Newcastle · Lake Macquarie · Central Coast
Startup Package in Newcastle & the Hunter
Website, business email and phone for a new business, set up by one local team
Starting a business means signing up to a lot of things at once. A domain from one company, email from another, a website builder somewhere else, and a phone number that is really just your mobile. It works, until something breaks and nobody can tell you which of the four is at fault. Our Startup Package covers the lot: your website, your domain and business email, and a proper phone system, set up and supported by one team in Newcastle.
01 — The problem
Four vendors, four logins, and nobody owning the gaps
Most new businesses end up with their domain at one registrar, email on a free account, a website on a builder that bills separately, and calls going to a personal mobile. Each piece works on its own. The trouble starts in between them.
When email stops arriving, the website host says it is a DNS problem, the registrar says it is a mail problem, and you are the one relaying messages between two support queues. When you want to hand the business to someone else, or just find out who owns the domain, nobody can tell you.
It is also the point where small mistakes get locked in. A domain registered to a personal address, email with no protection against someone spoofing your name, a website nobody has the login for. These are cheap to get right at the start and expensive to unpick two years later.
97.3%
of Australian businesses are small — under 20 employees
ASBFEO Small Business Data Portal, June 2025 (opens in new tab)
02 — Scope
What's included
A website that looks like a real business
A professional site with your services, your contact details and a way for people to get in touch. Built to load fast and work properly on a phone, because that is where most of your first impressions happen. If you would prefer to spread the cost, this can run as our Website as a Service arrangement instead of a one-off build.
Your own domain and business email
We register the domain in your business name, not ours, and set up email addresses on it. Moving off a free Gmail or Hotmail address is the single fastest way to look established, and it means your mail is set up with the records that make it much harder for other people to send email pretending to be you.
A cloud phone system, not just a mobile
A business number with call routing, voicemail that arrives in your inbox, and the ability to answer from a desk phone, a laptop or your mobile. You can add staff without changing the number, and your personal mobile stays personal.
One team, one place to call
The reason to do this as a package is that when something goes wrong, there is no argument about whose fault it is. We set up all of it, so we can fix all of it. You call one number and the problem is ours to sort out. Ongoing support after you are set up is a separate arrangement, and we will tell you which one your size of business actually needs.
03 — How it works
How we run an engagement
No long discovery phase before you see anything useful. The order matters more than the technology — each step is designed so you can stop cheaply if the numbers don't stack up.
We work out what you actually need
A short conversation about what the business does, how customers will find you and whether anyone else needs an email address. Most of this call is us ruling things out.
Domain and email first
We register or transfer the domain into your name and set up email on it, including the authentication records that protect your name from being spoofed. This goes first because everything else depends on it.
The website gets built
We write and build the site around what you tell customers when they ask what you do. You review it, we adjust it, and it goes live on your domain.
Phone system configured
Your number is set up with the call flow you want: straight to you, to a team, or to voicemail out of hours. We test it with you before it goes live.
You get the keys
We hand over the logins, document what is where, and tell you what each part costs to keep running. From there you can call us whenever you need something changed.
04 — Free tools
Try before you talk to us
Free, no-signup tools that put this service to work in your browser right now.
- Domain & SSL Health CheckEnter your domain to check its SSL/TLS certificate (issuer, expiry and hostname match), DNS records (A, MX, NS) and email blacklists — a fast, plain-English domain health report.
- Email Security CheckerEnter your domain and instantly check SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MTA-STS — the records that stop attackers spoofing your business and keep your email out of spam.
- Website Speed & SEO CheckEnter your website address to run a live Google PageSpeed Insights test — get your performance and SEO scores, Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP) and the top opportunities to load faster and rank better.
05
If you are starting from nothing
You have an ABN and a name, and that is about it. This is the easiest version of the job, because there is nothing to unpick. We register the domain, build the site, set up email and phone, and you open for business with a setup that looks like a company that has been going for years.
The part people underestimate is the domain. Pick the wrong one and you live with it, or pay to rebuild your printed material later. We will tell you honestly if the name you want is a problem, and what the realistic alternatives are.
- Domain registered in your business name, with you as the owner on record
- Business email addresses on that domain from day one
- A website that covers what you do, where you do it and how to reach you
- A business number that is separate from your personal mobile
06
If you have been trading a while on consumer tools
This is the more common version. The business works, but it is running on a free email address, a website somebody's relative built, and a mobile number on every piece of signage. Nothing is broken enough to fix, so it never gets fixed.
Moving across is less disruptive than people expect. Email is the part that needs care, because that is what actually breaks a business day if it goes wrong. We set up the new mailboxes alongside the old ones, move the mail across, and switch the delivery over once we have checked it works. Your existing address keeps receiving throughout.
The website and phone follow behind, which means you are never waiting on all three at once.
07
What this does not include
This is a setup package, not an ongoing IT contract. Once you are running, most clients move onto managed IT or simply call us when they need something. Both are fine, and we will tell you which one your size of business actually warrants.
It also does not include search engine optimisation. Getting found in Google is genuinely a separate piece of work, and packaging it in would let us charge for something a brand-new site is not ready for yet. When you are ready, our search engine optimisation service is the next step.
08
Local, and that matters more than it sounds
We are based in Newcastle and work across Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast. For a new business that means someone can come to you when a phone system needs configuring or a computer will not join the network.
It also means you are dealing with people who know the area. When you tell us you are a trade in Lake Macquarie or a consultancy in Gosford, we already know roughly who your customers are and how they will look for you.
See it in action
Real outcomes we've delivered for businesses across the Hunter.
Browse our case studies09 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
01Do I own the domain name, or do you?
You do. We register it in your business name with you as the registrant, and we hand you the login. It is your asset, and you can move it elsewhere whenever you like. A domain registered in a provider's own name is one of the more common problems we get called in to unpick.
02Can I take just part of the package?
Yes. Plenty of clients already have a domain, or already have a phone arrangement they are happy with. Tell us what you have and we will only quote for the gaps. The package exists because doing all of it together is simpler, not because the pieces are welded to each other.
03Is this a monthly cost or a one-off?
It can be either, and it depends on what suits the business. Some clients pay to be set up and then run it themselves. Others prefer a monthly arrangement that covers the platform and ongoing support, which is how our Website as a Service works. We will walk you through both and what each means over a few years, not just in month one.
04What happens to my existing email address when we move?
It keeps working. We set up the new mailboxes first, copy the existing mail across, and only change mail delivery once we have confirmed the new setup is receiving properly. If anything looks wrong at that point, delivery goes back the way it was while we sort it out.
05How long does it take?
The domain and email are usually done within a few days. The website is the part that sets the pace, because it depends on how quickly we can agree the content with you. Most setups are fully live within a few weeks.
06Do you build mobile apps as part of this?
No. This package covers your website, your domain and email, and your phone system. If you genuinely need a mobile app, that is a separate conversation and usually a much larger project than a new business needs in its first year.
07We are not in Newcastle. Can you still help?
Yes. Most of the setup work happens remotely, so the location only matters for the parts that need someone physically present. We cover Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast and Port Stephens for on-site work, and can set up businesses further afield remotely.
08What if I already have a website I do not want to throw away?
Then we will not throw it away. If the site is sound we can leave it where it is and just sort out the domain, email and phone around it. If it is in poor shape, our website rescue and redesign service deals with that specific problem, and it is a better fit than a new-business package.
Let's talk
Ready to improve your startup package?
Talk to Peritus Digital — Newcastle's local technology partner. We'll assess your situation and put together a practical plan.