Compare website quotes by deliverables and responsibilities, not price alone. Ask each provider to quote the same brief, then check whether pages, content, integrations, revisions, and handover mean the same thing in each proposal.
Write a brief every provider can use
Describe the business, intended audience, required pages, and the action visitors should take. Include the current website, if there is one. State whether your team supplies final text and photography and whether you need to edit the site after launch.
For a catalogue project like our Cobija Industries work, a useful brief separates product presentation from the quotation journey. “A product website” alone does not say whether the customer needs a catalogue, an enquiry form, or a complete checkout.
Check these items in writing
- Design: is the layout custom, adapted from a template, or supplied by you? Which responsive sizes are covered?
- Pages and content: how many pages, templates, catalogue items, and content uploads are included?
- CMS: which sections can you edit, and is the required editing interface included?
- Functionality: describe each form, booking, payment, account, and integration rather than relying on “advanced features.”
- Revisions: how many rounds are included, who consolidates feedback, and what counts as a scope change?
- Testing: identify the agreed browsers, mobile checks, forms, and handover checks.
- Support: separate correction of delivered defects from ongoing content updates and new features.
Compare ownership and ongoing commitments
Ask who owns the domain account and who controls hosting, design files, and source code. Confirm what will be transferred after payment and which third-party licences remain subject to separate terms. Request recurring platform or licence costs in addition to the project fee.
Discuss claims that cannot be guaranteed
A developer can commit to delivering specific pages and testing a form. Search rankings, lead volumes, and AI recommendations depend on other systems and business conditions. Ask how proposed improvements will be measured rather than accepting an unsupported promise.
Use the quote to agree a working process
Confirm the decision maker, review schedule, payment milestones, and what happens if content arrives late. For remote work, agree call times, the project contact, update frequency, and where consolidated feedback will be recorded. Our About page explains our working arrangements, and our pricing page lists the current website scopes.