What decides the cost of a website?

What moves the price up or down

• The number of pages and page types. Ten pages built from two templates are less work than ten pages that each need their own design.
• Custom design or a ready-made theme. A design made for you takes more time than adapting a theme.
• Features. Contact forms are simple. Booking, payments, user accounts, search, filters and multiple languages each add real work.
• Content. Who writes the text and supplies the photos? Moving content over from an old site takes time too.
• Integrations. Connecting to a payment gateway, a CRM, email software or another system's API adds work and testing.
• Online shop size. A handful of products is a very different job from a large catalogue with variations.
• Quality requirements. Speed, accessibility, SEO setup and testing on many devices all take time to do properly.
• Timeline. A tight deadline can mean other work gets moved around.
• Afterwards. Hosting setup, handover and ongoing support are separate from the build.

How to get a quote that means something

The more you tell a developer, the closer the quote will be. Send a short brief with what the site is for, who it's for, roughly which pages you need, two or three sites you like, any deadline, your current site if you have one, and who will provide the content.

Then ask what's included: how many rounds of changes, testing, handover, and help after launch. A written scope protects both sides.

Warning signs

• A fixed quote with no questions asked about what you need.
• A promise of a number one spot on Google. Nobody can honestly guarantee that.
• No mention of mobile, testing or what happens after launch.
• A vague scope such as "a professional website".

How I quote

I don't publish a price list, because every brief is different and a number on a page would be wrong for most people. Send me your brief on WhatsApp and I'll ask the few questions that matter and come back with a clear quote. There's no obligation.

Questions worth asking before you hire

• Who will I be working with, and how often will I hear from them?
• What exactly is included, and what would count as extra?
• How many rounds of changes are included?
• Will the site be tested on phones and different browsers?
• Who owns the files and the accounts when the project ends?
• What happens if something breaks after launch?

Ways to keep a project sensible without cutting quality

Launch a smaller first version and add features once the site is earning its keep. Agree the design before the build starts, because changing a design after it's built costs more than changing it on paper. And have your text and photos ready early, since waiting for content is one of the most common reasons projects run late.