How much does a salon website cost in Australia?

Ask three web designers what a salon website costs and you will get three answers that are hard to compare. One quotes a builder subscription, one quotes a fixed build, and one quotes a monthly fee. The real cost of a website is what you pay to get it built plus what you pay, in money or time, to keep it current for as long as you have it. This article sets out the three ways Australian salons pay for a website, the costs that sit outside every quote, and exactly what our own plan costs over three years. We don't quote other providers' prices, because they change and vary by job. Instead, we give you the questions that make any quote comparable.

The three ways salons pay for a website

Almost every salon website is paid for in one of three ways. None is right for everyone. What matters is where the work lands and when the money goes out.

A DIY website builder

You pay a monthly or yearly subscription to a builder and do the work yourself. The subscription is often modest. The hidden cost is your time: choosing a template, writing every page, cropping photos, checking the phone layout and changing prices whenever they change. Some owners enjoy this. For many, the site gets built in a burst of energy and then slowly drifts out of date, with last year's prices and a team member who left months ago.

A one-off build from a designer or agency

You pay a larger amount up front for a site built to your brief. Quality varies with the designer. The questions to ask are about what happens after launch: who hosts the site, who applies security updates, and what each change costs. Many one-off builds charge for edits by the hour or by the job. A salon that changes its menu every season can find the ongoing cost adds up, or stops making changes because each one needs a quote.

A managed monthly plan

You pay a setup fee and a monthly fee, and the provider builds the site, hosts it and makes your changes. The cost is spread out and predictable. The trade-offs are a minimum term and less freedom to tinker with the design yourself. The points to check are what counts as an edit, who owns the domain and content, and what happens if you leave.

The costs people forget to count

Whichever way you go, some costs sit outside the quote. Put them on the list before you compare options, so you are comparing like with like.

• Your domain name. It should be registered in your business name, and you pay the registrar each renewal. For a .com.au name, auDA says eligibility is checked at registration and renewal, most commonly with an ABN or ACN ⁴ .
• Booking software. Most salons already pay for a booking system such as Timely, Fresha, Phorest or Kitomba. A website links to it rather than replacing it, so that subscription continues.
• Photos. Good photos of your work, your team and your space make the site. Whether you take them yourself or pay a photographer, budget the time. Client photos also need written consent.
• Writing. Someone has to write your treatment descriptions and policies. On most plans, including ours, that is you, and the provider lays it out.
• Changes after launch. Prices, new treatments, staff changes, holiday hours. Count how many changes you made last year and ask what each would cost.
• Advertising. Google Ads or Meta ads are a separate budget on every option, and the ad spend goes to the platform.
• Compliance time for clinics. If you offer cosmetic, laser or injectable treatments, your pages need a careful read against the advertising rules that apply to you. Allow time for it, and for advice if you need it.

What our plan costs over three years

Our salon website plan is one plan with one price. It costs A$249 a month plus a one-off setup fee of A$499, GST may apply. There is a 12-month minimum term from the day your site goes live, then it runs month to month. That makes the first year A$3,487 and each later year A$2,988.

Show the data as a table

Months on the plan	Setup fee	Monthly fees	Total
12	A$499	A$2,988	A$3,487
24	A$499	A$5,976	A$6,475
36	A$499	A$8,964	A$9,463

What that price includes

• Your website live within 14 days of receiving your content.
• Hosting, SSL certificate and security updates.
• Up to 5 content edits a month.
• A monthly report of the enquiries your website received.
• A 12-month minimum term, then month to month.

What it doesn't include

• Paid advertising, such as Google Ads or Meta ads, and the ad spend.
• Logo or brand design.
• Writing your content: you supply the words, photos and prices, and we lay them out.
• Registering your domain name: it is registered in your business name and you pay the registrar.
• Your booking software subscription: we link or embed the system you already use.

A content edit is a change to what the site says or shows, such as a new price, an added treatment or a new team photo. New sections or a redesign are quoted before any work starts. The full detail is on what's included and in the plan terms. We don't promise any number of visitors, enquiries or bookings, and nobody honestly can.

GST and prices shown to businesses

You may notice that website providers show prices without GST, while your own treatment menu includes it. Both can be correct. The ACCC says a business displaying prices only to other businesses doesn't need to include GST ² in the price it shows. Prices on a menu for the public are different: consumers need to see the total.

GST in Australia is 10% ³ on most goods and services, and only a GST-registered business can charge it. That is why our prices read "GST may apply". If the business behind the plan is registered for GST when you sign up, GST is added to each invoice and shown on it. If your salon is registered, you can usually claim it back, but check with your accountant.

Which option suits which salon

The right choice depends less on the size of your salon than on how often your content changes and how much of the work you want to do yourself.

A new solo artist

A lash artist or nail tech starting out may be best served by a strong Instagram page, a Google Business Profile and a booking link, with a simple site added once the client list is steady. Our comparison of a salon website and an Instagram page covers when that changes.

An established salon with a long menu

A beauty salon or day spa with dozens of services and seasonal price changes makes a lot of edits. That is where a plan with edits included, or a DIY builder you are happy to maintain, tends to work better than a one-off build charged per change.

A skin or laser clinic

Clinics need detailed treatment pages and careful wording. Whichever option you choose, allow for the time it takes to check pages against the advertising and licensing rules that apply to your business, such as cosmetic laser licensing in Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia ¹ . Our page for laser clinics sets out what the site needs to show.

Questions to ask any provider

These questions turn different kinds of quote into numbers you can put side by side.

1. What is the total cost over 24 months, including setup, hosting and a typical number of edits?
2. Is there a minimum term, and what do I owe if I leave early?
3. Who registers and owns the domain name? Is it in my business name?
4. Who owns the words and photos, and do I get a copy if I leave?
5. What counts as one edit, and how fast are edits made?
6. Does the site link to or embed my existing booking system?
7. Are prices shown with or without GST?
8. Is anything promised about rankings or bookings? If so, how, and what happens if it doesn't happen?

The last question is a useful filter. Nobody controls Google's results, so a provider promising a ranking is telling you something about how they sell, not about what you will get.

What to do next

1. Count the changes you made to your menu, prices, team and hours in the last twelve months.
2. List the costs you already pay: domain, booking software, any builder subscription.
3. Estimate the hours you would spend building and maintaining a site yourself, and what those hours are worth.
4. Get quotes and ask every provider the eight questions above.
5. Compare the 24-month and 36-month totals, not the first invoice.

A website is a running cost, like your booking software. Price it that way and the right option usually becomes clear. If a managed plan looks like the fit, our pricing page sets out the full offer, and you can book a call to ask anything before you decide.