Website quotes: how to read them, and seven questions to ask before signing

A website quote is almost always hard to decipher, and that is no accident. ‘Six-page business website, bespoke design, responsive, optimised for search engines’ can mean absolutely anything, from outstanding to mediocre. Unless two quotes describe the same scope, comparing their prices is meaningless.

Here are seven questions to put them on an equal footing.

1. Will the domain name be registered in my name?

The most important question, and the one that never appears on a quote. The domain must be registered in your name, with your email address as the owner's contact.

If it is in the provider's name, you do not own your address. When you decide to leave, your website goes offline, the search visibility you have built disappears and your business cards lead to a dead page. Some providers agree to transfer it, often charging several hundred euros in exit fees.

2. Who writes the copy and supplies the photos?

This is the line that turns a three-week schedule into six months. Almost every quote promises a quick delivery, then adds ‘content supplied by the client’ in smaller print.

Writing six solid pages takes ten to twenty hours for someone who does not do it professionally. If it falls to you, factor that time into the price, or ask for a copywriting quote: €80 to €250 per page, and €400 to €900 for half a day of photography.

3. What can I change myself, and how?

In eighteen months, you will want to change a price on a Tuesday morning. Two answers are acceptable: ‘you can do it yourself in ten minutes’ or ‘send us a message and it will be done that day’. Any other answer is a future problem.

Ask for a demonstration of the admin interface before signing. An admin system you only see after paying rarely matches the one you were promised.

4. What does maintenance cover, and how quickly will you respond?

‘Maintenance included’ means nothing on its own. Have three things specified: what is covered, how many hours of changes are included and the response time if the site goes down.

Market prices range from €50 to €300 per month depending on scope. Below that, it is mathematically impossible to set aside staff time after delivery. It is not a question of goodwill; it is arithmetic.

5. What exactly does the included SEO involve?

Almost every quote says ‘optimised for search engines’. In the vast majority of cases, this means the site is technically sound: it loads quickly, works on a phone and has structured headings. That is a baseline, not an SEO service.

Actual SEO means researching what your customers search for, building a page structure that answers those searches and then producing the content. It is charged separately, at €500 to €3,000 per month. Ask which of the two is in your quote.

6. Can I see three websites delivered over a year ago, and call those clients?

‘Over a year ago’ matters. A portfolio only shows new websites that still look well cared for. What you need to know is what happens to that provider's work eighteen months later: is it still online, up to date and fast?

And do actually call one or two clients. One question is enough: ‘If you were doing it again, would you choose the same provider?’

7. What happens if we stop working together?

The most revealing question of all. What do I get back: the domain, files, database and content? A provider whose business model depends on keeping you tied in will struggle to give a straightforward answer.

Three warning signs to watch for

• A single total with no itemised breakdown. You cannot compare or negotiate it, and that is often deliberate.
• A promise of first place on Google. Nobody can guarantee it, and claiming otherwise is a sales lie.
• A 36- or 48-month commitment with a monthly rental fee. It is legal and sometimes justifiable, but read the total: it often exceeds three times the outright purchase price, and you generally own nothing at the end.

Normal payment terms

A deposit of 30 to 50 per cent on order is standard, with the balance due at launch. For a long project, an intermediate payment when the design is approved is common and reasonable.

What is not normal is full payment before work begins. Be wary, too, of a final balance demanded before you have been able to test the website: this is when you should discover a contact form that goes nowhere, not afterwards.

How to compare two quotes on the same scope

Take a sheet of paper and draw two columns. Write down the answer to each of the seven questions. Then add what is missing to the lower price: copywriting if it falls to you, maintenance if it is excluded and exit costs if the domain is not yours.

Nine times out of ten, the price gap shrinks, and the more expensive quote can even become the cheaper one. It is the exercise nobody does, and the one that settles the decision.