So you’re looking for someone to build you a website in Brisbane. But before you start calling around getting quotes, there’s some stuff you should know that might save you a lot of headaches.
I’ve been doing this for 15+ years now, web design. This was a skill I added to my toolset during my 25+ years in graphic design. Over this time, I’ve seen people make some mistakes over and over again when it comes to getting websites built.
Look, I’m obviously writing this because I want you to consider hiring me for your website. But I’d rather be upfront about the realities of this industry, including what you should expect to pay and how to spot the dodgy operators, than pretend I’m giving you completely unbiased advice.
Why I think local matters (but maybe not how you think)
Look, your website doesn’t care if your designer lives in Brisbane or Bangladesh. The code works the same either way. But there are some practical things that make working with someone local easier.
Most clients I talk to say they prefer working with someone local, even if they never actually meet in person. There’s something about knowing your designer is in the same city, understands how business works here, and speaks the same language.
And I mean that literally about language. I’ve had quite a few clients come to me after frustrating experiences trying to communicate with overseas teams. Not because those teams weren’t skilled, but because explaining exactly what you want through language barriers and cultural differences is harder than people expect.
And sometimes it’s helpful to have the option of meeting face to face if needed. Most of my clients never take me up on this, but knowing they could if they wanted to seems to matter.
The real problems you’re trying to solve
Forget all the fancy web design theory for a minute. What are you actually trying to achieve here?
Most small businesses I work with have a couple of these problems:
Their current website is embarrassing. Maybe it was built in 2015 and looks like it. Maybe cousin Dave made it and it’s never worked properly. Maybe they’re still using one of those terrible template sites that looks like everyone else’s.
They’re not getting enquiries through their website. People find them, have a look around, then leave without getting in touch. Usually this is because the website doesn’t actually tell people what to do next, or makes it too hard to contact them.
They’re spending too much time answering the same questions over and over. “What do you charge?” “How long does it take?” “Do you work with businesses like mine?” A good website should answer most of these before people even pick up the phone.
They’re embarrassed to send people to their current website. Whether it’s outdated design, broken functionality, or just something that doesn’t represent their business properly, they know their website isn’t doing them any favours.
75% of users judge a company’s credibility based on their website’s design (Stanford Web Credibility Project)
Or they’ve been quoted crazy money for something that shouldn’t be complicated. I’ve heard of some businesses quoted over $20,000 for a basic business website. I’ve also seen people try to get professional websites for $500. Both are problems, just different ones.
What you should expect from a website build
Let me be honest about web design pricing in Brisbane, because transparency helps everyone make better decisions.
Basic business website: $3,000 – $8,000
For that price point, you should expect research into your business and your competitors. A strategy on who your audience is and how to talk to them. A website designed with your clients in mind that’s also mobile friendly. Contact form setup. Built on WordPress with technical and basic SEO taken care of.
This price range works well for most small businesses like tradies, consultants, and local retailers who need a professional online presence without complex functionality.
More complex business website: $8,000 – $20,000
This is when you need booking systems, member login areas, online stores, or integration with your existing business software. Or when you want multiple language versions, complex user workflows, or extensive custom functionality.
Takes longer too, probably 3-6 months rather than 6-12 weeks.
Anything over $20,000
This should be for genuinely complex projects. Custom development work. Big e-commerce sites with hundreds of products. Websites that need to integrate with multiple business systems.
What about different price points?
You’ll find website options across a wide range of prices. At the lower end ($1,000-$2,000), you’re typically getting a template-based approach where they swap out content and images for your business. This can work if you’re happy with a more generic approach and don’t need strategy work or customisation for your specific audience.
At the higher end, you’re typically paying for custom design, strategic thinking about your specific customers and business goals, more comprehensive service, or complex functionality. The key is understanding what level of customisation and strategy you need for your business.
How to spot potential problems
Users form an opinion of a website within 0.05 seconds (Sweor research – that’s faster than blinking!)
After 15+ years of this, I can usually tell within about 5 minutes whether someone knows what they’re doing or not. Here’s what to watch out for:
They disappear between meetings. If they’re hard to get hold of during the sales process, they’ll be impossible to reach when things go wrong.
Their own website is terrible. I mean, come on. If they can’t build themselves a decent website, what makes you think they can build you one?
They don’t ask you enough questions. Anyone giving you a quote without asking detailed questions about what you actually need is just guessing. Good web designers ask annoying amounts of questions because every business is different.
They only talk about how the website will look, not what it needs to achieve for your business. If they’re not asking about your customers, your business goals, or what problems you’re trying to solve, you might end up with something pretty that doesn’t actually help your business.
They guarantee first page Google rankings. No one can guarantee SEO results, especially not immediately.
They can’t give you references or testimonials. After a few years in business, they should have happy clients willing to vouch for their work.
They can’t explain their process clearly. Professional designers should be able to walk you through how they work, what happens when, and what they need from you.
What the process should actually look like
Most professional web designers work something like this:
Discovery phase: Lots of questions about your business, what you’re trying to achieve, who your customers are, what your competitors are doing. Good designers spend a fair bit of time on this because it affects everything else.
Planning phase: Working out what pages you need, how they’ll be organised, what functionality is required. Usually involves some kind of wireframes or site maps, but nothing fancy.
Design phase: This is where they show you what the website will actually look like. Most designers do this in stages, maybe showing you the home page first, then the other pages once that’s approved.
