How Much Does Website Development Cost In Australia?

Amir Fereydoonkhan - May 26, 2023February 13, 2024

The average website design cost can vary anywhere from between $10,000 to $50,000 or more, depending on CMS platforms, number of pages, features of the website and other important factors. As a leading website design company in Australia we would be able to draft average cost for website development.

Introduction

The rise of the internet has drastically changed the way customers research and buy products and services. Back in the day you primarily relied on traditional sources of information such as advertisements in the newspaper and recommendations from friends or family members. The information availability and accessibility was significantly limited compared to today’s standard.

As the majority of customers now turn to the internet for their information, having a website is a must. A well-designed and developed website can provide a multitude of benefits, from establishing credibility and promoting brand identity to gaining a competitive advantage.

But how much does it actually cost to design and develop a website in Australia nowadays? Well…. a simple website with a few pages could cost as little as $ 10,000, while larger intricate websites like ecommerce websites with advanced features and functionality often start at $50,000 and could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The cost mainly depends on factors such as the size of the site, the level of customization required, the complexity of the functionality, and the level of support needed.

In this article, we will further elaborate on the process of designing and developing a website and factors that impact the costs.

The Process

The complex design and development of a website can be split up in 4 phases. Each phase will only start once the previous phase has been approved. Throughout each phase there is a close collaboration between the designers, developers and stakeholders to ensure all requirements are met. At Digital8 we use an agile methodology, which enables us to quickly adapt to changing priorities and deliver high-quality projects in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Setting Expectations for Your Project – Discovery and Planning phase

Each project starts with research and scoping of the requirements, this ensures that all the expectations are aligned. During a kick-off meeting we discuss the scope and wireframes for the project before the design and development begin. Once the scope of the project is approved, the project is broken down into sections (known as sprints) to assist the client with budget planning, forecasting and investment. These sprints offer clear deliverables and timelines with reports and outcomes that can be shared with the client at the end of each sprint.

Balancing Aesthetics and Usability – Designing phase

Once the scope is approved, our designers will start the designing phase. The User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design is key to a successful website project. User Interface relates to the visual presentation of components on the page and the interactivity of the project. Whereas the UX is focused on tailoring user journeys that will create the best experience for your target audience.

Not only is there a higher chance of users converting when the website they are browsing has a strong UI and UX, search engines also prefer these websites. They are likely to rank higher on the search engine result pages and will therefore be more accessible to the public. All our designs are responsive, which means that the design will adapt to whichever device you are using, whether that is a desktop, tablet or phone.

Bringing the Design To Life – Development and Testing phase

After the design has been approved, Digital8 web design team in Brisbane will begin bringing the design to life. At Digital8 we assign a project manager to each project to ensure that the project stays on track and provide progress updates throughout the development phase.

Once testing is completed, the website undergoes two types of internal testing, QA (quality assurance) and UAT (user acceptance testing). This ensures that the developers have met all the requirements and everything is working as expected. After the internal testing has been completed, the website is provided to you on a staging link to perform your own testing in order to accept the project as completed.

Launching Your Site – Deployment phase

Once you have conducted UAT and approve the website to go live, we will provision your live server and reconfigure your DNS to point to your new website. This is the end of the project.

Size matters – Breaking down the costs

Now that you have a basic understanding of the process that is involved with designing and developing a website, we’ll further explore the cost involved and what you can expect to pay for different levels of service.

Small Basic Website

A basic website build typically consists of a home, about us, contact us, services and blog page. For a WordPress site build of this size, you’d be looking at around $8000 in Australia. This includes page template designs which have a responsive web design layout. Any additional functionality will increase the costs of the project. Digital8, we specialized as a leading WordPress web design agency in Brisbane and Australia.

Medium-Sized Website

If you have outgrown your small-scale website and are in need of something a bit bigger with extra functionality and security, you might be looking at a medium-sized website. These typically include more pages, additional functionality and complex features. Depending on the level of complexity and the size of your sitemap the costs range from $25,000+.

Large-Scale Website

Large businesses often require a complex website build with a lot of pages, features and functionality. For this website type we recommend building in Drupal. Drupal is the preferred choice for most government agencies as they can handle more advanced requirements and allow you to build a completely custom website to your needs. As a more complex project, the costs range from $50,000 or more.

