What Does It Cost a Business Not to Have a Website?
Skipping a website saves a few hundred dollars a year. The cost sits in places no invoice shows: people who look you up before they ring, questions you answer by phone, and a business that relies on platforms someone else runs. Here's how to weigh it with your own numbers.
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The short answer
Not having a website never shows up as a bill. What it costs is the work that goes to someone else because a customer couldn't find you, couldn't check you out, or couldn't send a quick question at 9pm. That cost is real but invisible, which is why it's easy to put off for years.
The other side of the ledger is easy to measure. Our smallest site is $399, built and shown to you before you pay anything. Hosting after launch is $30 a month, and a domain registered in your name is about $20 a year. So a first year with a one-page site costs about $779, and each year after that about $380. No GST is added.
The useful question, then, isn't whether a website is good in general. It's whether a site would bring in enough extra work in a year to cover that amount. For a lot of businesses the answer is plainly yes. For some it's no, and we say which further down.
How many Australian businesses go without one
Plenty. The ABS asks businesses what kind of online presence they have, and its June 2026 release covers the year to 30 June 2025. Just over half of all businesses had their own website or app. Size and industry make a big difference:
| Group | Own website or app |
|---|---|
| All businesses | 55.1% |
| 0–4 people employed | 44.6% |
| 5–19 people employed | 68.7% |
| 20–199 people employed | 90.1% |
| Construction | 39.8% |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 30.2% |
| Retail trade | 62.3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 68.1% |
| Health care and social assistance | 68.4% |
| Businesses in capital cities only | 57.9% |
| Businesses in regional areas only | 49.2% |
Two things follow from those numbers. First, going without is normal, so if you don't have a site you're not unusual: most businesses with fewer than five people in the survey didn't have one either. Second, in industries where well under half of businesses have one, such as construction, a plain site with your services, suburbs and phone number is still something that sets you apart from a lot of the competition. In industries where two-thirds or more have one, a customer comparing three providers is more likely to notice the one that doesn't.
The same release found 71% of businesses had some online presence and 50.9% used social media for it, so for many owners the real question is whether a social page or a free listing is enough. We look at that next.
Where the cost actually turns up
Nobody rings to say they chose someone else because you had no website. The cost turns up in quieter ways:
- The referral who checks first. A neighbour passes on your name. Before calling, the customer searches for it. If all they find is an old directory entry or nothing at all, the next result on the page is a competitor with photos and a quote button.
- The same questions, over and over. Which suburbs do you cover? Do you do weekends? Roughly what does it cost? Every one of those answered on the phone is time away from paid work. A page that answers them doesn't stop the calls, but it means more of the calls are from people ready to book.
- Enquiries outside your hours. A quote form takes a job description and photos at 10pm and has it in your inbox by morning. Without one, that customer either remembers to ring tomorrow or doesn't.
- Proof that you're legitimate. Your ABN, licence number, insurance, reviews and real photos of your work in one place you control. Customers who have been burnt before look for exactly that.
- Being found for the job, not just the name. Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and how well known a business is, and that prominence takes in things like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have. A site gives your services and suburbs a page of their own, though nobody can promise where it will rank.
What the free options cover, and what they don't
Free tools are worth having whether or not you get a website. Their limits are worth knowing too.
| Option | What it does well | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Puts you on Maps and in local results with hours, reviews and a call button | Space for detail is limited, and Google decides the layout and what appears |
| Facebook or Instagram page | Easy to post job photos and updates, and customers can message you | Older posts sink out of sight, and the platform's terms decide whether the page stays up |
| Directories and lead marketplaces | Can send enquiries while you're starting out | You're listed right beside competitors, on terms the platform sets |
The common thread is control. Google used to let businesses build a simple website from their Business Profile, then switched those sites off in March 2024: visitors to the business.site addresses were redirected to the profile until 10 June 2024, then got a page-not-found error. Meta's terms say it may suspend or permanently disable access to its products if it decides its terms have been seriously or repeatedly breached. Neither is unreasonable for a free platform, but in both cases the decision isn't yours.
A website you own works alongside these rather than replacing them. Your profile and social pages send people to it, and it holds the detail they can't. We cover the free listings worth claiming in our guide to business directories, and how a profile and a site work together in our Google Business Profile guide.
Do the break-even sum with your own numbers
Take the profit you make on a typical job or sale, not the price you charge. Then see how many extra jobs a year a site would need to bring in to pay for itself:
| Your profit per job | One page, first year (about $779) | Up to 3 pages, first year (about $1,279) | Up to 8 pages, first year (about $1,879) | Any size, each later year (about $380) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 8 | 13 | 19 | 4 |
| $300 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| $500 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
First-year figures are the build price plus 12 months of hosting at $30 and a domain at about $20. Later years are hosting and the domain only. Round the answer up, because half a job doesn't pay a bill.
This is a way to frame the decision, not a forecast. We can't tell you how many enquiries a site will bring, and nobody can honestly promise a number. What we can show is one real result: Western Sydney Stump Grinding has landed at least 62 jobs, about $46,500 of work, from a single-page site we built. That's one business in one market, so read the case study as an example rather than an expectation.