Development phase: Building the actual website. Depending on complexity, this can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Testing and launch: Making sure everything works properly across different devices and browsers before making it live.
Training and handover: Showing you how to update content, add new pages, that sort of thing.
The whole process usually takes 2-6 months depending on complexity and how quickly you can provide feedback and content.
Why most websites don’t work (and how to avoid this)
Over the years, I’ve seen quite a few websites that just aren’t working for the businesses that own them. Sometimes I’m brought in to fix an existing site or do a complete rebuild. The common problems I see are:
No clear purpose. The business owner knew they “needed a website” but never really figured out what they wanted it to achieve. So they end up with something that looks professional but doesn’t actually help their business.
Poor planning from the start. Either the business owner wasn’t clear about their needs, or the designer didn’t ask the right questions to understand what was actually required.
Unrealistic expectations about what a website can do. Some people expect a website to automatically generate customers without any other marketing effort, or assume a basic site will have complex functionality.
No plan for ongoing maintenance. Websites need regular updates, security patches, and content additions. Many businesses don’t think about this until something breaks or stops working.
Mismatch between what was needed and what was built. Sometimes a business gets a complex e-commerce site when they needed something simple, or a basic site when they actually needed more functionality.
The mobile thing (this is important)
94% of first impressions are design-related (Stanford University research)
Your website will be viewed on phones more than computers. This isn’t a maybe, it’s definitely true for almost every business these days.
38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive (Adobe study)
This means a few things:
Your website needs to work properly on small screens. Not just shrink down, but actually be usable with thumbs on a 5-inch screen.
It needs to load fast on mobile data. People aren’t patient when they’re browsing on their phones.
Contact information needs to be obvious and clickable. If someone finds your website while they’re out and about, they should be able to call you or fill out a form immediately.
Most web designers understand this now, but it’s worth checking. Ask to see how their previous websites look on phones.
What happens after your website launches
This is the bit most people don’t think about until it’s too late.
Websites need maintenance. Software updates, security patches, backups, that sort of thing. Some designers include this in their ongoing service, others expect you to handle it yourself or find someone else to do it.
You’ll probably want to make changes. Add new services, update your contact details, change your prices. Make sure you’ll be able to do this easily, or that you’ve got a plan for getting help with it.
You’ll want to keep your information current – updating services, pricing, contact details, and maybe occasionally adding a new testimonial or case study. But you don’t need to constantly publish new content unless that’s part of your marketing strategy.
You might want to track how it’s performing. Most designers can set up Google Analytics so you can see how many people are finding your website, which pages they’re looking at, where they’re coming from.
Questions you should ask before hiring anyone
Based on all the projects I’ve been involved in, here are the questions that usually reveal whether someone knows what they’re doing:
“Can you show me three websites you’ve built for businesses similar to mine?” They should have relevant examples and be able to explain what business problems each website solved.
“What’s your typical process from start to finish?” They should be able to walk you through clear stages with defined deliverables.
“What happens if something goes wrong after launch?” You want to know about support, maintenance, how they handle emergencies.
“How will I be able to update content myself?” Unless you want to pay someone every time you need to change your opening hours, you need a plan for this.
“What’s included in the price you’ve quoted?” Make sure you understand what you’re getting and what would cost extra.
“How do you handle projects when clients don’t respond quickly?” Because let’s face it, you’re busy running a business and might not always get back to them immediately.
Getting the most out of your web designer
Over the years when working with clients, the projects that go smoothly and get great results have a few things in common:
The business owner is clear about what they want to achieve. Not necessarily how to achieve it technically, but what business outcomes they’re looking for.
They provide good content. Photos, text, testimonials, whatever’s needed. Designers can help with this, but you know your business better than anyone.
They give feedback quickly and clearly. “I don’t like it” isn’t helpful. “The blue doesn’t feel professional enough for our industry” is much better.
They trust the designer’s expertise while staying involved in decisions. You hired them for a reason, so let them do their job. But it’s still your business and your website.
They plan for ongoing maintenance and updates from the start, rather than treating the website as a one-off project.
Some final thoughts
Look, getting a website built shouldn’t be complicated or stressful. But like any professional service, there are experienced providers and ones you’ll want to avoid. There are realistic prices and ridiculous ones. There are appropriate solutions and over-engineered ones.
The key is being clear about what you actually need, finding someone who specialises in that kind of work, and setting realistic expectations about timeline and budget.
And remember, your website is a tool for your business, not a work of art. It needs to help you achieve your business goals, whether that’s getting more enquiries, reducing phone calls, looking more professional, or selling products online. Most importantly, it’s not about what you personally like – it’s about what speaks to your customers and makes them want to work with you.
Want to discuss your business’s web design needs? I’ve been helping local businesses sort out their websites for 15+ years now. Whether you’re starting from scratch or fixing a website that’s not working for you, I’d be happy to chat about what might work for your specific situation.
Give me a call and we’ll start with a proper conversation about what you’re actually trying to achieve. No hard sell, no confusing technical jargon, just an honest discussion about what might work for your business.
Get in contact with me or check out some of my previous work here
About Amanda I’ve been designing things for Brisbane businesses for over 25 years, started with print and packaging design, moved into web design about 15 years ago. These days I work mostly on WordPress websites for small to medium businesses who want something professional without the corporate agency price tag. Based in Daisy Hill but I work with clients across Brisbane and Australia.
