How much does web design cost in Perth? For the design work alone, allow roughly AUD $800 to $2,500 for template adaptation, $2,500 to $7,000 for a tailored small-site design, and $7,000 to $15,000 or more for extensive page types and user experience work. These are indicative 2026 AUD planning allowances, not audited Perth averages or quotes for a complete website.
The word “design” causes trouble in a quote. One supplier means visual layouts. Another uses it to describe planning, writing, building and launching the whole site. Ask what the number buys before judging whether it is expensive.
What counts as web design work?
Design starts with decisions about how people will use the site. A designer may map key journeys, sketch page layouts, choose typography and colours, adapt a brand style, design navigation and specify how layouts behave on phones. They may also create a reusable set of buttons, form styles and content components for the developer.
Development is different: it is the work of turning those designs into functioning pages. Copywriting, photography, SEO planning, hosting and maintenance are separate again unless the proposal explicitly includes them. A finished visual mock-up cannot accept an enquiry by itself.
Why the price varies
Template adaptation
Starting with a template can reduce original layout work. The designer chooses a suitable base, changes colours, type and imagery, and arranges supplied content within its structure. Around AUD $800 to $2,500 is a practical allowance for a limited design scope. It is less suited to a business with several different customer journeys or unusual content.
Tailored pages
A designer working from the business brief rather than a fixed template must solve more problems. For a modest service site, allow roughly AUD $2,500 to $7,000 for discovery, a visual direction and several distinct page layouts. Check whether that includes mobile versions, a style guide and revisions. “Custom” means little until the deliverables are listed.
Complex user experience
Several audiences, a complicated navigation system, booking steps or a product discovery journey add research and design rounds. A larger design scope can reach AUD $7,000 to $15,000 or more before development begins. The number of unique page templates matters more than the raw page count: ten pages using two layouts need a different effort from ten pages with ten different purposes.
What should the design fee include?
Ask for a scope showing the research or discovery time, sitemap or wireframes, number of unique layouts, mobile designs, revision rounds and final handover files. If the designer uses a component library, ask which reusable elements will be specified. If they design only the home page, find out who makes decisions about the rest.
Approvals also affect cost. A single decision maker who provides clear feedback is easier to plan around than a rotating committee. A written revision allowance protects both sides: the client knows how many changes are covered and the designer can price additional work fairly.
Design files are not the same as a built website. Confirm who owns the final files and whether the developer can access all fonts, images and assets used in the concept. Licensed fonts and stock images may carry separate charges.
Compare like with like, not just the totals
Imagine two Perth proposals with the same number of pages. The first shows a template restyle and one round of changes. The second includes user interviews, new page hierarchy, mobile layouts and a reusable design system. The second should cost more because it includes more decisions, not because the designer picked a higher number.
Use a short brief for each supplier: target customer, required page types, existing branding, needed functions and who will provide content. Ask them to separate the design fee from build, copy, software and ongoing costs. That makes the quote useful even if you decide to reduce the scope.
If you need an all-in project budget rather than a design-only fee, include copy, development, testing and recurring services in your brief. A design estimate cannot tell you the final cost of a working site.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need mobile layouts in the design scope?
Yes, ask how the main pages work on smaller screens. A desktop mock-up alone leaves many layout decisions to the developer.
How many revision rounds are normal?
There is no universal number. Agree on a specific allowance and define what counts as a revision before you sign.
Can a designer use my current branding?
Usually, if you supply usable logos, fonts, colours and rights to the assets. If the brand needs rebuilding first, that is a separate job and should be priced separately.
Does a design fee pay for the website build?
Only when the quote says it does. Ask for a clear list of working pages, forms, integrations and launch checks if you expect a complete site.
Get the scope straight
Pay for the decisions your site actually needs, not an undefined promise of “custom design”. See our website design and development service and bring a list of page types and customer actions to the first conversation.
