Web design & SEO in Wellington
Websites and local SEO for Wellington businesses, from Te Aro cafés to Thorndon consultancies, made with you by email and video call at the same fixed price.
Usually same day, always within 2 business days.
Short answer
Web Smart HQ builds websites and does local SEO for Wellington businesses, from our Auckland base, by email and video call. One page is $499 + GST and five pages are $899 + GST, including hosting, domain, SEO setup and Google Maps for year one. Business Plus is live within 10 working days of getting your content.
On this page · 12 sections
- 01Working with you in Wellington
- 02What Wellington types into Google
- 03How to word your Wellington homepage
- 04We checked Google in Wellington. Here’s what we found.
- 05What your Google profile needs in Wellington
- 06Referrals still start with a search
- 07What different Wellington businesses need
- 08Wellington by the numbers
- 09Wellington through the year
- 10Where Wellington looks besides Google
- 11Google Ads click costs in Wellington
- 12Wellington questions
Working with you in Wellington
We work with Wellington businesses by email and video call, from the first chat to going live.
There’s no waiting for a meeting slot. You send your logo, photos and details when it suits you. We send your homepage, and you see it before you pay the balance.
If you’re in Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua or on the Kāpiti Coast, it works exactly the same way, at the same price. We’re based in Auckland, and the process is the same everywhere we work.
What Wellington types into Google
Monthly Google searches for six everyday local businesses, by place name. Some are bigger than you’d expect. Some are close to nothing.
- cafe wellington8,100 /mo
- plumber wellington880 /mo
- electrician wellington880 /mo
- hairdresser wellington880 /mo
- builder wellington590 /mo
- mechanic wellington480 /mo
The same searches in Auckland, for comparison
- cafe auckland5,400 /mo
- plumber auckland2,900 /mo
- electrician auckland1,000 /mo
- builder auckland1,000 /mo
electrician near me4,400 /moacross all of New Zealand, with no place name at all. Google answers those from where the searcher is standing.
Google Ads keyword data for New Zealand: average monthly searches, September 2025 to August 2026, checked 8 October 2026. Google rounds these estimates.
What it means for you
“cafe wellington” gets about 8,100 searches a month, more than “cafe auckland” (5,400) for a far bigger city. A lot of that is likely visitors planning a day in town, so hospitality sites need menus, hours and a map pin that are right. Trades sit around 900 a month each by city name; add your suburbs too.
How to word your Wellington homepage
Choose your trade to see a suggested page title, heading and Google profile wording, based on real local searches.
Your trade
Why this wording: "cafe wellington" gets about 8,100 searches a month.
How it could look on Google
yourbusiness.co.nz
Your Business | Café in Wellington
Your Business is a café in Wellington. See the menu and opening hours, and find us at [your street].
- Main heading (H1)
- Café in Wellington
- Nearby suburbs to mention
- Kelburn, Thorndon, Newtown, Kilbirnie
- Google profile category
- Cafe
- Google profile type
- Shopfront: show your street address
Swap in your own street and suburbs. Keep it true.
We checked Google in Wellington. Here’s what we found.
Three common searches, and the three businesses Google’s map showed first for each. What they got right, and what they left out.
- cafe wellington
- electrician wellington
- hairdresser wellington
- 2 of 9had no website of their own: 1 had no link, and 1 linked to Facebook
- 18reviews: the fewest any Top 3 business had (an electrician)
- 2 of 9had fewer than 10 photos on their profile
- 203reviews: the middle count across the 9 Top 3 businesses
Searched on Google NZ (desktop) on 8 October 2026, set to Wellington. We recorded the first three map results that weren’t ads, and we’ve chosen not to name them. Review counts are from the search itself; hours, photos and claimed status come from Google listing data updated between May and October 2026. Results change every day, so treat this as a snapshot.
What it means for you
Even in the capital, one electrician made the Top 3 with 18 reviews, and two businesses had fewer than 10 photos. Photos are the cheapest win on a Google profile: real ones of your work, your team and your front door.
What your Google profile needs in Wellington
Based on what the local Top 3 had in common, and what the businesses just below them lacked.
- Your Google profile linking to your own site. 2 of 9 Top 3 businesses here linked to nothing, a social page or a free builder address instead.
- A good set of real photos, 10 or more: jobs, team and shopfront or van. 2 of 9 here had fewer.
