Website vs Traditional Sites ROI Calculator - Lab 385

How much might your website really be costing you?

Most businesses typically only track hosting fees, but the true cost possibly includes lost productivity, emergency fixes, and constant rebuilds. This 2-minute assessment may reveal your total website overhead—and explores whether there could be a better way.

Privacy First: This educational calculator runs entirely in your browser. No data collection. No tracking. Just honest estimates about website costs.

Your Current Website Reality Check

Add up all time your team potentially loses to workarounds, waiting for updates, fixing issues (typically 6-12 hours total across all staff)
Rough average hourly cost for staff dealing with website issues
How often does someone need to "just fix" your website? (Most organisations: 5-10/month)
Annual hosting costs for your current website
Plugin licences, security, CDN, backups, maintenance contracts (excluding hosting)
What did you pay for your current website?
Most websites typically need rebuilding every 2-3 years

The potential hidden website costs you might be paying

Team Productivity Cost (Annual)
$0
Hours possibly lost to broken systems, workarounds, and website friction
Website Maintenance Cost (Annual)
$0
Hosting, plugins, maintenance, and fixing all those website issues
Rebuild Cycle Cost (5-year)
$0
What you'll likely spend on rebuilds over the next 5 years
Total Cost of Current Approach
$0
Your potential total digital website cost over 5 years
Potential 5-Year Opportunity
$0
Estimated value that could possibly be redirected with better website infrastructure

The potential real cost of your website cycle

Your current approach may be costing your organisation approximately $0 annually in maintenance, workarounds, and lost productivity.

Over 5 years, that could represent $0 in potential opportunity that might be redirected to growth initiatives instead of endless maintenance cycles.

Year 3 with traditional websites: Another rebuild possibly needed. Year 3 with a proper foundation: Still running perfectly.

Cost Assessment Methodology & Sources
Methodology
  • Team productivity cost: Weekly hours lost × hourly rate × 52 weeks (typically 6-12 hrs/week across all staff)
  • Website maintenance cost: Annual hosting + monthly bills × 12 + support tickets (1.5hr IT time each × 12)
  • Rebuild cycle costs: Past rebuild cost + SEO migration ($2,000 typical) + 20% scope increase ÷ frequency × 5 years
  • Website reality: Traditional websites typically need rebuilding every 2-3 years, while properly built websites can last 5+ years
  • Research shows: Businesses typically pay $900-$24,000 annually in support costs, with teams possibly losing 360-540 hours/year

Calculations use conservative estimates based on real Australian business data.

Important: This calculator provides estimates based on industry averages and the information you've provided. Actual costs and savings may vary significantly based on your specific situation, chosen solutions, and implementation approach. These figures are for educational purposes to help identify potential areas of inefficiency. We recommend discussing your specific needs with our team for accurate assessment and recommendations tailored to your business.