The Real Cost of Running a Small Business Website

Starting your small business website is just the beginning. To keep it working well, there are ongoing costs you need to know about. These regular expenses help your website stay secure, fast, and professional.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what you’ll need to pay for:

1. Domain Name – Your Website’s Online Address

Your domain name (like yourbusinessname.com.au) is your website’s online name and address.

For Australian businesses, a .com.au domain usually costs between $20 and $30 per year.

2. Web Hosting – Where Your Website Lives

Web hosting stores all your website files and makes them visible online. The type of hosting affects how much you pay:

Shared Hosting – Great for small businesses. Your site shares a server with others, which keeps it affordable. It costs around $10 to $20 per month.

Dedicated Hosting – Much more powerful and expensive. Best for big websites with lots of traffic.

3. Business Email – Look More Professional

Using a custom email like info@yourbusinessname.com.au makes your business look more trustworthy.

Most hosting plans include basic email for free. But for better features, storage, and tools, services like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 cost $10 to $20 per user per month.

Estimated Monthly Costs

If you’re using shared hosting, your basic monthly costs (domain + hosting) will be around $15 to $25. If you add a premium email service, it will cost more.

Don’t Forget: Website Maintenance

Besides monthly costs, your website needs regular check-ups to stay secure and work well. Try to do this 3–4 times a year.

Maintenance tasks include:

  • Updating software/ theme/ plugins
  • Running security checks
  • Backing up your website
  • Fixing broken links or old content

Maintenance costs vary depending on your web designer

Conclusion: A small bussiness website doesn’t need to be expensive. With shared hosting and smart choices, you can keep your costs low. Just make sure to schedule regular maintenance so your site stays secure, updated, and ready to serve your customers.