Web Design Packages Explained: What You Should Actually Get
What belongs in a website package, what's usually left out of the quote, and how to compare two quotes fairly.
"Website design package" means almost nothing on its own. Two quotes at the same price can include wildly different things - and the gap usually shows up later, as a hosting invoice, a domain renewal or a charge to change your phone number.
What should be included
- Design and build - a layout built for your business, not a template with your logo dropped in.
- Your content written for you - the single most commonly dumped-on-you item. Most "packages" expect you to supply all the wording.
- A page per service - not everything crammed onto the home page.
- Mobile first - most of your visitors are on a phone, often on mobile data.
- Hosting and SSL - the padlock in the address bar, kept current.
- Your domain - registered in your name, and yours to keep.
- Google setup - indexing, sitemap, Search Console, analytics.
- Enquiry form and click-to-call - going to an inbox you actually check.
- Ongoing updates - new photos, changed prices, a new service.
What's usually left out of the quote
These are the extras that turn a $2,000 website into a $4,000 one, and they're rarely on the front page of a proposal:
- Writing the content (often quoted separately, per page).
- Hosting, billed annually after the first year.
- Domain registration and renewals.
- Photography, or licence fees for stock images.
- Any change after launch, charged hourly.
- Security updates and backups.
- Extra pages beyond a set number.
- Anything to do with Google at all.
| Included in the price? | Ask this question |
|---|---|
| Content writing | Who writes the words on every page - you or me? |
| Hosting | What do I pay for hosting in year two? |
| Domain | Is the domain registered in my name? |
| Updates | What does a change cost after launch? |
| Pages | How many pages, and what's an extra one cost? |
| Is Search Console and analytics set up? | |
| Ownership | If I leave, what can I take with me? |
The three ways packages are priced
- Big upfront fee. Typically $2,000 to $8,000, then separate hosting and hourly charges for changes. Fine if you've got the cash and won't need changes.
- Cheap DIY builder. $20 to $50 a month and your own weekends. Cheapest in dollars, expensive in time, and usually not built to rank.
- Weekly or monthly, all inclusive. One price covering build, hosting, domain and updates. No large upfront hit, and changes don't come with an invoice.
There's a fuller comparison in tradie website pricing models and real figures in how much a website costs in Australia.
How many pages do you actually need?
For most trade and service businesses: a home page, a page per service, an about page, a contact page and a page for each area you want work in. That's usually somewhere between eight and twenty pages - which is why "5 page package" quotes so often end up with extras attached. More on this in how many pages a small business website needs.
What ongoing cost is fair
Hosting, a domain, SSL, backups, security updates and someone available to make changes all cost something to provide. A package with no ongoing cost at all usually means you'll be doing the maintenance - or nobody will. See website maintenance costs for what's reasonable.
Before you sign anything
- Get the inclusions in writing, not just in a conversation.
- Confirm who writes the content for every page.
- Ask what year two costs, in total.
- Check the domain will be registered in your name.
- Ask what a small change costs after launch.
- Confirm Google indexing and analytics are set up.
- Ask what happens if you want to leave.
- Look at two or three sites they've built for businesses like yours.
How my package works
I keep it deliberately simple: $99 to get started, your first 14 days free once your website goes live, then $45/week. No lock-in contract, cancel anytime, no cancellation fees. That covers the design and build, all your content written for you, hosting, your domain, SSL, mobile optimisation, Google setup and monthly updates - so there's no second invoice waiting for you.
The full inclusions are on the web design packages page, and if you want the trade specific version there's Tradie Website Design. If you'd rather compare designers first, read how to choose a web designer.
Need a Better Website for Your Business?
Professional websites built by Mike - $99 to get started, with the first 14 days free once your website goes live, then $45/week, including hosting, your domain, SEO foundations and a monthly update.
$99 to get started. First 14 days free once live, then $45/week.
Common questions
- Is a cheaper package always worse?
- Not always - but check what's missing. Cheap usually means you write the content, you handle updates, and hosting is billed separately from year two.
- Should the package include content writing?
- Ideally yes. Writing your own pages is the reason most website projects stall for months. If you are writing them, this guide helps.
- Do I own the website on a weekly package?
- You own your domain and your content. The build stays hosted and maintained as part of the weekly service - so if you cancel, the site comes offline but your domain remains yours.
- What should a package include for SEO?
- At minimum: proper page structure, service pages, Google indexing and Search Console. Ongoing ranking work is a separate job - see the SEO for tradies guide.
Written by Mike - Web Guy Mike
I build and look after websites for Australian tradies and small service businesses. Every site is built by me - no outsourcing, no account managers. More about Mike.