If you've asked three Wollongong web designers for a quote, you've probably had three answers that look like they're for three different jobs. One says $1,800. One says $6,500. One says $14,000. All three can be fair. They're usually quoting for different things.
This post breaks down what a website costs in Wollongong and the wider Illawarra in 2026, what pushes the price up, the ongoing costs people forget, and how to read a quote. I build WordPress sites for local businesses, so I'll also tell you what mine cost and why.
The short answer: website cost bands in 2026
These are national ranges published by an independent Australian cost guide. Expect Wollongong quotes to fall in the same bands.
| Type of site | What you usually get | Typical build cost |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page | One page for an ad, offer or event | $800 to $3,000 |
| Small business site | 5 to 10 pages on a template, contact form | $2,000 to $6,000 |
| Custom build | Designed for your business, service and suburb pages, SEO set-up | $6,000 to $15,000 |
| Integrated or larger site | Connected to your CRM, quoting or product data | $15,000 to $40,000 |
| Online store | Products, checkout and stock | $5,000 to $60,000+ |
Source: What's The Damage? website cost guide, checked November 2026. AUD.
DIY builders like Wix or Squarespace are cheaper again, a few hundred dollars a year, if you're happy to do the work yourself.
What pushes the price up
Design is rarely the expensive part. These are the things that move a quote:
- Number of pages. A Wollongong trades business that wants a page for each service and each area it covers (Dapto, Shellharbour, Kiama) needs far more pages than a one-service shop. More pages, more cost, and usually more enquiries.
- Who writes the words. If you supply finished copy, it's cheaper. If the developer writes it, someone is paying for that time.
- Photos. Stock photos are cheap. A half-day local shoot of your team and your work costs more and converts better.
- Moving an old site. Redirecting old pages, keeping your Google rankings and not breaking your email during the move all take planning.
- Connections. Forms that land in your CRM with the source attached, a booking system, a quote calculator or product data pulled from your other systems.
- Tracking. GA4 and conversion tracking set up so you can see which pages and ads bring in work.
The ongoing costs nobody mentions
The build is a one-off. These aren't:
| Cost | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Domain name (.com.au) | $10 to $50 a year |
| Managed WordPress hosting | $50 to $150 a month |
| Care plan (updates, backups, security, small edits) | $50 to $300 a month |
| Changes billed by the hour | $80 to $250 an hour |
Sources: WP Creative 2026 pricing guide (domain and hosting), What's The Damage? (care plans and hourly rates). Checked November 2026.
Ask every developer to list these separately. A cheap build with a $250-a-month "package" you can't leave is often dearer over three years than a bigger upfront quote on hosting in your own name.
Cheap or dear: what you're actually paying for
The real question isn't the price. It's what the site needs to do. Work it out backwards.
If your work comes almost entirely from word of mouth and people only check your site to get your number, a tidy $2,000 to $4,000 site is fine. Don't let anyone talk you into more.
If you want the site to win work from people who've never heard of you, searching things like "electrician Dapto" or "accountant Wollongong", you need the pages, speed and set-up that Google rewards. That's the custom band.
Red flags in a website quote
- The domain is registered in the developer's name, not yours.
- Hosting is bundled into a monthly fee and you can't move the site if you leave.
- "Guaranteed page one on Google." Nobody can promise that honestly.
- No mention of redirects when they're replacing an old site.
- The contact form just sends an email, with no copy kept anywhere.
- No tracking, so in six months nobody can say if the site is working.
- No staging copy, so every change is made on the live site.
Do you need a Wollongong web developer?
Not strictly. Plenty of good developers work remotely. A local one helps in two ways. You can sit down together and get through in two hours what takes two weeks of emails. And they know how people here actually search: the suburb names, and the fact that someone in Albion Park may well search for "Shellharbour".
Some businesses advertising Wollongong web design and SEO are based interstate. That's fine if they're good. Just know who you're hiring.
What my websites cost
I sit at the custom end, on purpose. My sites are built to bring in enquiries, with your forms connected to your CRM and tracking set up from day one.
| Option | What's included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page | One focused page, form into your CRM, ads and GA4 tracking | From $2,500 |
| WordPress website | Page plan based on what people search, design, build, hosting and Cloudflare set-up, local SEO, CRM forms, training | From $9,500 |
| Custom web app | Portals, quote tools and calculators connected to your systems | From $20,000 |
| Tracking fix for an existing site | GA4 and conversion tracking set up and tested | $1,950 |
All prices AUD. No GST is added. Hosting and domains are billed to you directly at cost, in your name. Every job gets a fixed quote with its timeline. Details are on the web development page.
FAQ
Is $1,500 enough for a business website in Wollongong?
For a simple template site you set up and write yourself, sometimes. For a site built to win new customers from Google, usually not. At that price there's rarely time for proper service pages, tracking or SEO set-up.
Is a monthly website plan better than paying upfront?
It can be, if you can leave whenever you like and take the site with you. Check who owns the domain, the hosting and the design files before you sign. If the answer is "the agency", be careful.
Will a new website rank on Google straight away?
No. A well-built site gives Google what it needs, but new sites take time to earn trust. Service and suburb pages, a complete Google Business Profile and reviews from real customers do most of the lifting for local businesses.
Can I update the site myself?
You should be able to. Ask to see the editor before you sign. If changing your phone number needs a developer, the site wasn't built for you.
Do you build sites outside Wollongong?
Yes. I work across the Illawarra and South Coast, from Shellharbour and Kiama to Nowra and the Southern Highlands, and remotely anywhere in Australia.
Next step
Send me your current site, or a rough list of what you want the new one to do. I'll tell you which band you're really in, and whether you need a rebuild at all. Sometimes the fix is a few new pages and working tracking. Get in touch and I'll reply as soon as I can.
