Picking someone to build your website is a bit like picking a builder for an extension. Plenty of people can do it, the quotes are all over the place and you only find out who was any good after the job is finished. This guide explains how to choose a web designer in Ballarat without the guesswork. It covers what a fair price looks like, the questions worth asking, the warning signs I’d walk away from and what should happen after launch day.
I’ve been building websites since 1995, so I’ve seen most of the ways a website project can go well or badly. I’m also a web designer myself, so read this knowing I have a stake in it. I’ve tried to keep it useful even if you end up hiring someone else.
Work Out What You Need Before You Ring Anyone
The best way to get comparable quotes is to know roughly what you’re asking for. Most small business websites fall into one of a few groups.
- A simple starter site. One page that explains what you do, where you work and how to get in touch. Good for new businesses and sole traders.
- A complete business website. Separate pages for each service, an about page, a contact page and room to grow. This is what most established local businesses need.
- A website that does more. An online shop, bookings, member logins or anything else that needs extra functions.
If you’re starting from nothing, my page on building a brand new website walks through what goes into a first site. If your business has been living on Facebook so far, have a look at moving from a Facebook page to a proper website. If you already have a site that looks tired or isn’t bringing in work, redesigning an existing website is usually cheaper and quicker than starting over.
It also helps to write down three or four things you want the site to do. Get more phone calls. Show off finished jobs. Take bookings. Sell products. A designer who asks about those goals before talking about colours and fonts is usually a good sign.
What a Website Should Cost in Ballarat
Prices for small business websites range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. The cheap end is often a template with your logo dropped in. The expensive end is usually an agency with account managers, meetings and overheads you end up paying for. Most small businesses around Ballarat sit comfortably in the middle.
For reference, here’s what I charge. All prices include GST.
- Single Page Website for $880
- Complete Website with multiple pages for $2200
- Advanced Website with a shop, bookings or member areas from $3300
Every one of those includes mobile friendly design, a contact form, a Google Map, Google Analytics, SEO ready setup, full access to edit the site yourself and a free first year of WordPress maintenance. Domain name and hosting are separate. You can see the full breakdown on my website design packages page. If the budget is tight, my notes on affordable web design options explain where it’s sensible to save and where it isn’t.
When you compare quotes, check what’s included rather than just the headline number. A quote that looks $500 cheaper can end up costing more once you add a contact form, Google setup or a year of updates that someone else included as standard.
Ongoing Costs to Budget For
A website isn’t a one off purchase. Plan for these.
- A domain name, renewed every year or two
- Website hosting so the site stays online and loads quickly
- Updates and backups, either done by you or covered by a plan
- Optional marketing such as SEO or Google Ads
None of these need to be expensive, but a designer should tell you about them upfront rather than surprising you later.
Questions to Ask Any Web Designer
These questions sort out most of the field within a phone call. A good designer will answer them without fuss.
- Who will actually build my website? Is it you or is it passed to someone else?
- Will I own the domain name, the website and the content outright?
- What platform will you build it on and can I make small changes myself?
- What’s included in the price and what costs extra?
- How long will it take and what do you need from me?
- What happens after launch if something breaks or I need a change?
- Is the site set up for Google from day one?
- What happens if I want to move to another designer later?
On platforms, I build WordPress websites using the Elementor page builder. WordPress is the most widely used website system around and it means you’re never stuck with one person. Any capable developer can pick it up. If you sell products, ask how the shop will handle stock, postage and payments. My page on online shop websites covers what to ask about.
Red Flags Worth Walking Away From
Most web designers are honest people trying to do good work. Still, a few habits come up often enough that they’re worth knowing.
- The designer registers your domain in their own name. If you ever part ways, getting it back can be a headache. The domain should be in your name or your business name.
- You can’t edit anything yourself. Some builders lock you out so every small change becomes a paid job. Ask for full admin access.
- The website is rented, not owned. Monthly fee websites can look cheap, but if you stop paying the site disappears.
- Promises of guaranteed first place on Google. Nobody controls Google’s results. Anyone promising a set ranking by a set date is guessing.
- No mention of mobile phones. A lot of local searching happens on a phone. If the designer doesn’t bring it up, ask.
- Long lock in contracts with no clear exit. Month to month arrangements keep everyone honest.
- You can’t get them on the phone. If it’s hard to reach someone before you’ve paid, it rarely gets easier afterwards.
Check the Designer Understands Google
A good looking website that nobody finds isn’t much use. Your designer doesn’t need to be an SEO specialist, but they should build the site so Google can read it properly. That means sensible page titles, a page for each main service, fast loading, clean headings and your business details shown the same way everywhere.
For a deeper look at how searching works, my main page on SEO services explains the basics. If you’d like the building and the search work handled by the same person, I’ve written about web design and SEO together and why it saves doubling up. My SEO glossary explains the terms you’ll hear in plain English.
