Aerial view of turquoise water and gentle waves meeting a white sand beach

[ Search optimised website design that turns visitors into enquiries. ]

Custom Website Design and SEO for Small Businesses

I build high-performance websites around how real customers decide, with search engine and answer engine optimisation built into the framework. Based in Port Macquarie, I work with small businesses along the East Coast and Australia wide, online.

Your investment: From $2,900 AUD

Start My Project

5.0 on Google

Reviewing a custom website design with the ocean in view

[ Why Saltline ]

Why Small Businesses Work With Me

A website that looks right for your brand and is built to be found, made simple from start to finish. Here is why web design matters.

3 to 4

Weeks to launch

Two rounds of changes already in the price.

1

Person, start to finish

I write, design and set up everything myself.

20+

Years in digital marketing

Behind every page and every keyword.

$0

Monthly hosting

On standard websites, and you own your site.

[ My Work ]

Websites I've Designed

Each site is built to look like the business behind it. Hover to see the whole page.

Saltline Studio homepage, full length desktop view
Saltline Studio · The site you are on now. Custom design, copy and organic SEO, built from scratch.
NeuroInspire Australia homepage, full length desktop view, featuring The Neuro Summit
NeuroInspire Australia · Custom build for a national neuro education platform, home of their annual event The Neuro Summit.
Cat Utopia Resort and Spa homepage, full length desktop view
Cat Utopia Resort & Spa · Custom rebuild for a family owned luxury cat resort on the Central Coast, in build now.
Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia homepage, full length desktop view
Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia · A modern redesign that kept their branding, with new homepage banners, a cleaner layout and subtle animation.

[ The easy choice ]

The Easy Choice for Custom Website Design

Every Saltline website comes with more included, $0 monthly hosting on standard websites and every price published. Your custom website design cost depends only on the size of your site and the integrations you choose. Here is everything you get, side by side.

22/22included in every Saltline website
4to13/22included by other local web designers
What you getSaltline StudioOther local web designers
What it costs
$0 monthly hosting on standard websitesHosting elsewhere typically costs around $400 to $650 a year. With me, that money stays in your business.IncludedNot listed
Every price published, add-ons includedYou can budget before you enquire, with no sales call and no surprise costs later.IncludedSome
Two review rounds includedChanges before launch are already in the price, so there are no surprise bills for tweaks.IncludedSome
Built to win enquiries
Custom-built website designYour site looks like your business, not one of hundreds built from the same template, so customers remember you.IncludedIncluded
Privacy Policy and Terms pages written for youCustomers can see how you handle their details, which builds trust before they enquire.IncludedSome
Layouts from published consumer researchPages are built to turn more of the visitors you already get into enquiries, without paying for more traffic.IncludedNot listed
CopywritingThere is no need to write it yourself or hire a copywriter separately.IncludedSome
Speed and accessibility tested before launchPages that load fast and read easily keep visitors around long enough to enquire. Check your own site's speed.IncludedSome
Forms to Mailchimp, tested before launchEvery sign-up becomes someone you can email, with no copying and pasting.IncludedNot listed
Found on Google, Bing and AI
Keyword research before designEvery page you pay for targets searches real customers make, so your money goes into pages people look for.IncludedNot listed
Foundational SEO setupGoogle can read and understand every page properly.IncludedIncluded
AI search setupAs more people ask ChatGPT and other AI tools for recommendations, your business is ready to be named.IncludedSome
Submitted to GoogleGoogle is told about every page at launch, instead of waiting to find it.IncludedSome
Registered with Bing, which feeds CopilotYou reach people searching on Bing and asking Microsoft Copilot, as well as Google.IncludedNot listed
Google Business Profile set up or alignedSet up with your website, not sold as an extra. Elsewhere it is often part of a separate SEO package, and one local package costs $2,499.IncludedNot listed
A designed share image for every pageEvery time someone shares your page, it looks professional and gets noticed.IncludedNot listed
Measured, and yours to keep
Google Analytics and Search Console set upFrom the first week, you can see your visitors and the searches that bring them.IncludedSome
Enquiry trackingYou can put your marketing money only into what is actually bringing enquiries.IncludedNot listed
HeatmapsYou see exactly where visitors click and where they stop, so you know what to improve.IncludedNot listed
Client dashboard to change your own words and photosSmall changes cost you nothing. Local web designers charge about $120 an hour or more for updates.IncludedIncluded
Video walkthroughsYou learn to make changes yourself, so you are never waiting on anyone.IncludedSome
You own your site, no lock-inYou can move whenever you like, with no exit fee and nothing to buy back.IncludedIncluded

Compared with what eleven local web designers list in their website prices.

