleSomeone has told you they couldn't find you online, or Googled you and found nothing
- check_circleA competitor you know to be worse than you is ranking above you
How to evaluate whether a quote is fair
✓ Good sign
- Written scope of work before you pay anything
- Specific deliverables listed (pages, features, SEO items)
- Milestone-based payment — deposit, then balance on completion
- Domain registered in your name, not theirs
- Clear handoff process at the end
⚠ Red flag
- 100% payment upfront
- No written scope — just a price
- Vague timeline (“a few weeks” with no specifics)
- Domain stays in their account
- No mention of SEO, schema markup, or mobile performance
The honest take
A website built properly isn't an expense — it's an asset that generates enquiries without you having to be the one generating them. Whether the price is fair depends entirely on what you're getting and what you need it to do.
If in doubt: ask for a written scope of work before committing to anything. Any developer worth working with will provide one without hesitation. If they can't tell you specifically what they're building, they can't tell you whether the price is fair either.
Related pricing guides
Curious how a template and a custom build actually compare in detail? Read our Custom vs Template guide. For country-specific pricing by trade type, see the website cost guide for trade businesses.
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