Topics: Website design & costs
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Quick answer: A good NDIS provider website tells participants, families, support coordinators and plan managers what you deliver, where you deliver it, whether you're registered and when you can start, in plain and accessible language. It makes referrals easy, protects personal information and avoids NDIS logos, outcome promises or testimonials you aren't entitled to use.
Four different people might land on your website in the same afternoon. A participant looking for help with daily living. A parent reading on their son's behalf. A support coordinator with three referrals to place before Friday. A plan manager checking whether your invoices can be paid from a plan. Each needs a different answer, and each will leave if they can't find it quickly. This checklist is organised around those visitors and the rules that shape what you can say to them.
What do participants, families and support coordinators look for on a provider website?
Each audience is trying to answer one or two practical questions before they make contact.
| Visitor | Their main question | Where your site should answer it |
|---|---|---|
| Participant | "Can you help with what I need, near where I live?" | Services pages and a service area page in plain language |
| Family member or carer | "Can I trust you with someone I care about?" | About, team, policies and a clear complaints process |
| Support coordinator | "Do you have capacity, and how do I refer?" | Availability status, referral form and response time |
| Plan manager | "Are you registered, and how do you invoice?" | Registration status, ABN and invoicing details |
Most provider sites are written for only one of these groups, usually participants. Coordinators and plan managers are a large share of the people who send you work, so give them their own clear routes.
Which pages should every NDIS provider site have?
Build the page set around the questions above, not around your organisation chart.
- [ ] Home: who you support, what you offer and where, with links for participants, families and coordinators
- [ ] Services: one page per support type, explaining what's included in plain language
- [ ] Service areas: suburbs or regions covered and your travel policy
- [ ] About and team: qualifications, experience and how you screen and train workers
- [ ] Registration and policies: registration status, complaints and feedback process, and key policies
- [ ] Referrals: a form, the information you need and what happens next
- [ ] Availability: current capacity or waitlist status, updated regularly
- [ ] Easy Read: summaries of your key pages in Easy Read format
- [ ] Contact: phone, email, office hours and accessible ways to get in touch
- [ ] Privacy policy and accessibility statement
Behind the website, intake, rostering and records are a separate decision; our guide to NDIS provider software weighs building against buying.
How should you show registration status and service areas?
State your registration status plainly and accurately, and never imply a status or affiliation you don't have. Registration is overseen by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and the rules around it have been changing since the NDIS Review, so check the Commission's current guidance for how to describe your status.
On branding, the NDIS logo guidelines on ndis.gov.au are clear on the main points:
- The NDIS logo and acronym are registered trade marks owned by the NDIA and can't be used without its permission.
- Only registered providers may use the "I/we heart NDIS" and "I/we support NDIS" logos with the "Registered Provider" tagline.
- Only registered providers may describe themselves as a registered provider.
- You shouldn't suggest any affiliation with the NDIA or the NDIS that doesn't exist.
If you're unregistered, say so and explain who you can work with, for example self-managed and plan-managed participants.
For service areas, list suburbs, towns or local government areas by name rather than a vague "Greater Sydney". Add a simple map, your travel policy and whether you offer telehealth or community-based supports.
How do accessibility and Easy Read content apply?
Your website should be usable by the people you support, so treat accessibility as a core requirement rather than a feature. Aim for WCAG 2.2 at level AA, the current version of the international guidelines. The Australian Human Rights Commission has long treated websites as covered by the Disability Discrimination Act, which is another reason to get this right.
In practice:
- Plain language throughout, with short sentences and familiar words
- Easy Read versions of key information, using simple sentences supported by images, ideally produced by specialists and tested with readers
- Captions and transcripts for every video
- Large tap targets and enough spacing for people with limited dexterity
- Strong colour contrast and text that resizes without breaking the layout
- Screen reader support, with proper headings, labelled form fields and descriptive link text
- Keyboard navigation for every menu, form and pop-up
Accessibility overlays and toolbars don't fix underlying problems in the code. Our piece on why accessibility is good business explains the wider benefits.
