01 / Website Design & Build

Web design that ranks, loads fast, and earns its keep

A website isn't a brochure — it's the hardest-working member of your team. We build fast, search-optimised sites that look like the South West feels and turn visitors into bookings, orders and enquiries.

Most small-business websites fail quietly. They look fine, but they load slowly, they're invisible in search, and they don't give visitors an obvious next step. The result is a site that costs money to build and then sits there earning nothing.

We build the opposite. Every Coastal Studio website is designed around one question: what do you want a visitor to do — book a table, request a quote, check availability, buy a product — and how do we remove every bit of friction between them landing and doing it.

What a Coastal Studio website includes

We don't hand over a pretty homepage and wish you luck. A build covers the full picture — design, structure, performance, and the search foundations that decide whether anyone finds you in the first place.

Built in from day one

  • SEO structure — clean URLs, heading hierarchy, schema markup and copy written around what your customers actually search for
  • Mobile-first performance — most of your traffic is on a phone, so that's where we design and optimise first
  • Core Web Vitals — fast loading, stable layout, responsive interaction, all of which Google uses as ranking signals
  • Conversion paths — clear calls to action, booking and enquiry flows, and content that guides rather than overwhelms
  • Accessibility — keyboard navigation, readable contrast and proper labelling, so nobody is shut out

Which platform is right for your business?

There's no single best platform — the right one depends on what your business does. We're platform-agnostic and recommend based on your needs, not on what's easiest for us to resell.

Webflow

Our default for content-led sites — cellar doors, restaurants, accommodation, professional services. It gives clean, fast code, total design control, and a CMS you can actually update yourself without breaking anything.

Shopify

The right call when selling products online is central to your business. Inventory, payments, shipping and tax all handled, with the ecosystem to scale. We build custom Shopify themes that don't look like every other store on the platform.

Custom CMS

For businesses with specific workflows — a booking engine, a member area, an integration with your POS or property management system — we build tailored solutions rather than forcing your business to fit a template.

Why local matters for a South West business

A web designer in Sydney or overseas doesn't know that Margaret River fills in school holidays and empties in June, that a cellar door's website lives or dies on its photography, or that "near me" searches dominate how tourists find businesses down here. We're based in the region, we work with businesses across the Augusta-to-Perth corridor, and we build sites that understand the rhythm of operating here.

That local lens shows up in the details: location pages that rank for the towns you serve, content that speaks to both tourists and locals, and a structure that feeds naturally into the local SEO work that gets you found.

The build process

  1. Discovery — we learn your business, your customers, and what success looks like. No assumptions.
  2. Structure & copy — we map the pages and write search-intent copy before a single pixel is designed. Structure first, decoration second.
  3. Design — a visual identity built for your business, not pulled from a template library.
  4. Build & optimise — clean code, fast performance, schema markup, and testing across devices.
  5. Launch & handover — we deploy, connect analytics, and show you how to run it. You're never locked out of your own site.

From there, many clients move onto a Care & Growth plan so the site keeps improving rather than slowly going stale.

Typical website build
From around $2,500 for a focused brochure site, to $8,000+ for larger custom or e-commerce builds
Every project is quoted individually after we understand the scope. Payment is usually split 50% to start, 50% on completion. Figures are indicative — you'll always get a clear written quote first.

Common questions

How much does a website cost in WA?

For a small business in South West WA, a focused, well-built website typically starts around $2,500 and runs to $8,000 or more for larger custom or e-commerce projects. The range is wide because a five-page site for a tradie is a very different job to an online store with hundreds of products or a custom booking integration.

We quote each project individually after a short discovery conversation, and you get a clear written quote before any work begins — no surprises.

How long does it take to build a website?

A straightforward small-business site usually takes three to five weeks from kickoff to launch. Larger e-commerce or custom builds can run eight to twelve weeks. The biggest variable is usually content — having your copy, photos and information ready speeds things up significantly, and we help with that as part of the process.

Will I be able to update the website myself?

Yes. We build on content management systems you can actually use, and we hand over with a walkthrough so you can update text, swap photos, add blog posts or change opening hours without needing a developer. For bigger changes or ongoing optimisation, our Care & Growth plans cover that.

Do you build websites for businesses outside Margaret River?

Absolutely. We're based in the Margaret River region but work with businesses right along the WA coast — Augusta, Busselton, Dunsborough, Bunbury, Mandurah and Perth — as well as remotely. Most of the work happens online regardless of location, with on-site visits where it makes sense.

Ready for a website that actually works for you?

Tell us about your business and what you need it to do. We'll come back with a clear, honest plan and a fixed quote.