A client asks for a quotation for a five page website. Three studios quote and the figures differ by a factor of four.
One quoted for five templates with the client supplying content. One included content writing, photography and a booking system. One assumed a template based build with minor customisation.
All three answered the question that was asked. The question did not contain enough information for any of them to be comparable, and the client will choose on price.
The first question: how many distinct templates, not pages
Twenty pages using three templates is considerably less work than six pages each designed individually. Templates are the unit of design effort and page count is not.
The second question: what functionality is required
Forms, bookings, payments, accounts, search, integrations. Each is a piece of work in its own right and each is invisible in a page count.
The third question: who is writing the content
The single largest variable. A client supplying finished copy and a studio writing everything are different projects at different prices, and it is frequently unstated.
The fourth question: where are the images coming from
Client supplied, stock, or a photography session. Another substantial cost that quietly sits inside or outside a quotation.
The fifth question: is it a new design or a template
A bespoke design, a customised theme or a template with a logo. All three are legitimate at different budgets and clients rarely know which they are buying.
The sixth question: how many revision rounds
Defined, numbered and with a stated process for anything beyond. Unlimited revisions is not a service, it is an unpriced liability.
The seventh question: what happens about search visibility
Whether basic technical work is included, whether any content optimisation is, and what is explicitly not. Clients assume more than is ever included.
The eighth question: what about migration
Existing content, URLs, redirects and anything being carried across. Migration on an established site can exceed the design work.
The ninth question: what happens after launch
Training, a support period, hosting and maintenance. These are separate services and clients assume they are part of the build.
The tenth question: who owns what
Domain, hosting, the design files and the site itself. This should be stated before anybody pays rather than discovered during a later dispute.
The eleventh question: what is the content deadline
Because the client is the bottleneck on almost every project, and a stated date with a consequence is what prevents an indefinite build.
The twelfth question: what is explicitly excluded
The most useful section of any proposal. Naming what is not included prevents almost every subsequent disagreement about scope.
Scope it in the conversation rather than in the quotation
An assistant that establishes the templates, the functionality, who supplies content and imagery, and what the client expects after launch produces a brief a studio can quote against, and makes three quotations comparable for the first time. The brief problem is the ground in website quote requests without a brief, the revision terms in scope and revision questions before a website project, the multilingual variant in website localisation enquiries and their scope, and the content feedback loop in unanswered questions into website pages. See pricing, run the numbers on the chatbot ROI calculator, and the sector view sits under web designers.