- Reviews, asked for after every job, with a reply to each. The Top 3 here had a middle count of 203; the smallest had 18.
- Accurate hours, including public holidays. Customers check them before heading out.
- A main category that fits, plus a few true secondary ones. Google says it uses categories to match you to searches.
- A service-area setup for mobile businesses, keeping a home address private.
- The same name, address and phone on your site, your profile and every listing.
What a good Google profile does for you
Found on the map, picked, booked and reviewed: the whole journey in 30 seconds, with example businesses.
Referrals still start with a search
Lots of Wellington businesses get most of their work by referral. But a referred customer still searches your name before they get in touch. If your profile is half-finished or your newest review is two years old, some of them quietly go elsewhere.
So SEO for a referral business is mostly about your name search. A complete Google profile, recent reviews with replies, and a site that answers the obvious questions: what you do, where, and how to reach you.
What different Wellington businesses need
- 01
Cafés and bars in Te Aro
Menus, opening hours and event nights that match your Google profile. Hours change often, so small updates in year one are included.
- 02
Consultants and professional firms
A strong name search: a complete profile, recent reviews, a clear “who we help” page and a contact form that doesn’t feel like a sales pitch.
- 03
Trades across the city
Service pages, the suburbs you cover from Karori to Kilbirnie, photos of real jobs, a quote form and a service-area profile.
- 04
Events and seasonal businesses
A page per event or season that goes up on time, and photos that are this year’s. Business Plus gives you five pages to work with.
Wellington by the numbers
From the 2023 Census. Useful when deciding what your site should say, and how.
| Measure | Here | All of New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| People, 2023 Census | 202,689 (-0.0% since 2018) | |
| Median age | 34.9 | NZ 38.1 |
| Born overseas | 34.7% | NZ 28.8% |
| Median household income | $134,500 | NZ $97,000 |
| Work from home | 18.7% | NZ 17.7% |
| Business locations, February 2025 | 29,301 |
Stats NZ 2023 Census place summaries: Wellington City (source). Business locations: Stats NZ business demography, February 2025.
What it means for you
Wellington City’s population was flat between 2018 and 2023, and the median household income ($134,500) is well above the national figure. Winning work means standing out to customers already here, with clear prices and proof of quality. Nearly 1 in 5 working residents work from home.
Wellington through the year
When local searches change through the year, and when to get your profile ready.
- February to MarchNZ Fringe Festival↗New Zealand’s largest open-access arts festival across Wellington venues (2027: 12 February to 6 March).Tip:Bars and venues near shows: post pre-show deals on Google during the festival.
- MarchCubaDupa↗Wellington’s free street festival takes over Cuba Street and nearby streets for a weekend (2026: 28 to 29 March; 2027: 20 to 21 March).Tip:Cuba Quarter businesses: set festival weekend hours on Google and mention road closures.
- June to JulyMatariki Ahi Kā↗A free fire, projection and performance experience on the Wellington Waterfront over the Matariki public holiday weekend.Tip:Confirm your Matariki public holiday hours on Google so waterfront crowds can find you open.
- AugustVisa Wellington On a Plate↗A month-long food festival with festival dishes, events and Burger Wellington across the city.Tip:Restaurants taking part should add their festival dish to Google and their website menu.
- September to OctoberWorld of WearableArt Show↗The WOW awards show runs over several weeks at TSB Arena (2027: 16 September to 3 October).Tip:Hospitality and accommodation: post pre-show dining times and set show-night hours on Google.
- OctoberWellington Jazz Festival↗Five days of gigs in city bars, cafés and theatres (2026: 14 to 18 October).Tip:Venues hosting gigs should add them as events on their Google profile.
Where Wellington looks besides Google
Google does the heavy lifting, but locals look elsewhere too. These are real local options, each worth a short look.
- Business Central (Wellington Chamber of Commerce)↗
The chamber of commerce for the lower North Island, with networking events, an advice line and training.
Tip:Use member events to meet other Wellington owners who can refer work.
- WellingtonNZ Business↗
The regional economic development agency’s business growth team, with resources and connections to support programmes.
Tip:Contact the business growth team to find out what support suits your stage.
- Harbourside Market↗
Wellington City Council’s weekly Sunday produce and food market on the waterfront, open 7.30am to 2pm.
Tip:The market is currently full, but the council takes expressions of interest from new stallholders.