When going without is a reasonable choice
A website isn't the right spend for every business. It's fair to hold off if:
- you subcontract to one or two builders or agencies who already keep you busy, and new customers never need to find you;
- your work comes through tenders or a supplier portal where buyers never look at your own site;
- you're testing a side business and don't yet know whether it will last the year;
- you're fully booked months ahead and couldn't take on more enquiries if they came;
- you're winding the business down or about to sell it.
If you're unsure, start with the free steps: claim your Google Business Profile, ask happy customers for reviews, and register your business name as a domain so it's there when you need it. Then look again in six months.
A bad website can cost more than none
One thing does cost more than having no site: a site that tells customers the wrong thing. Trading hours from two years ago, a disconnected number, a contact form that sends to an inbox nobody checks. A customer who drives to a closed shop, or whose enquiry vanishes, is harder to win back than one who simply never found you. Our list of website mistakes that quietly lose customers covers the usual culprits.
That's the reason our hosting includes unlimited text and image changes on your existing pages. When your hours, prices or phone number change, you send us an email and the site is updated, so it doesn't quietly drift out of date.
The smallest site that does the job
For most businesses starting from nothing, one page is enough. It needs:
- what you do, in the words your customers use;
- the suburbs or towns you cover;
- your ABN, and your licence number if your trade has one;
- a handful of real photos of your work;
- a few reviews customers have already left you;
- a phone number that rings when tapped, and a short enquiry form.
You supply the words and photos, and we arrange and format them into the page. If you don't have a logo yet, we'll help with one at no charge. There's no deposit: we build the draft, you ask for as many changes as you like, and you pay once you approve it. Most sites are live within 5–10 days of us getting your words and photos; bigger sites (up to 8 pages) take 2–3 weeks.
Pages can be added later as the business grows, and each one is quoted before we start. Our small business website cost guide compares what other kinds of provider charge.
What a first website costs with us
Enough for most first sites
One page
$399
Services, suburbs, ABN or licence, photos, reviews, an enquiry form and tap-to-call on one scrolling page. About $779 for the first year including hosting and domain.
Up to 3 pages
$899
A home page plus room to explain two or three services properly, or a separate page for prices and common questions.
Up to 8 pages
$1,499
For a business with several distinct services or locations, each needing its own page and its own enquiry button.
- Payment. No deposit. We build your draft first, you ask for as many changes as you like, and you pay once you approve it. If you don't go ahead, you owe nothing.
- GST. WebCraft Studio isn't registered for GST, so no GST is added.
- Timing. Most sites are live within 5–10 days of us getting your words and photos; bigger sites (up to 8 pages) take 2–3 weeks.
- Hosting. After launch, hosting is $30 a month: hosting, security monitoring, backups, email support and unlimited text and image changes on your existing pages. New pages or features are quoted first. No contract, cancel anytime.
- Domain and email. We register your domain in your name (about $20 a year), connect it to your site and set up your business email.
Questions about going without a website
Is it bad for a small business not to have a website?
Not necessarily. ABS figures for the year to June 2025 show about 45% of Australian businesses had no website or app of their own, including more than half of businesses with fewer than five people. Whether it costs you depends on how customers find you. If new customers search before they call, a site usually earns its keep. If all your work comes from one or two regular clients, it may not.
Can a Facebook page replace a website?
It can do part of the job: photos, updates and messages. It can't give you a page you control, a quote form with the fields you need, or details that stay put instead of scrolling away. Meta's terms also let it suspend or disable access to its products if it decides its terms have been seriously or repeatedly breached. Most businesses do best with both, the page linking to the site.
Is a Google Business Profile enough on its own?
It's the free step every local business should take first, and for some it's enough for a while. It gives you a spot on Maps, reviews and a call button. What it lacks is space: a site can explain each service, show a full gallery and answer questions in your own words, and your profile can link straight to it.
How much does a basic business website cost?
With us, $399 for one page, $899 for up to three pages and $1,499 for up to eight, with no GST added. Hosting is $30 a month after launch and a domain is about $20 a year. Prices from other providers vary widely, and our cost guide sets out the usual ranges.
Will a website bring me more customers?
We can't promise that, and you should be wary of anyone who does. A site makes it easier for people who are already looking to find you, trust you and get in touch. How many do depends on your area, your competition, your reviews and how quickly you answer. Our guide on how long a new site takes to show up on Google sets realistic expectations.
What does it cost to keep a website once it's built?
For a site we build, $30 a month for hosting, which covers security monitoring, backups, email support and unlimited text and image changes on your existing pages, plus about $20 a year for the domain. There's no contract and you can cancel anytime. New pages or features are quoted first.
See what a first site would look like
Tell us what you do and where you work. We'll reply with a fixed price, build the draft from your words and photos, and you only pay if you approve it.
We reply within 24 hours. Prefer email? info@webcraftstudio.com.au