What Impacts the Website Design and Development Costs

Now you kn0w about the website development cost. We will further elaborate on other factors that you must know

Number of pages

Not only do more pages lead to more development and design work, it also leads to a more complex website structure that requires more navigational work. This increases the design and development costs and depending on whether you also need SEO and content done for the additional pages, it might lead to higher total costs.

Design

Logically, the complexity of your website impacts the costs of the development. If you want each page to be custom designed, this will require more work and therefore be more costly. Whereas if you are happy to use some custom designed templates to similar pages, for example create one custom template for all your services, then this will significantly lower the costs.

If you have a specific design in mind, be prepared to pay more for a web designer to bring your vision to life.

Content

If you have the skills to create your own content, you can save a fair amount of money by doing it yourself. And with skills we don’t mean writing content using an AI as this can actually hurt your SEO in the long run. In the likely case that you do require assistance with content creation, be prepared to pay. Content writers charge anything between $150 to $500 per page, depending on the length and type of content required.

SEO, also known as Search Engine Optimization, is the process of optimising your website’s content with relevant keywords in order to rank higher on search engines. The higher your website ranks, the more people will see your website which will likely result in a higher number of visitors.

At Digital8 each website that we develop comes with a basic SEO set-up to ensure the end product meets our high standards. Our SEO expert offer ongoing monthly SEO strategies which ensures that your content is optimised with relevant keywords, your websites structure and pages are easily crawlable and they build authority by creating backlinks to your content. This will help your website reach higher rankings, drive more traffic and ultimately increase your business’s revenue, however this comes at additional costs.

Extra functionality

The required functionality is another major factor which impacts the costs of your website’s design and development. Advanced functionality such as e-commerce of custom integrations will require more time to build and implement and therefore will increase the cost.

Some common examples of additional functionality are client portals, gated content, web accessibility and calculators. Basically, the more complex or advanced, the higher the cost. Therefore it is important to carefully consider which functionality is essential and which functionality could potentially be added to your website at a later stage.

Maintenance and hosting

A common overlooked cost is the maintenance and hosting of your website. Every website needs to pay for hosting, this allows the website to be accessible to users on the internet. Hosting will roughly cost you between $100 and $200 a month.

Once your website is launched, you will need to ensure that your website remains functional and up to date. This is where maintenance costs come into play, we recommend setting aside a small part of your budget (roughly 5-10%) for ongoing maintenance.

To sum it up

Designing and building a new website is going to be expensive no matter how you look at it. There are a few ways you can cut the costs, however the final product will always be a reflection of what you are willing to spend. Try to look at the cost of the website design and build as an investment rather than a cost. Investing in a high quality website can help you establish credibility, grow your brand identity, drive more traffic to your website and ultimately increase your business’s revenue.

If you are looking to invest in your website, our developers would love to talk to you! Digital8 is a Leading web design and development firm, providing the full spectrum of digital services – Google Ads in Brisbane, Search engine optimisation, social media marketing, App development and UI/UX design

Effective Web Design: 9 Core Principles

Pasindu Raminda - May 19, 2023May 19, 2023

There are many factors that go into making the perfect website. It has to be interactive; it has to be appealing and above all, it has to create a great user experience. There is a common misconception that great visual design makes for a good website, while it is true to some extent, usability and functionality are far more important when it comes to good web design. They not only increase engagement but also helps your website do better in SEO. In this article, we are going to explore 9 core principles of effective web design. Let’s dive into it!

A clear purpose and goal

What is the goal of the website? This is something that needs to be clear before building a website. Is the core purpose of the website to provide information? Is the goal to sell products? Or is the goal to build trust and credibility? Your goal and purpose need to shine through and be the focal point of your web design. The intentions of the pages of a website need to be clear. A clear goal and purpose integrated into the web design will make it easier for the viewers to engage with the website. More engagement naturally leads to a better user experience and that defines the effectiveness of web design more than anything else.

Keep it simple and the communication clear

You do not want people to be overwhelmed. The foundation of good webpage design is clear communication and simplicity. The web design has to be in harmony with the information that you want to communicate on any given page. Good website design keeps the message clear without compromising the visual appeal. Don’t overcrowd the webpage design, and don’t muddle your message with unnecessary elements for the sake of visual appeal. The colours that you use, the font that you select, and the imagery that you incorporate should all work in harmony to effectively communicate the message that you want to get across. This is an often overlooked and under appreciated aspect of good website design.