How should you handle privacy and participant information online?
Assume you're covered by the Privacy Act and design your forms accordingly. Per the OAIC, the small business exemption doesn't apply to a business that provides a health service and holds health information, whatever its turnover, and many disability supports are likely to fall within that. Information about a person's disability or health is sensitive information under the Act.
On your website, that means:
- Collect the minimum. A first enquiry rarely needs an NDIS number, diagnosis or plan details. Ask for those later, through a secure process.
- Use secure forms. HTTPS everywhere, form data stored in a secure system rather than sitting in a shared inbox, and access limited to the staff who need it.
- Explain what you collect. A privacy policy that says what you collect, why, where it's stored and how people can access or correct it.
- Get consent for referrals. Coordinators should confirm they have the participant's consent to share their details.
- Avoid emailed attachments. Offer a secure upload instead of asking people to email reports or plans.
For a fuller summary of Australia's Privacy Act obligations, including how they apply to software, see our privacy guide.
What should you avoid saying on an NDIS website?
Avoid anything that promises outcomes, misstates funding or uses people's stories without permission. Misleading claims can also breach the Australian Consumer Law.
| Avoid | Why | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| "Guaranteed independence in 12 weeks" | Outcomes can't be guaranteed | "We work with you towards the goals in your plan" |
| "NDIS approved" (if unregistered) | Misstates your status | "Unregistered provider working with self-managed and plan-managed participants" |
| "Free with your NDIS plan" | Supports are paid from plan funds | "Funded through your NDIS plan, depending on your plan's supports" |
| "We'll get your funding increased" | You don't decide funding | "We can provide reports to support your plan review" |
| Testimonials and photos without written consent | Privacy and dignity | Use only with documented, informed consent |
If you publish prices, make sure they're consistent with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits that apply to your supports.
How do you make referrals easy for support coordinators?
Give coordinators a fast, predictable path: a short form, the documents they need and a stated response time.
- A referral form that asks only for what you need to assess fit: participant's first name, suburb, supports needed, funding management type, coordinator's details and consent confirmation
- A downloadable service agreement template and an intake information pack
- Current availability, such as "Taking new participants in the northern suburbs" or "Waitlist for weekend supports"
- A stated response time, for example "We respond to referrals within one business day", and a named intake contact
- An automatic confirmation email so the coordinator knows the referral arrived
Send referrals straight into your intake system rather than a general inbox; our guide to routing website forms to your CRM explains how.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the NDIS logo on my website?
Only with permission from the NDIA, which owns the NDIS logo and acronym as registered trade marks. Registered providers may use the "I/we heart NDIS" or "I/we support NDIS" logos with the "Registered Provider" tagline under the NDIS logo guidelines; unregistered providers may not.
Do unregistered NDIS providers need a website?
Yes, arguably more than registered providers do, because self-managed participants and plan managers often search for providers themselves. Be clear that you're unregistered, explain who you can work with and make it easy to get in touch.
Should NDIS providers show prices on their website?
Showing prices can save everyone time, and coordinators appreciate it. If you do, keep them consistent with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits that apply to you, update them when the limits change and explain any travel or cancellation charges.
How should support coordinators refer participants through my website?
Through a dedicated referral page with a short form, consent confirmation, your intake pack and a stated response time. Route submissions to a named person or your intake system, and send the coordinator an automatic confirmation.
Does my NDIS website need Easy Read pages?
There's no blanket rule requiring them, but Easy Read versions of your key pages make your services accessible to more participants. Start with your services, how to get in touch and how to make a complaint.
Plan your NDIS website with us
We build NDIS provider websites with accessibility, secure referral forms and clear registration information planned in from the start. Read more about GRWW in Australia, then send us your current site or brief and we'll come back with a fixed quote in AUD.