Corporate website pricing: how should you read a quote?

The single number you see when you get a corporate website quote is really the sum of dozens of decisions. Two different prices from two agencies you think you've described the same job to usually describe two different jobs. So the right question isn't "which is cheapest?" but "what does this price include, and what doesn't it?" Once you understand the few items that really set the price, you become able to read every quote that comes in for yourself.

The items that really set the price

A website's cost isn't a single variable but a handful of decisions that affect one another. The items that make the most difference are these: the site's scope, the page count, the depth of the design's originality, whether a content management system is needed, and whether e-commerce or custom modules come into play. Each of these affects both the initial cost and the cost of the years that follow.

• Scope: will the site just introduce you, or also carry functions like forms, membership and booking?
• Page count: a five-page brochure site and a fifty-page corporate site are not the same job.
• Design depth: placing content into a ready-made layout, or a wholly original, brand-specific design?
• Content management (CMS): if you need to update the text and images yourself, that infrastructure adds cost.
• E-commerce / custom module: payment, stock, a calculator tool — every custom function is a separate development item.

What does a "starting price" mean?

The amounts written on website packages are starting prices — that is, they show the floor of the work, not the final cost. This isn't a hidden game, it's the nature of the work: giving a firm price before the scope is clear produces a number either short of the client's interest or over it. An honest engagement goes like this: first what's wanted becomes clear, the scope gets written down, then a firm quote comes back against that scope. So the figure mentioned in the first conversation should be read as a reference point, not a promise.

In how we work, too, package amounts are starting prices from 50,000 TL; a firm quote comes as the scope becomes clear. To talk through which package matches your need, you can look at our corporate website page or get in touch directly for an initial conversation.

What to look at when reading a quote?

When comparing two quotes, looking only at the total at the bottom is misleading. The real information is in the detail: how many rounds of revisions does the design include, is mobile compatibility priced separately, who will write the content, is post-launch maintenance included, who holds the domain and hosting? If one quote spells out these items clearly and the other just says "website" on a single line, the second is likely to look cheaper — because you'll see the difference later as an extra invoice.

• Revision rights: how many rounds of changes are included, and how is anything beyond that charged?
• Content: who produces the text and images — you or the agency?
• Mobile and accessibility: a separate item, or standard?
• Ownership: who holds the domain, hosting and source code after launch?
• Post-launch: is the maintenance and fixing of the first months included in the quote?

Why is a "cheap site" usually expensive?

The hidden cost of the lowest quote usually surfaces over time. A ready-made template that doesn't fit the brand leaves visitors with an impression of carelessness. An infrastructure that can't be updated makes you pay again for every small change. Source code that can't be handed over ties you to a single supplier. None of this shows on the first invoice; but in the site's second year, it usually exceeds the total cost of a site built right from the start. That's why "cheap" turns out expensive: the payment is deferred, not removed.

The reverse is also true: the most expensive quote isn't always the best. The right decision comes from reading the price together with the scope of the work. Get clear on what you want, understand line by line what the quote includes, and judge the price through a five-year ownership window — not just the first invoice.