A clear path of discovery

Good WordPress web design is intuitive and feels organic. When someone is navigating the website and feel lost then it is the fault of poor design. The webpage design should allow for easy navigation. The hallmark of good web design is the ability of seamless discovery. If a user finds the website too complex and it is hard for them to find the content or information that they are looking for chances are that they will leave. A user-friendly web design is one that seamlessly guides the user to where they want to go. The design should be clear and concise. It should keep the users in mind at all times and look for ways to accommodate them at every point so that they never feel lost.

Guide the user’s gaze

When designing a website, you have to remember that you are creating an experience. You are in control of what grabs the user’s attention and what they are only going to skim over. This is a great power and a great responsibility. Good web design is going to bring the users’ attention to the information that you want to stay with the user long after they leave the website. The use of dynamic imagery, the font size for specific words, the right use of colours, and the optimal placement of all these elements are something that can make or break a website.

The “F” Pattern

Studies have shown that people often skim through a website instead of reading and recording everything and they do it in an “F” shaped pattern. This means that they start at the top left side of the screen and work their way down. So, the placement of relevant information should be according to this pattern. A website with a good web design will most likely have the navigation bar at the top left corner of the screen so that the user can get a quick summary of everything that they can expect to find on the website. It is important to incorporate this pattern into your web design if you want users to interact with your website for longer.

Content Matters

After it is all said and done, and the dust finally settles, content is still king. The visual aspect, colours, images, and videos all matter but the written text matters the most. Users, especially new users look towards the text for context when they are interacting with the various elements of your website. If the text is not pointed and clear then it is going to create confusion. The quality of the text of your website matters a lot in good web design. Effective website design has high-quality written content that complements the visual elements. If the text is out of sync with your core message or it is simply not optimized for engagement then you are going to lose your website traffic.

Mobile Friendliness and loading time

Another hallmark of good website design is its accessibility. In this day and age, you simply can not forget about mobile devices. You should design a website with mobile devices in mind and your aim should be to provide the same user experience to mobile users as well. So, essentially you are going to be creating two versions of the same website and you will have to use elements that will look good on large screens as well as small screens. And we can not forget about loading time. Good website design means that your loading times are going to be minimal. This is great for SEO traffics and it increases the chances of user engagement. If your website is slow then it is not going to rank very well and it is not going to grab the short attention span of modern users.

Empty Spaces

As we alluded to earlier in the article, you do not want to overwhelm the users with information be it visuals or text. Good website design should minimize the cognitive load on a user’s brain. The use of empty spaces is a great tool for effective web design. It can be used to highlight and point toward the information that you want the user to retain. We also mentioned briefly that most users are going to skim through most of the information that you provide on your website. Empty spaces naturally make this process easier and increase the chances of engagement. So, the goal of good web design should be to have empty spaces strategically used to give importance to the crucial pieces of information. It will make your website much more intuitive and much more user-friendly.

Cohesion

And last but not least is the careful cohesion of all the above-mentioned effective web design principles. On their own, these principles might look odd and in some cases, you won’t be able to apply all of them. The goal here is to use these effective web design principles where they feel right and natural. You should be able to pick and choose which of them works best in which scenario. The goal should be to make the website design cohesive and make it flow naturally. And to achieve that goal you can choose to incorporate as many of these design elements as long as they are effective and fit in with your design vision.

In conclusion, effective web design is far more than just an attractive facade; it’s a strategic blend of aesthetics, functionality, and exceptional user experiences. It’s about articulating a website’s core purpose and making it easily accessible to users. As we’ve discussed throughout this piece, numerous key principles guide this intricate process.

Why Digital8 For Your Web Design

It’s important to emphasize that web design is an ever-evolving field. With advancements in technology, changing user behaviour, and trends like the rise of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, designers must continually stay abreast of these changes. Future-forward web design will likely hinge on adaptability and innovation, always ready to cater to new user expectations and technological possibilities.

Remember, the ultimate goal is to create a website that not only aligns with your business objectives but also resonates with your users, providing them with an interactive, engaging, and memorable digital journey. To achieve this, meet our Brisbane web design team and strive to incorporate the principles we’ve discussed, always be mindful of emerging trends, and open to innovation and adaptation. The true measure of effective web design lies not in its visual appeal alone, but in its ability to evolve, engage, and exceed user expectations.