It is the first question almost every business owner asks, and the honest answer is: it depends. That is not a dodge. Two websites that both look like "a few pages and a contact form" can need very different amounts of work. Here is what actually moves the price, so you can judge any quote you receive, ours included.
What decides the price
- The number of pages. A simple site with a home page, services, about and contact is a very different job from a site with twenty pages, each needing its own writing and layout.
- Custom design or a template. A template is faster and cheaper, but it looks like everyone else's. A custom design is built around your brand and your customers. Our web design service is custom.
- Features. A contact form and a map are standard. A booking system, an online store or a customer login is extra work and is usually quoted separately.
- Words and photos. Someone has to write the text and supply the images. If you have them ready, the job is quicker. If not, plan for the time or the cost of getting them.
- Who builds it. A student, a freelancer and a studio all charge differently, and they also differ in what happens when something breaks six months later.
The costs people forget
A website is not a once-off purchase. Three things keep coming back: a domain name (your address, such as yourbusiness.co.za), hosting (the computer that keeps your site online) and maintenance (updates, security and fixes). These are usually small compared with the build, but they are never zero. Ask any designer you speak to exactly what is included after launch. Our Ongoing Care service covers hosting, updates, monitoring and support, so there are no surprises.
What to watch out for
Be careful with quotes that are far below everyone else's. Free and very cheap website builders often come with adverts, a web address that is not your own, limited control and a design you cannot easily move somewhere else. That can be fine for a hobby. For a business that relies on customers finding and trusting it, the cheapest option can end up costing more.
On the other side, be wary of a quote that is vague. A good quote tells you the number of pages, what features are included, what you need to supply, how long it takes and what you will pay after launch.
How we handle it
We do not believe in guessing a price from a distance, and we do not believe in asking you to pay for something you cannot picture. Before we start, we will build a working demo of your homepage so you can see your own business in a real design. Then we give you a clear quote based on the pages and features you need. You can read more answers in our FAQ, including what is included in a website.
If you want a quote, message us on WhatsApp or ask for a demo of your site. Tell us what your business does and roughly what you need, and we will take it from there.
