The short answer
In Townsville in 2026 a small business website costs between $880 and $9000 depending on who you hire, how many pages you need and how much custom functionality you ask for. Freelancers and sole specialists land between $880 and $3300. Mid tier digital agencies quote $4000 to $7000. Large agencies start at $7000 and go up from there.
This article breaks down what you actually get at each price point in Townsville, so you can match the budget to the outcome and not get oversold.
Single page websites: $880 to $1500
A single page website is one scrolling landing page with sections for hero, services, gallery, testimonials and contact. It works well for sole trades, contractors, hair and beauty therapists and home based businesses in suburbs like Pimlico, Mundingburra and Kirwan where most enquiries come from referrals plus a quick Google check.
Inclusions at this price should be: WordPress with a visual editor, mobile responsive design, a contact form, basic on page SEO, Google Analytics, Google Search Console and a one hour training call so you can edit content yourself after launch. Most Townsville freelancers will deliver this in 2 to 3 weeks.
Complete small business websites: $1800 to $3500
A complete website usually runs 5 to 10 pages with home, about, services, contact and 2 to 4 service pages. This is the right tier for established Townsville businesses in North Ward, Hyde Park, Aitkenvale and Idalia where you have multiple services and need to be found on Google for several different search terms.
You should expect: copywriting for up to 8 pages, full on page SEO foundations, schema markup, a contact form plus a quote form, Google Business Profile review, integration with bookings or calendar software if needed and 30 days of post launch support. Townsville pricing for this tier is typically $2200 with a sole specialist and $4500 to $6500 with an agency.
Advanced websites with custom functionality: $3300 to $9000
Advanced builds include booking systems, member areas, learning management systems or ecommerce up to 50 or so products. Townsville businesses that need this tier include allied health practices with online bookings, fitness studios with class schedules, tutoring services with enrolment forms and small ecommerce shops.
At this tier you are paying for the development time on the custom functionality more than for design polish. A sole specialist in Townsville can deliver this from $3300. A mid tier agency starts at $7000 and a large agency builds in this tier often run $12000 plus.
What about Wix, Squarespace and Shopify?
Those platforms have a low entry cost (around $20 to $50 a month) but lock you into their builder. If they raise prices, change the editor or shut your account, the website goes with them. For a Townsville business that plans to be around for 5 plus years, WordPress on your own hosting is almost always the better long term choice even though the entry cost is higher.
What should the ongoing costs be?
For a small Townsville business in 2026: hosting $15 to $25 a month, domain $25 to $40 a year, WordPress maintenance plan $19 to $189 a month depending on how much you change the site, optional SEO $279 a month plus and optional Google Ads management $198 a month plus. There is no reason to pay $200 a month for hosting alone.
How to evaluate a Townsville quote
Make sure the quote includes: domain ownership in your name, hosting in your name, WordPress (not a proprietary builder), all source files, a list of every page being built, copywriting clarity, mobile responsive design, on page SEO, a contact form, Google Analytics, Google Search Console and at least 30 days of post launch support. If any of those are missing or charged extra, push back.
What I charge in Townsville
For reference, my own prices in 2026: Single Page $880, Complete Website $2,200, Advanced Website $3,300. SEO from $279 a month, Google Ads management from $198 a month, WordPress maintenance from $19 a month. All fixed quotes, no lock in subscriptions, no markup on hosting or ad spend.
View Townsville web design packages or email for a fixed quote.