Frequently Asked Questions

There are some questions we get asked more frequently than others.  Below we’ve put together an FAQ section that will hopefully answer some of yours.

How much does a website cost in Perth?

In 2024 there more options than ever for getting up and running with a website.  But how much does it cost?  $1,500? $3,000?  $10,000?  $50,000?

The truth is that it can be all of these.  The total cost is determined by the type of website required, and by the quality and ‘feel’ of the end result required.

Not helpful?  Read on, hopefully we can answer some of your questions.  It’s unfortunately not a one word answer.

What type of Website do I need?

Perhaps the best way to answer this is to split the website types:

  • DIY build personal website
  • Basic professional website
  • Middle of the road website
  • Basic eCommerce website
  • Top end corporate website
  • Large eCommerce website
  • Multinational eCommerce website

What do you want from your website?  This is the first question to ask. 

The cost increases as the list progresses, from a few hundred dollars to many hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for complex multinational websites that we would expect to have millions of visitors per month.

Hopefully you can see one or two possible options from the list above that might fit your requirements.

How do I build my own website?

If you don’t have a huge budget, can you build your own website?  Well, yes.  If you have a tight budget and lots of spare time this could be an option for you.  You will certainly need a great deal of spare time to learn the complexities of even the most basic website building software. 

The required learning curve is one of the down sides – I’ve heard of people taking days to achieve simple feats such as placing a logo correctly or adding a few photographs. Another down side is that it can be very difficult to get a professional feel.  If these two factors are not a problem for you, then building your own website could be the way to go. 

Check out WordPress, Squarespace or Joomla.  But if you’re on a very low budget we suggest asking us about our template websites – these are simple websites into which we can fit any personalised text or images you desire, with no/little design effort, so keeping costs down for our customers.

I think I need unique website functionality!

We regularly get asked for something unique. People are innovative, and we love that! Ask us a question, we will do our research and get back to you with a price estimate. Almost everything is possible!

Do I just need a basic website?

We get less requests for these than you might expect.  Most people when they look at their requirements usually need at least a few unique features.  But if you want a simple, three page website with a few photographs, some text, your contact details and perhaps a contact form then this option is for you. 

Well-designed basic websites are quick loading, have a clean quality look and feel, and put the information right in front of the viewer.  A website like this costs between $2,000 and $5,000 in Australia. It is possible to get quoted less for this by competitors, but these websites are usually created overseas by a third party where the labour costs are lower and hosted on overseas servers causing slow page loading times.  While this might work out well, most clients would prefer not to take the risk and instead work with a local designer hosting on local servers.

I want a middle of the road website for my small business

About 90% of our work comes from small businesses, start-up businesses and sole traders who want a quality middle of the road website that ticks all the boxes.  They usually have a few specific requirements and would like some input into how the website will look and feel.

Most clients will likely spend between $2,000 and $8,000 on a website like this.  If it’s an eCommerce website then the brackets will move up accordingly.

If you want a simple website and have all the information ready to go, or you need a refresh of an existing website, $1,500 might even cover the costs.

The variance in the price covers the different aspects of a website that different clients might require.  Chat with us so you don’t end up paying for functionality that you don’t need.

I want someone who can work on my website when needed. Do you accommodate for this?

About a third of our work is ongoing work for existing clients. Many websites are always on the move, changing and updating, and growing a website is an excellent path to an increase in traffic and therefore sales.

We have built an amazing relationship with our clients, and invoice periodically for work completed on an ongoing basis.

What Services do Total Web Solutions provide?
  • Website design and development
  • Cloud hosting
  • Various email services
  • SEO (search engine optimization)
  • SEM (search engine marketing)
  • Support with technology and security
Do you have any cyber security advice?

When we host your websites, you don’t need to worry about anything. We take care of it all, from backup and software updates to changes and upgrades. This way, you can be sure everything is properly maintained and safe. One less thing to worry about.

But if you are interested, here is some generic cyber security advice:

Keep websites patched and up to date

Like phones and laptops, websites run on layers of software that need to be kept up to date such as PHP, WordPress, plugins and themes. A well patched website will help protect you from hacking attempts, and help ensure optimal website performance. Websites should be monitored and regularly updated, which is a service usually provided by your website developer (us) that would include backing up the site before making any changes.

Passwords protect

Use strong passwords everywhere, and don’t use the same passwords in multiple places. Even better, use at least two factor authentication (2FA) to ensure only authorized users have access to your personal information and systems. Build up layers of security by using 2FA on all of your points of entry including desktops, laptops, mobile devices, websites and email.

Be wary of emails and SMS messages

Email and text messages can contain links or images that look legitimate and appear to be from your bank or email provider, for example. These are often used to harvest email addresses, user names and passwords that will then be sold or used in hacking attacks. This process of sending fake emails and messages is commonly known as phishing. Also try to avoid using email and SMS messages as a part of your security system. Your cyber security framework is only as strong as its weakest link.

Ensure your digital property is backed up regularly

Back up everything, and back it up regularly. Also, occasionally check your backup systems work as intended. When things go wrong, and they sometimes do, having a good backup can be the difference between having your website down for weeks and having to rebuild from scratch, or just having your business offline for a few hours with some possible repair work to complete. We take care of this for you with regard to websites.

Ensure your website has an SSL certificate

SSL certificates are used to keep website data secure and to give users confidence that your website is going to protect their personal information. It ensures data is encrypted between users and websites, therefore preventing hackers from intercepting the data. Google is pushing SSL hard, and highly prioritizes websites with SSL certificates above those that don’t. Check to be sure your website address starts with HTTPS:// rather than HTTP:// which is insecure.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

It’s great to get involved, to research and learn from reputable sources. But we can’t be an expert in everything. If the stakes are high, stick within your areas of expertise, and bring in experts in other fields when required.

Never share passwords

Every website user should have their own unique user name and password. There are two parts to this, the first being of traceability and accountability of what happens under each user name, and the second being the many insecure ways that passwords are usually shared.

Protect logins and forms from bots

Consider the use of CAPTCHA at online entry points to stop bots from logging in and creating spam accounts. These spam accounts are not just annoying, they can also contain malicious or unsavoury links and text. Using CAPTCHA on website contact forms is also highly recommended as it helps to stop bots from sending emails with potentially malicious content like phishing scams to you or your team via your own website.

Ensure your websites are protected

Sometimes it pays to add an additional layer of security. I recommend all my clients use a web application firewall to help protect their website from malicious traffic, malware, brute force attacks and known threats. There are many different types of software available, with varying degrees of protection and quality so be sure to do your research or have a chat with your website developer.

Host your websites securely

Hosting is essentially the computer on which your website runs. This computer needs to be kept up to date and should run the latest versions of server software to help protect your website and its server against hacking and unauthorized entry, but also to ensure your website is as stable as possible with minimal downtime. Unless you host your own website your website developer will usually look after this for you.