Straight answers in rand to the questions small business owners actually ask: what a website should cost, whether ads are worth it, and how to get found on Google. Written by The Webster, a South African web design studio that has built 900+ small business websites.
| What | Typical South African price |
|---|---|
| Small business website (up to 5 pages) | R5,000 – R15,000 once-off, or R250 – R600/month |
| Online store | R8,000 – R60,000 once-off, or R390 – R2,500/month |
| Custom logo | R350 – R1,500 |
| Google Ads cost per click (local trades) | R8 – R40 |
| Instagram ads per 1,000 views | R30 – R110 |
| Local SEO campaign | R3,000 – R10,000/month |
Ranges are typical market prices, not quotes. Each guide below explains what pushes you to the low or high end.
What each package tier should include, what designers charge per hour, and a 10-question checklist for comparing quotes like-for-like.
How pay-monthly websites work, the three-year maths against once-off, and the contract traps to check before signing.
Gateway fees, couriers, product photos and launch ads – with a worked month showing the website is the smallest cost.
Step by step, including video verification tips, service areas versus addresses, and the mistakes that get South African profiles suspended.
How Google picks the top three map results and a ten-point checklist you can work through yourself.
Once-off versus monthly SEO in rand, red flags in cheap packages, and what you can do yourself for free.
Cost per click by industry, realistic monthly budgets, VAT on ad spend and the seven most common ways budgets are wasted.
Reels, Stories and Feed prices in rand, what R1,000 to R10,000 a month buys, and boosting versus Ads Manager.
CPM, cost per click and cost per lead benchmarks for South African campaigns, and how to bring cost per lead down.
Startup costs, CIPC and SARS registration, COIDA and UIF, pricing your services and winning your first clients.
What free logo makers can't do – trademarks, vector files, uniqueness – and how to make a decent logo yourself.
Real numbers for trade businesses, plus similar breakdowns for electricians and cleaning companies.
The Webster is a South African web design and digital marketing studio based in Durban, working with small businesses across the country. We build professional websites from R250 a month with no setup fee, online stores, logos, Google Business Profile setup and management, and Google and Meta advertising – and we publish these guides so business owners can make decisions with real numbers.