Your custom website

From $2,900AUD

  • $600 a page
  • Delivered in 3 to 4 weeks
  • Two review rounds
  • $0 monthly hosting

Four pages minimum, plus your Privacy Policy and Terms.

Build Your EstimateStart My Project

[ From my website clients ]

★★★★★

“Hayley (Saltline Studio) has done an exceptional job taking our SRIA website to the next level, improving both its design and functionality across desktop and mobile. … Hayley also brings a fantastic creative flair and a keen eye for impactful design, delivering impressive results that work seamlessly.”

Scott Munter, CEO
Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia
five-star Google review, November 2026

“Before working with Hayley at Saltline Studio, my business didn't have a website and we were completely invisible online. Hayley changed everything. … Since launching, we are booking in new leads directly from the website.”

Mark, Owner
M.G. Cleaning Company

[ The inclusion that saves you every single month ]

Hosting Included.
$0 Per Month.

$1,200 to $1,950

Typical hosting with other local web designers over three years

$0

With me, on standard websites

Standard websites, meaning pages, galleries, blogs and contact forms with your security certificate, are hosted at $0 a month for as long as I host your site. That money stays in your business.

If your site needs bookings, payments, logins or a database, I set that account up in your name so the provider bills you directly. I take no cut, and you know the cost before I build.

You own your site. Move it any time and I hand over your files, with no exit fee and nothing to buy back.

Hosting is included on standard websites, for as long as I host your site. You pay your own domain registrar for your domain name, usually $15 to $30 a year, and business email is a separate service. Full hosting terms at /terms-conditions.

[ Help after launch ]

On-Demand Care with Priority Support Blocks

Once your site is live, I'm still here for small changes at $120 an hour, with a half-hour minimum. A 5-Hour Priority Block is $500, which makes it $100 an hour with no minimum, and your jobs get priority.

A block covers small changes to things your site already does, so it suits you if you expect lots of little jobs. Anything new, like a new function, page section, page or integration, is quoted as its own job before I start.

If my code or hosting breaks something, I fix it free. Anything else comes off your block or the hourly rate.

[ The 5-Hour Priority Block ]

$500

Five hours at $100/hr instead of $120 · valid for 12 months

  • Adjusting wording or images on a page
  • Updating an existing layout or section
  • Updating a web page form
  • Fixing a change you made yourself
  • Anything your dashboard can't do
Secure Your Block

Small changes to what your site already does. Anything new is quoted separately.

[ New website, new brand? ]

A Brand Worth Putting on Everything

Your logo sits on every page of your new website, every invoice, every sign and every post. If yours makes you wince a little, this is the moment to fix it, because everything we are about to build will carry it.

The design comes from my design partner, an award winning art director with more than 22 years behind national hotel groups, a bank, magazines and an award winning cookbook. I write the brief, run the feedback rounds and hand you the finished kit; you never have to manage a designer. Because my design partner extends trade rates to Saltline, these packages typically cost less than commissioning the same designer directly, with the project management included. Ask to see the portfolio.

[ Logo & Brand Identity ]

Fonts · Logos · Graphics · Colours

$990 flat

the complete logo set · source files always included

  • Horizontal, stacked and icon versions in every colourway
  • Print and web formats, ready for everything from favicons to signage
  • Brand colours documented, ready for your website build
  • Want the full works? A complete brand identity with a brand guide and your graphic identity elements is $3,200 flat
Start With the Brand

