Website quotes for what sounds like the same project can differ several times over. That is rarely about one agency being greedy; it is about what each one assumed is included. This guide explains the factors that actually move the cost, the running costs people forget, and how to get quotes you can compare.
"A website" can mean a five-page brochure built from a theme in a week, or a custom web application with user accounts, payments and integrations that takes months. Even for the same brief, one quote may include copywriting, photography, SEO set-up, content entry, training and a year of care, while another covers only design and build and leaves the rest to you. Before comparing numbers, compare what is in them.
That is also why we do not publish a price list. A number without a scope tends to be either too high for a simple site or a promise that cannot be kept for a complex one. What we can do is explain what changes the estimate, so you can decide where the money should go.
Starting from a good theme and adapting it to your brand is the fastest route. A bespoke design, created from scratch with its own layouts and components, takes design rounds and more build time, and pays off when the site is central to how you sell or when your brand needs to stand apart.
Cost follows the number of different layouts more than the number of pages. Fifty blog posts share one template; a home page, a services page, a pricing page, a case study and a contact page are five separate designs to build and test.
Content is the most underestimated item and the most common cause of delays. Writing copy, sourcing or shooting photos, and moving pages from an old site all take real hours. Decide early whether you or the agency owns each part.
Every feature beyond pages and a contact form adds work: online booking, a shop, memberships and logins, multiple languages, search and filters, calculators, customer portals. Some are well served by proven plugins; others need custom development.
Connecting the site to other systems (a CRM, an email platform, an ERP or stock system, payment providers, a booking engine) can be quick when the other system has a good API and slow when it does not. Each integration also needs testing whenever either side changes.
A shop adds product data, variants, shipping rules, taxes, payment methods, order emails and returns. The size of the catalogue and how it is kept up to date (by hand, by import, or synced from another system) matter more than the shop software itself.
A content management system such as WordPress gives you a lot out of the box and lets your team edit content. A custom web application built on a framework is the right choice when the site is really software, with its own data and workflows. A hosted builder is cheapest to start but limits what can be changed later.
Accessibility to the WCAG standard, strong performance on Core Web Vitals, testing across browsers and devices, and security reviews all take time. They are worth it, but they should be named in the quote rather than assumed.
A website is not a one-off purchase. Budget for:
A site that is built well but never maintained becomes slower, less secure and eventually expensive to fix. Cheaper up front is not always cheaper over three years.
Reasonable places to save:
Places where saving usually costs more later:
A one-page brief makes quotes far more accurate and easier to compare. Include:
Then ask each agency to state what is included and excluded, how changes are priced, who owns the result, and what care looks like after launch.
Because the same words describe very different projects. We give a written estimate after a short call about scope, and we explain what would make it higher or lower.
A fixed price suits a well-defined scope. Time-and-materials suits work where the requirements will change as you learn. Many projects use a fixed price for the first version and an agreed rate for changes after.
A small site built from a theme can take a few weeks; a custom site or web application takes months. Content readiness and how fast feedback comes back often matter as much as development time.
Yes, if it is built on a content management system. We set it up so your team can edit pages, posts and images, and show you how.
You should, and with us you do: the domain, the content, the design and the code we write for you. Third-party themes and plugins remain under their own licences.
Want an estimate for your project? See our web, mobile app and IoT development services or email info@creahive.com with your brief.