- Wellington.Scoop↗
A long-running independent local news site covering Wellington city issues, business and events.
Tip:Share genuinely local news about your business, such as an opening or community project.
- Visa Wellington On a Plate↗
The city’s annual food festival, with festival listings that diners browse every August.
Tip:Hospitality businesses can apply to take part and link their festival listing to their own website.
Google Ads click costs in Wellington
What advertisers pay to show at the top of Google for these searches, and roughly what that works out to per enquiry.
| Search | Searches /mo | Cost per click | Per enquiry* |
|---|---|---|---|
| electrician wellington | 880 | $2.47 to $11.66 | about $70.65 |
| plumber wellington | 880 | $2.94 to $8.92 | about $59.30 |
| builder wellington | 590 | $2.49 to $7.78 | about $51.35 |
| mechanic wellington | 480 | 97c to $3.11 | about $20.40 |
| hairdresser wellington | 880 | 66c to $1.43 | about $10.45 |
| cafe wellington | 8,100 | 1c to 4c | about 25c |
Costs are ex GST. *If 1 in 10 clicks turns into a call or enquiry, at the middle of the range. Your rate may be better or worse. Cost per click is Google’s top-of-page bid estimate for New Zealand (low to high), checked 8 October 2026.
Should you run ads?
For electricians, plumbers and builders, a click here costs about $2.47 to $11.66 (ex GST). When a job is worth a few hundred dollars or more, ads can pay for themselves, provided they only show on searches from people ready to book. Hairdressers and cafés pay much less per click, yet most customers choose them from the map and reviews, so start there. We can run your Google Ads for you, or start with what Google Ads costs in NZ.
Everything else you need
Prices, what we do, and a few guides worth ten minutes.
What we do
- PricingTwo sizes: $499 or $899, both + GST.
- Website designOne fixed price, and you see your homepage before you pay the balance.
- Local SEO & MapsHelp showing up in the map results.
- Google Business ProfileSet up with every site we build.
- Google AdsAds set up and managed for you.
- ReviewsOur Google reviews, word for word.
Wellington questions
Straight answers. Can’t see yours? Ask us.
Do you work with Wellington city businesses from Auckland?
Yes. We work by email and video call, whether you’re in the CBD, Te Aro, Thorndon or the suburbs. You send your details, we send your homepage, and you see it before you pay the balance. We’re in the same time zone and keep the same hours (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm).
Can we meet in person in Wellington?
We work with Wellington businesses by email and video call. It covers everything a website needs, and it’s part of how we keep prices fixed. We’re based in Auckland, where we can meet in person. You see your homepage on screen before you pay the balance.
Is SEO worth it for a Wellington business that gets most work by referral?
Often, yes, but not in the way people expect. Referred customers still search your name before they call. If they find a half-empty profile or old reviews, some go elsewhere. For a referral business, SEO is mostly about making that name search look solid. It’s usually a smaller job than chasing new keywords.
Do you have Wellington clients or reviews?
We don’t name clients on this site without their permission, and we won’t claim Wellington work we can’t show you. Our Google rating is 5.0 (Oct 2026), including a review from a client in Christchurch. You can read every review, word for word, on our reviews page.
Is a website worth it when I already show on Google Maps?
For most businesses, yes. Your Google profile gets you seen; your website is where people check you out before they call, and it’s what Google and AI tools read to understand what you do. In our 8 October 2026 check of Wellington, 2 of the 9 Top 3 businesses had no website of their own (no link, or a social or booking page instead). That gap is easy to close.
How many Google reviews do I need in Wellington?
There’s no fixed target. Being close to the searcher counts for a lot. For a feel: in our 8 October 2026 check, the Top 3 businesses in Wellington had a middle count of 203 reviews, and the smallest had just 18. In our experience, fresh reviews with replies matter as much as the overall count.
How much is a website in New Zealand?
Anything from a few hundred to several thousand dollars or more, depending on size, features and the builder. Ours are fixed: Business Lite (one page) is $499 + GST and Business Plus (five pages) is $899 + GST, both with your domain, hosting and Google profile setup for the first year. A deposit books your spot. You see your homepage before you pay the balance. See what’s included.
Work order · after you hit send
- YouA few lines about your business
- UsA reply within 2 business days
- UsA fixed quote
- YouYes, or no thanks
that’s the whole list