Website decisions
The price starts with the work.
Two website quotes can describe very different jobs. Make the work and ongoing commitments visible before choosing between them.
Leave with a scope checklist and a register of costs to confirm with your supplier.
Read the guideA way through the work
Three commitments to keep visible
A launch payment does not describe the full cost of keeping a site useful. Compare each commitment separately.
One-off work
The agreed project, its inputs and the evidence needed at handover.
Recurring services
The bills, renewals and maintenance that continue afterwards.
Agreed changes
Additional work with its own approval, cost and timing.
One chapter at a time
What drives a business website's cost?
A useful total needs a scope
A website may need a simple information page, several service journeys or connections to booking and payment systems. The quote also depends on what already exists: usable content, agreed messaging, editable assets and a platform that supports the essential task.
This guide does not estimate a market price or Still Matter's rates. Use it to request a specific quote and recognise what the total includes. A smaller project can be a sensible choice when it still supports the customer's task.
Six places the work comes from
01. Customer task and structure
Clarify who uses the site and which journeys or pages they need. Structure follows those tasks, including the information people need before taking the next step.
A smaller first scope: start with the essential journey; defer pages without a clear job.
02. Content and assets
Identify what can be reused and who writes, photographs, checks and approves new material. Permission checks and preparation are part of the work.
A smaller first scope: reuse suitable material with confirmed permissions and prioritise essential copy.
03. Design and templates
Agree which layouts and components are needed, and which pages need a distinct treatment. Several pages can share one template.
A smaller first scope: agree a small reusable set of page types, while keeping the essential journeys clear.
04. Forms and connections
Define the data collected, its destination, failure handling, access and third-party dependencies. A form includes the process after someone submits it.
A smaller first scope: include only connections needed for the agreed task, with a named person handling the response.
05. Migration
Identify existing pages, URLs, content and working paths to preserve. Agree cutover and rollback responsibilities before replacing a site.
A smaller first scope: retain the current platform if it meets the task, or investigate a bounded repair before commissioning a replacement.
06. Testing and handover
Specify agreed checks, demonstrated edits, documentation, backups and support. They need owners and room in the scope.
A smaller first scope: define the checks early and include them in the budget. Deferring optional features is different from omitting acceptance checks.
A one-page website can still require substantial writing, design or connection work. Several pages may share a template. Page count is one detail, not a complete pricing model.
Separate the build from the bills
For each relevant item, ask whether it is included, separately charged, not needed or still unknown.
- One-off work: discovery and brief, structure and design, writing and asset preparation, build and connections, migration, testing, launch, training and handover. Record who supplies each input and which revisions are included.
- Recurring services: domain renewal, hosting or platform, connected services, software or licences, maintenance, support and ongoing content. Record the supplier, confirmed amount and currency, billing interval, renewal date, payer and renewal owner.
- Changes: what counts as a change, who approves it, how cost and timing are confirmed, and what happens when a tool or usage tier changes.
For continuing services, record the cancellation or transfer route and dependencies. Confirm taxes and usage limits as stated by the supplier; do not assume they are included. Leave an amount blank until it is confirmed.
Compare the same website
Mark differences in writing, connections, testing, handover, support, licences and recurring services. A lower build total may exclude work another proposal includes. Ask suppliers to confirm the same essentials before treating totals as comparable.
Write one sentence: “For this phase, the site must help [customer] do [task].” Keep essential scope, separately priced options and ongoing commitments visible. If the job or a platform limitation is unclear, investigate before commissioning a replacement.
Fictional worked example
Larch Repairs · fictional example
Larch needs service information and a working enquiry route. Its first list also includes online booking, a customer portal and weekly articles. The owner has no agreed process for managing bookings or producing articles.
The smaller first brief keeps service details and enquiries, names the person responding to requests and agrees a demonstrated content update. Booking and the portal remain separate options with their own operational questions. Removing them reduces the proposed work; this example attaches no price and promises no savings.
Something you can keep
Your cost register
Record one item in each group, or print another copy for a longer scope. Confirm amounts with the supplier; these notes do not calculate an estimate.
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