Most New Zealand businesses benefit from a simple website, even if most of their work comes from word of mouth. It’s where customers check you out, where Google learns what you do, and the one place online you fully control.
What New Zealanders expect
Research from InternetNZ found that almost three-quarters of consumers see a business’s website as the most important way to engage with it. Yet 47% of the businesses surveyed don’t have one, and only one in four sole traders do.
That gap is an opportunity: in many industries and towns, a clear, simple website already puts you ahead of most of your competitors.
“But I have Facebook and Instagram”
| Social media | Your website | |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls it | The platform | You |
| Shows up on Google for your services | Rarely | Yes, if it’s set up properly |
| Organised information (services, prices, area) | Hard to find | Easy to find |
| Works if the platform changes its rules | No | Yes |
Social media is great for showing your work and staying in touch. A website is where people go when they’re ready to decide. The best setup is both, linked to each other.
What a website does for you
- Answers the same questions customers ask you every day.
- Shows you’re a real, established business.
- Brings in people searching on Google for what you do.
- Takes enquiries while you’re on the job.
- Gives you one address to put on your van, your cards and your invoices.
When you might not need one (yet)
- You’re fully booked for months and not taking new customers.
- All your work comes from one or two contracts.
- You sell only through a marketplace and don’t want customers to contact you directly.
Even then, a single page with your name, what you do and how to reach you protects your name online.
What a basic website needs
Not much: who you are, what you do, where you work, some photos and how to get in touch. Read one-page website or five pages to decide how big yours should be.
Compare our three websites side by side, prices and all.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a basic business website cost in NZ?
With an agency, a one-page website typically costs NZ$800 to NZ$2,000 before GST; fixed-price providers charge less. See our guide on how much a website costs in NZ.
Can I start with one page and grow later?
Yes. If it’s built on a platform like WordPress, you can add pages, a blog or a store later without starting again.
Will a website bring me customers on its own?
It helps people find and trust you, but it works best with good reviews, a clear offer and links from your social media and directories.
Sources
- IT Brief, Half of New Zealand’s small businesses lack websites (InternetNZ research) (1 December 2025)
- Kiwi Web Design, Website cost calculator NZ (updated July 2026)
