On this page
  1. The cheap quote: a template with your logo on it
  2. The middle quote: a designed site, built for you
  3. The expensive quote: bigger scope, more people
  4. The things that quietly change the price
  5. Design: template or custom
  6. Who writes the words
  7. Search setup
  8. Content migration and redirects
  9. Hosting and upkeep
  10. Who owns the code
  11. Questions to put to every supplier
  12. Compare like with like

If you have asked for website quotes, you will have noticed they do not look like quotes for the same thing. One is a few hundred pounds, another a few thousand, another is well into five figures. Nobody is necessarily lying. They are usually pricing different jobs under the same name: "a website".

This guide explains what tends to sit behind each band, so you can ask better questions and compare quotes properly.

Three columns. The cheap quote, a template with your logo: your logo, colours and photos, but no original design, copywriting, redirects or hosting and support. The middle quote, a designed site: custom design, works on phones, pages for your services, titles, descriptions and a sitemap, and ask about copy, photos and changes. The high quote, bigger scope: many pages, a shop or booking, links to other software, original photos or writing, a team billing time.
What usually sits behind a cheap, a middle and a high quote.

The cheap quote: a template with your logo on it

At the lowest end, you are normally buying a ready-made template or a website builder setup. Someone picks a layout, swaps in your logo, colours and photos, and writes in the text you supply. That can be perfectly fine for a business that only needs a few pages to prove it exists.

What is usually not included at this price:

  • Any original design. The layout is shared with other sites.
  • Anyone writing or editing your copy. You supply the words.
  • Search engine setup beyond filling in a title and description.
  • Moving content or redirects from an old site.
  • Ongoing hosting, updates or support after launch.

None of that makes it a bad choice. It just means the low figure is the start of your costs, not the whole of them. We cover the trade-offs in our post on website builders versus custom sites.

The middle quote: a designed site, built for you

In the middle band, you are usually paying for a person to design pages for your business rather than adapting a stock layout. Typically this covers a custom design, a build that works well on phones, a set of pages for your services, and basic search setup such as page titles, descriptions and a sitemap.

Differences inside this band are where most confusion comes from. Ask each supplier:

  • How many pages are included, and what counts as a page?
  • Who writes the copy, and is that in the price?
  • Who sources or takes the photos?
  • How many rounds of changes are included?
  • What happens to my old site and its Google rankings?

The expensive quote: bigger scope, more people

Higher quotes usually mean one or more of the following: a large number of pages, a shop or booking system, connections to other software, original photography or writing, accessibility testing, or an agency with account managers, designers, developers and a project manager all billing time. A larger scope is a fair reason for a larger price. A bigger company name alone is not.

For most small businesses, the top of the range is more than the job needs. It is worth asking what each extra pound is buying.

The things that quietly change the price

Design: template or custom

A template is quick and cheap. A custom design takes a designer's time, and it is the reason your site can look like your business rather than everyone else's.

Who writes the words

Writing good copy for every page takes a long time. If a quote does not mention it, assume you are writing it. Ask directly.

Search setup

"SEO included" can mean anything from typing a title into a box to researching what your customers search for and structuring pages around it. Ask for a list of what is actually done. Our SEO page explains what we mean by it.

Content migration and redirects

If you already have a site, moving its content and pointing old addresses to new ones takes real work. Skipping it is a common way to lose existing traffic. Ask whether it is included.

Hosting and upkeep

Some quotes include a year of hosting, some do not, and some charge a monthly fee that carries on for as long as you have the site. Find out what you will pay in year two, not just year one. See what a care plan should cover.

Who owns the code

This one is easy to miss. With some suppliers you own the finished site outright. With others you are effectively renting it, and leaving means starting again. Ask in writing: if I stop paying you, or stop working with you, what do I keep?

Questions to put to every supplier

  1. What exactly is included, page by page and feature by feature?
  2. What is not included that I might assume is?
  3. Who writes the copy and supplies the photos?
  4. What will I pay each year after launch?
  5. Do I own the site and the domain name?
  6. How will my existing Google rankings be protected?
  7. What happens if I want changes after launch, and what does that cost?

If a supplier cannot answer these plainly, that tells you something.

Compare like with like

The simplest way to compare quotes is to write down the same list of needs and ask everyone to price it. Our guide to writing a website brief shows how. The answers will line up much better than three people guessing at what you meant.

Two columns. Without a brief, three suppliers guess different jobs: five pages, twelve pages and a shop, a template. With a brief, all three price the same list.
A shared brief turns three guesses into three prices for the same job.

Our prices are published on our price list, and you can get an estimate for your own site with the cost calculator. If you would rather talk it through, get in touch and we will tell you honestly what you need, including when it is less than you expected.