The quick answer
A professional tradie website in Australia costs between $99/month (managed) and $5,000+ (custom agency build). DIY builders like Wix or Squarespace start from $20-40/month but require your time.
The right option depends on your budget, your time, and how important your online presence is to getting more work.
Option 1: DIY website builders ($20-50/month)
Platforms: Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy
What you get:
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Templates to choose from
- Hosting included
- Basic SEO tools
The catch:
- You have to build it yourself (expect 10-20 hours)
- Templates look generic unless you spend time customising
- You need to write all the content yourself
- Ongoing maintenance is on you
- Limited support when something breaks
Best for: Tradies who are comfortable with technology and have spare time on weekends.
Real cost: $30/month + 15-20 hours of your time to set up + ongoing maintenance time.
Option 2: Managed website service ($99-199/month)
Example: Websites Factory ($99/month)
What you get:
- Professional website designed for your trade
- We build everything — you just approve
- Mobile-friendly, Google-ready
- Hosting, updates, and support included
- Live within 24 hours
The catch:
- Monthly ongoing cost (but includes everything)
- You don't own the site on the cheapest plans (ownership options available from $1,499)
Best for: Tradies who want a professional result without doing the work themselves. You focus on your trade, we handle the website.
Real cost: $99/month, no setup fees, no hidden costs.
Option 3: Freelance web designer ($1,500-3,000)
What you get:
- Custom designed website
- Usually 3-5 pages
- Some SEO setup
- You own the site
The catch:
- Takes 2-6 weeks to build
- Quality varies hugely — hard to vet designers
- Hosting is separate ($10-30/month extra)
- Updates and changes cost extra ($50-100/hour)
- If the freelancer disappears, you're stuck
Best for: Tradies who want full ownership and have budget for a one-off investment.
Real cost: $2,000 upfront + $20/month hosting + $500-1,000/year for updates.
Option 4: Web design agency ($3,000-10,000+)
What you get:
- Fully custom design and development
- Professional copywriting
- SEO strategy
- Ongoing support (usually a separate contract)
The catch:
- Expensive upfront
- Overkill for most tradies
- Long timelines (4-12 weeks)
- Ongoing support contracts can be pricey
Best for: Larger trade businesses with multiple employees and a serious marketing budget.
Real cost: $5,000 upfront + $200-500/month for ongoing management.
What actually matters for a tradie website
Regardless of which option you choose, your website needs these essentials:
- Mobile-friendly design — 70% of your visitors will be on their phone
- Click-to-call button — make it one tap to call you
- Your services listed clearly — what you do, where you work
- Photos of your work — real photos, not stock images
- Google-friendly SEO — so you show up in local searches
- Fast loading — slow sites lose visitors
The real question: what's it costing you NOT to have a website?
If you're losing even one job per month because a customer couldn't find you online, that's easily $500-2,000 in lost revenue. A $99/month website pays for itself with a single extra job.
Our recommendation
For most Australian tradies, a managed website service offers the best value:
- No time investment from you
- Professional result
- Affordable monthly cost
- Everything handled for you
Start from $99/month with no setup fees. Get your tradie website today.