Ask five Nottingham web designers for a quote and you might get five numbers spread across thousands of pounds. That is confusing, and it makes it hard to know who is being fair. Here is an honest explanation of why quotes vary so much and how to judge them.
Why prices vary so wildly
A website can be a template filled in over a weekend, or a researched, written, designed and tested piece of marketing. Both get called "a website". The price difference reflects the work: understanding your customers, writing copy that sells, building pages that rank on Google and testing everything until it converts. You are not paying for pages. You are paying for the thinking behind them.
What actually moves the price
- Number of pages. A five-page brochure site is a different job from a twenty-page site with dedicated service and area pages.
- Copywriting. Writing persuasive, SEO-friendly copy takes time. Sites where you supply the words cost less, but most business owners underestimate that job.
- Features. Booking systems, galleries, quote calculators and integrations all add build and testing time.
- SEO depth. A site built to rank needs research, structure and technical work that a quick build skips entirely.
- Ongoing care. Hosting, updates, security and support are either included, charged monthly or quietly missing.
The expensive trap of the cheap website
The most expensive website is the one you pay for twice. We regularly meet business owners who bought a cheap site, watched it generate nothing for two years, then paid again for one that works. Two years of lost enquiries costs far more than the difference between the quotes. If a price seems too good to be true, ask what has been left out. Usually it is the copy, the SEO and the support.
Questions to ask any web designer
- Who writes the copy, and is SEO included or extra?
- Will I own my domain and my website outright?
- What happens after launch if something breaks?
- Can I see examples and speak to a past client?
- Is the price fixed, and what exactly does it include?
How we do it
We quote each project properly after a free chat, and the number we agree is the number you pay. Have a look at how our pricing works, or request a quote and we will give you a straight answer for your project.