Revision rounds agreed in your quote. Anything beyond the package is quoted before the designer is engaged.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is SEO important for a website from day one?
Designing a beautiful layout without an organic search strategy is like printing business cards and leaving them in a drawer. Incorporating web design with SEO right from the start ensures that search bots can crawl, index and surface your business the minute your new layout goes live.
What is the average cost of a website design in Australia?
There is no official national figure. Around Port Macquarie, the studios that publish their prices charge from about $1,750 to $4,500 for a five page site, and some agencies charge $10,000 or more (checked November 2026). My own builds start from $2,900 AUD with every price published on this page, and my guide to how much website design should cost explains where the money goes and the ongoing costs nobody quotes.
How much does it cost to design a website with built-in search strategy?
Every build includes the same strategic foundation: custom design, UX architecture, foundational SEO, AI optimisation, local content mapping and your Google Business Profile set up or aligned. Pricing is per page: $600 a page with a four page minimum, plus the mandatory Privacy Policy and Terms pages at $250 each, so the minimum website cost is $2,900 AUD. From there, every price is published: a booking system starts from $600, an online shop from $700 to connect a Shopify store you have set up yourself, or from $1,800 with the store set up for you and your first 10 products entered (then $15 per product if I add them, or add your own free forever), event ticketing from $600, courses from $1,500, a CRM connection from $700, and a logo and brand identity package at $990 flat, designed with my design partner and project managed end to end. A price marked "from" is an honest floor, and your proposal fixes the exact number before we begin.
My logo is dated (or I don't have one). Can you sort that too?
Yes. Logo and brand identity is $990 flat, designed with my design partner and project managed end to end by me. I write the brief, run the feedback rounds and hand you the complete logo set: horizontal, stacked and icon versions in every colourway, print and web formats, source files included. A new website is the perfect moment to fix the brand, because every page we build then carries it, and your social profiles, signage and print can follow. And if you want the full works, a complete brand identity with a documented brand guide and your graphic identity elements (colours, fonts, patterns and usage rules) is $3,200 flat. Because my design partner extends trade rates to Saltline, both packages typically cost less than commissioning the same designer directly, with the project management included. Revision rounds are agreed in your quote, and anything beyond the package is quoted before the designer is engaged.
Is hosting really free?
Yes, on standard websites, for as long as I host your site. There is no monthly hosting fee and no contract. You pay your own domain registrar for your domain, and business email is separate.
What if my site needs bookings or payments?
Those need infrastructure that costs real money to run. I set that account up in your name so the provider bills you directly, which means you never pay me a margin on it. I tell you the expected cost before the work starts.
Can I edit the site myself?
Yes. Every site I build includes a client dashboard for changing text and images. It is included on every build, regardless of which hosting your site runs on.
What happens if I leave?
You take your site with you. I give you a full copy of your files and the details your new provider needs, and hosting ends on the day you move. There is no exit fee.
Is Google Analytics included in my website build?
Yes. Every build includes Google Analytics and Google Search Console, set up in your own name so you own the data. You will see how many people visit your site, which pages they read, and how many enquiries come through, and your personalised video walkthroughs show you exactly where to look. It also lays the measurement foundation for the Organic Growth partnership, where your monthly report draws on these same numbers.
Do you only work with local Port Macquarie businesses?
Not at all. My studio is based right here on the Mid North Coast, but I work with businesses all along the East Coast and across Australia. Because everything I do is handled smoothly online, distance doesn't slow us down. You get a personalised, one-on-one experience and real marketing strategy for your business, whether you are located just down the road or on the other side of the country.
You work fast and you use AI. Shouldn't my website cost less?
The speed is your benefit, not a discount. AI is part of my studio toolkit, the same way design software and hosting infrastructure are, and it is a big part of why a custom build takes weeks instead of months. What you are paying for has not changed: more than twenty years of digital marketing insight, a specialty in small business, the strategy, the keyword research, the judgement about what belongs on each page, and me checking and signing off every word before it ships. You pay for the outcome, not the hours, and the outcome is worth the same however fast it arrives. I would rather hand you the speed than a smaller invoice for a slower job.

[ Do your homework first, no strings ]

Reading Before You Invest

The honest numbers, timelines and reasoning behind every build, from The Edit.

Budgeting for a website project
Strategy · 6 min read

How Much Should Website Design Cost? A Guide for Growing Businesses

From templates to custom builds: what you're really paying for, and where cutting corners costs you customers.

Read article →
Night road with car light trails curving into the distance
Performance · 7 min read

Website Loading Speed: The Number That Actually Matters

Read article →
A hand sketching website wireframe layouts in pen across sheets of paper
Web Design · 8 min read

Small Business Website Redesign in Australia: What It Costs and Whether You Need One

Read article →
Aerial view of the shoreline where the ocean meets the sand

[ Let's get you found ]

Ready for a website that turns visitors into enquiries?

Every Saltline build leaves with the same foundation: a layout designed to convert more traffic, a structure built for search, and a website you own outright. Tell me about the site you're imagining, and I'll reply personally within two business days. No sales script, no obligation, and if a smaller fix would do the job, I will tell you that too.

Not sure yet? Start with the free Found Score.