“How much will a website cost?” is a fair question. The difficult part is that two quotes can use the same word, website, and describe very different things.
One might cover a single page with a contact link. Another might include product editing, staff accounts, order tracking and ongoing support. Comparing only the total will not tell you which one fits your business.
If I were helping a small business in Bangladesh compare proposals, I would start by making the included work visible. This guide is a way to compare quotes, not a current market price list. I am not giving a starting price that quietly excludes the things you actually need.
Describe the first version in one sentence
Try: “I need customers to see our main products, understand delivery and send a product enquiry from their phone.” That sentence is much easier to price than “I want a modern website.”
For a Facebook seller, a small catalog website may be enough at first. For an NGO, the priority might be explaining services and how to take part. A team handling orders may need a workflow tool as well as a public website.
List what visitors must be able to do now. Put possible future features in a separate list. Ask the developer to quote those separately so you can see what postponing them would change.
Separate build costs from running costs
The build is the work of planning, writing, designing, implementing and testing the site. Running costs are the things needed after launch. Ask for both, even if one of them is included for an initial period.
- Domain: who registers it, who controls the account and what happens at renewal.
- Hosting: what is included, what its limits are and who manages it.
- Content work: who writes the text, prepares images and enters products.
- Maintenance: what updates, checks and fixes are covered.
- Changes: how new pages or features are priced after the agreed work.
- Additional services: whether email, payments, subscriptions or paid plugins cost extra.
If a proposal is in a foreign currency, ask how the final payable amount will be determined. Ask for applicable charges to be stated clearly rather than assuming that the headline amount is the complete total.
For domain arrangements, the ICANN explanation of domain registration is useful background. In the proposal, make the account holder, renewal responsibility and handover explicit.
Compare the same job, not the same page count
“Five pages” says little about the work behind them. Does the quote include writing? Will you be able to update the products yourself? Does a contact form store the enquiry, send a notification, or both? Who checks that it works?
A fictional example: Quote A includes five fixed pages and a contact link. Quote B includes five pages, an editable product list and an enquiry dashboard. Neither is automatically the better choice. If you only need a clear introduction, the extra system may be unnecessary. If you change products every week, editing access may matter a lot.
Ask each provider to mark every requirement as included, excluded or optional. This makes a useful comparison without pretending that every website should have the same price.
Copy this message when asking for a quote
My business is [description]. The main visitors are [audience]. I want them to [main action]. The first version needs [pages and features]. I already have [text, logo and images]. Please separate the build cost, recurring costs and optional features. Explain what I can edit, who controls the accounts, what support is included and what you need from me before work starts.
Add your preferred timing, but ask what it depends on. Content delivery and review delays can affect a project even when the development work is straightforward.
Agree on what “finished” means
Before work begins, decide how you will review the site. I would include checking it on a phone, testing every enquiry route, reviewing the final text and making sure the responsible person can update the agreed content.
Also ask about account handover, backups and what happens when something breaks. “Support included” needs a period and a scope. A promise of first place on Google is not a substitute for a clear deliverable.
The most useful budget is one connected to a job you understand. Start with the smallest version that does that job well, then expand when the next need is clear.
Use my website preparation checklist before gathering quotes. Or send me your idea, and we can work out a sensible first version. The cover image is an AI-generated planning scene, not a quotation or a client photograph.