None of those three people are lying. The number swings because "a website" can mean a free template you filled in over a weekend or a custom build that took a fortnight. Once you know what you are actually comparing, the spread stops looking random and you can tell a fair quote from a rip-off.
Why the quotes are all over the place
Three things move the number more than anything: who builds it, how it is built, and whether you own it at the end. A teenager on a template and a studio billing by the hour are selling completely different things under the same word. The cheap end is cheap because it leaves most of the work to you.
What you are paying for
A real build is the design, the writing, the code, and the setup that makes you show up in Google. The writing and the local-SEO groundwork are where most of the value hides, and they are the first things a bargain quote quietly drops. A pretty site that says nothing and ranks for nothing is the most expensive kind, because it cost you money and brings in no work.
The running costs, and the ones that should not exist
Every site has two genuine ongoing costs: a domain name and hosting. Together that is often under $200 a year. Anything past that should buy you something real, like new pages or changes you asked for. What you should not pay is a monthly fee just to keep your own site switched on. If the site vanishes the day you stop paying, you were renting it, and that is a different deal worth understanding before you sign. I ran the five-year maths on it in rent or own a website.
So what is fair?
For most tradies and local businesses, a proper one-off build that you own outright sits in a sensible band, not a scary one, and it pays for itself the first time it lands a job you would have missed. Rather than quote a number into thin air, I built a quote calculator you can run yourself. Pick what you actually need and it gives you a real figure, no email required.
Common questions
How much does a small business website cost in Australia?
For a one-off build you own, most local businesses land in the low thousands rather than the tens of thousands. The exact figure depends on how many pages you need and how much writing and local-SEO work goes in. The quote calculator on my site gives you a real number in a minute, no email required.
Why are some websites a few hundred dollars and others over ten grand?
Because "a website" covers everything from a template you fill in yourself to a custom build with the writing and search setup done for you. The cheap end is cheap because it leaves the hard parts to you. Once you know what is included, the price spread stops looking random.
What are the ongoing costs of a website?
Two are genuine: a domain name and hosting, often under $200 a year combined. Anything beyond that should buy you real work, like new pages or changes. A monthly fee just to keep your own site switched on means you are renting, not owning.
If you would rather I just look at your situation and tell you straight what it would take, tell me about your business. If the honest answer is that a single page will do for now, I will say so.