What should both providers base their quotes on?
Describe the same brief to both: the customers your website should help, what they should be able to do and the materials you already have. Ask for a clear distinction between what is included, what you need to do and what is priced separately.
You can start with our new website brief template. You do not need a technical specification. A few specific visitor tasks make comparison clearer: read about the service, ask for help or book through an existing booking service.
Mark each answer as included, additional or needs clarification. An empty row means you need to ask.
Ten questions that make website quotes comparable.
Ask the provider to answer in writing. This helps distinguish a lower price from a smaller delivery.
- Pages and content
Which pages and content will actually be finished?
Ask for: A page list explaining what each page should help visitors do.
- Design
Is the site designed around our business or adapted from a ready-made template?
Ask for: What is created for you and how the direction is approved.
- Copy and images
Who writes, edits and gathers the materials?
Ask for: Division of work and any costs for photography, copywriting and licences.
- Features
Does it include a contact link, form or complete booking system?
Ask for: Named features, responsibilities and external subscriptions.
- Mobile and contact
Which visitor journeys must work before we approve the site?
Ask for: For example calling, asking about prices, reading the menu and finding you.
- Existing website
What happens to our old pages and URLs?
Ask for: What is retained, replaced and redirected when moving.
- Reviews and changes
How can we give feedback, and what counts as extra work?
Ask for: What a review round covers and how additions are ordered.
- Hosting and help
Who helps us after publishing, and with what?
Ask for: Hosting, technical management, content changes and the contact route for help.
- Price over time
What do we pay at the start, throughout the service and when it ends?
Ask for: The same period, same VAT basis and separately listed external costs.
- Access and migration
Which accounts can we access, and what can be handed over?
Ask for: Domain, web accounts, statistics, materials and any technical limitations.
The template has space for both answers and your follow-up questions. It does not automatically score the providers.
Fictional comparison / not provider quotes
Five pages can involve very different amounts of work.
The materials are ready.
Five information pages, approved copy, usable images and a standard contact route. The task is to design and build the agreed content.
The content needs creating.
Five pages requiring service explanations, missing images and a booking connection. Copywriting, image work and integration need to be described in the quote.
The page count is the same, but the tasks differ. If quote A covers only the build, you also need to understand who does the rest. Compare scope first, then the full cost over the same period.
How to compare monthly pricing and one-off feesWho has access, and what can you take with you?
Ask separately about the domain, web accounts, statistics, your own materials and the delivered solution. Account access, permission to use materials and the ability to migrate the website are different questions.
- Domain: who is the registered holder, and who can change the settings?
- Accounts and statistics: which permissions do you receive, and how can you regain access?
- Materials: what can you keep using, and which images or fonts have their own licence terms?
- Migration: what can be exported, what needs rebuilding, and what does handover cost?
At Nolera, access, rights and cancellation are described in writing before ordering. These questions support your buying decision; your agreement needs the actual answers.
Leaving an existing provider? Use our handover sheet for changing web agencies with your domain, email and old addresses.
What should be clear before you choose?
You should be able to explain what will be delivered, who creates the materials, how you approve the work and what help you receive afterwards. Ask for clarification on any open rows. A clear answer is more useful than guessing from a package name.
Want to see how needs affect the design itself? Read about Reflink’s two visitor journeys and how we brought TIME’s identity to the web.
Want to see a direction for your business before ordering? Read about our free homepage preview. We agree on the idea and build after your go-ahead. No obligation to buy or subscription start.
The questions and comparison template were created by Nolera. The fictional examples illustrate scope and contain no market prices or promises of results.
Does the quote cover e-commerce? The product catalogue, checkout and external subscriptions need their own comparison rows. See our separately quoted Shopify service.