How do you compare quotes from web designers?
Put the quotes side by side on one sheet and compare what each includes, not only the total. Use the same rows for every quote: pages, words, photos, forms, booking, rounds of changes, hosting, upkeep and who owns the result. Mark each cell included, extra or not mentioned. A quote that is silent on a row has not said yes, and those silences often explain why two quotes for the same site look so different.
Build one sheet, with the same rows for every quote
Quotes arrive in different shapes, which makes them hard to compare as they come. Copy each one onto the same sheet, one column per designer and one row per item below, so the same job is described the same way every time.
| Row | What to find in each quote |
|---|---|
| Pages | Which pages, named, rather than "a website", and how an extra page would be handled. |
| Words | Who writes them, who checks them, and whether writing is part of the job. |
| Photos | Whether any are included, who supplies them, and who arranges any that must be bought. |
| Forms | How many, where the messages go, and whether testing them is part of the job. |
| Booking and payments | Included, extra, or not part of this quote. |
| Rounds of changes | How many rounds, and what is treated as extra work. |
| Hosting | Who provides it, in whose name, and what happens at renewal. |
| Upkeep | Updates, backups and fixes after launch: included, separate or absent. |
| Ownership | Who owns the design, the files, the domain and the logins when the work is finished. |
| How firm | A set price for stated work, or an estimate that can change, and what would change it. |
Mark three states, not two
For each cell write included, extra or not mentioned. The third one matters most. A quote that looks lighter than the others may simply be doing less, and one that looks heavier may include things another leaves for later. You cannot tell which until the empty cells are filled.
Do not fill an empty cell with what you assume. Ask the designer in writing and put the reply on the sheet. Send the same question to everyone who left that cell blank, so the answers stay comparable.
Questions that bring the gaps out
- What is not in this quote that a business like mine often ends up needing?
- Can this be split into parts, so I can see what each part covers and what happens if I leave one out?
- What would make this quote change after we start?
- If I want one more page or one more form halfway through, how is that asked for and agreed?
- If a form stops sending messages in the first month after launch, who finds out, and who fixes it?
After the sheet is filled in
A full sheet shows what each quote covers; it does not choose for you. Weigh the gaps that matter to your business, and an often safer pick is the designer whose blanks you could close in writing. The related answer on what a website design contract should include covers putting the agreed items on paper. The related answer on how much a website costs covers what decides the build cost and the running costs owners forget. The related answer on questions to ask before hiring a web designer covers judging past work.
Ascent Vision builds websites too, so read this with that in mind. It quotes after a call and does not publish prices.
Related answers
- What should a website design contract include?
- How much does a website cost for a small business?
- What should you ask before hiring a web designer?
Websites, built or upgraded
A new site from a blank page, or the one you have made fast, clear and worth visiting. Either way it is built to do one thing well: turn a visitor into a customer.