Local SEO Basics for Ballarat Businesses
For most businesses in town, the biggest win is turning up in the map results when someone searches for your trade plus Ballarat. A few things matter most.
- A complete and accurate Google Business Profile with your category, hours, service area and photos
- The same business name, phone number and address on your website, your profile and any directories
- Pages on your site for each service and the main areas you work in
- Genuine reviews from real customers, asked for politely after each job
- A site that loads quickly on a phone
My page on local SEO for Google Maps goes into each of those. Some businesses also benefit from link building, which means earning mentions from other relevant local websites. If you need results sooner, Google Ads management puts you at the top of the page while the organic work builds up. If you’d rather talk strategy before committing, you can book time with an SEO consultant by phone or video call. My page on what SEO costs lays out plan prices, which start at $279 a month with no lock in.
Ask How the Site Will Be Looked After
This is the part people forget. WordPress, its themes and plugins all get regular updates, often to fix security holes. A site that’s left alone for a couple of years becomes slower, buggier and easier to break into.
Ask every designer what happens after launch. Some hand over the keys and disappear. Some charge by the hour whenever you call. Others offer a monthly plan. I include the first year of maintenance with every new website, then my WordPress maintenance plans start at $19 a month for backups, updates and a monthly report. If you only need the odd change, I also do one off website updates without a plan. And if the worst happens, I offer hacked website repair to clean the site up and close the gap that let the attacker in.
Look for Someone Who Knows Your Kind of Business
A designer who understands how your customers choose will write better pages and pick the right things to put front and centre. A plumber’s customer wants a phone number and a quick answer. A winery visitor wants opening hours, tasting details and directions. A dentist’s patient wants to know about bookings and if they can afford it.
You can browse all the industries I build for or jump straight to your trade.
- Websites and SEO for tradies who want the phone ringing with local jobs
- Websites and SEO for builders showing completed projects
- SEO for plumbers who want emergency and blocked drain calls
- SEO for electricians covering residential and commercial work
- Farm websites and SEO for produce, livestock and farm stays
- Winery website design for cellar doors and wine clubs
- Tourism websites and SEO for accommodation and tours
- SEO for cafes and restaurants with menus and opening hours that are easy to find
- Day spa websites and SEO built around treatments and bookings
- Allied health websites for physios, podiatrists and other practitioners
- SEO for real estate agents who want appraisal enquiries
- SEO for mechanics so drivers find you when the car needs a service
- SEO for solar and heating businesses ready for those cold Ballarat winters
- Accountant websites and SEO that build trust before the first call
- Dentist websites and SEO focused on new patient bookings
- Websites for NDIS providers that are clear and accessible
- SEO for landscapers with plenty of room for photos of finished gardens
- SEO for cleaners covering homes, offices and end of lease jobs
Local or Not, Make Sure You Can Reach Them
You don’t need a designer down the road, but local knowledge does help. Someone who knows Ballarat understands that a business in Alfredton and one in Ballan serve quite different customers. A heating business here also has a very different year to one in a warmer part of the country.
What matters more is being able to talk to the person doing the work. I work by phone, email and video call, which suits most people better than sitting in an office. You can see every area I cover or pick yours below.
Around the city I work with businesses in Ballarat Central, Wendouree, Alfredton, Delacombe, Sebastopol, Mount Helen, Buninyong, Lucas, Ballarat East and Miners Rest. A little further out there’s Smythesdale, Creswick, Clunes and Daylesford. To the east I cover Ballan and Bacchus Marsh. Out west and north there’s Beaufort, Ararat, Avoca and Maryborough. I’m also happy to help businesses up in Bendigo.
Reviews, Portfolios and Being Honest About Both
Reviews and past work are usually the first things people check. That’s exactly as it should be. Read the reviews, look at sites the designer has built and try them on your phone. Do they load quickly? Is the phone number easy to tap? Could you find what you need in a few seconds?
In the interest of being straight with you, Website Design Ballarat is a new brand. I don’t have Ballarat clients or local reviews yet. I won’t pretend otherwise. What I do have is more than 30 years of building websites for small businesses in many different industries. If that’s a sticking point, I understand. Ask me anything you like about how I’d approach your site and judge me on the answers.
How I Work
If you’d like to see how a project with me runs, here’s the short version.
- A chat first. I give you a call or set up a video call to talk about your business, your customers and what you want the site to do.
- A clear quote. You get a fixed price in writing with everything that’s included spelled out.
- Design and build. I design and build the whole site myself. Nothing goes overseas. You see it before it goes live and can ask for changes.
- Launch and look after. I set up Google Analytics, make sure the site is ready for Google and then keep the site updated for the first year at no charge.
You end up owning everything. Your domain, your website and your content all stay yours. You also get full access to make your own changes in WordPress and Elementor.
If you’d like to know more about my background, there’s more about me here. Otherwise, get in touch with a rough idea of what you need and I’ll come back to you with honest advice and a clear price.
