Beware of Ultra-Cheap Website Builders

If you’ve spent any time on Facebook lately, you’ve probably seen ads offering full websites for as little as $199.

Sounds like a bargain, right? As a website developer who’s been helping regional small businesses for nearly two decades, I’m here to wave a big red flag: you get what you pay for—and in some cases, even less.

Let’s break it down.

The $199 Website Dream

A recent example I found in my Facebook feed was a web design business calling itself “Australian Marsupial Web Design” (not it’s real name). With a .com.au domain and plenty of Aussie lingo sprinkled through their advertising, they present themselves as a local operation. But a quick Whois lookup tells another story.

The domain name is indeed registered in Australia—but the actual domain owner? Not here. Searching on LinkedIn revealed that the owner is based in Pakistan. While that in itself isn’t a crime, but it does raise some serious questions, especially when the business is marketed as “local.”

If the person building your website is being paid peanuts to do it, what kind of service quality and attention to detail do you think you’re going to get?

Template Factories and Zero Support

These $199 sites are often just recycled templates, churned out in bulk and reskinned with your business name and logo. You might think, “That’s okay, it’s only a basic site”—but consider this:

• That same template could be used on hundreds of other sites, including your competitors.
• The images and copy often aren’t tailored, which hurts your SEO and makes your business look like a clone.
• And if something goes wrong? Good luck.

Try calling for support and you’ll likely get radio silence, a chatbot that doesn’t help, or emails that go unanswered for days—if at all. There’s no accountability, no local knowledge, and certainly no face-to-face service.

False Economy

Sure, $199 sounds appealing—especially if you’re just starting out. But when that bargain site breaks, disappears, or fails to rank in search engines, you’ll end up paying more to fix it or rebuild from scratch. It’s the classic case of false economy.

And let’s not forget the risk of offshore data handling, especially if your website collects customer information. Do you really want your clients’ details stored on servers who-knows-where, managed by someone you’ve never spoken to?

What to Look For Instead

When choosing a web developer, look for someone who:

• Actually lives and works in your region.
• Takes the time to understand your business and your goals.
• Can offer ongoing support when you need it—not when they feel like answering an email.
• Delivers custom design that reflects you, not a recycled template.

Final Thoughts

I know every dollar counts in small business, but your website is your digital shopfront—it’s often the first impression you make. Don’t hand that over to a faceless bargain-bin operation on Facebook.

Ask questions. Do your homework. And if you’re not sure, give someone local a call – you might be surprised how affordable genuine support and quality actually are.

Need help or advice? I’m based right here in North Queensland and have been building websites for local businesses since 2007. No bots, no offshore handballs—just honest support and designs that work.