How to choose a web developer

Three quotes: €900, €3,400 and €7,000. Same brief, same site. The usual conclusion is that somebody is overcharging — but more often it means three people solved three different problems.

Before comparing the prices, you have to make what they cover comparable.

What a proper quote contains#

A quote that's one number and one sentence isn't a quote, it's a guess. It should state:

• How many pages and content types. Twenty pages on one template is cheaper than five unique ones.
• Whether the design is custom or a template. This is the single biggest price difference.
• What's integrated. Every connection to another system is separate work.
• How many languages. A second language doesn't double the price, but it isn't free either.
• Who writes the content. The most common cause of a slipped deadline.
• How many revision rounds are included. Without this, "finished" is undefined.
• What happens after launch. Maintenance, updates, backups.

When two quotes differ by a factor of three, one of them is usually missing half its lines.

The questions that tell you something#

These four reveal more than a portfolio does:

"What happens if I want a different developer in a year?" An honest answer describes what gets handed over. An uncomfortable answer is an answer.

"Who maintains the site and what does that cost?" If the reply is "we can sort that out if needed", it hasn't been thought about. An unmaintained site degrades in roughly a year.

"How many plugins does this use?" On WordPress this is a good health indicator. Thirty plugins means thirty things that can break each other.

"Can I see something you built a year ago?" A new site always looks good. A year-old one shows whether it was built to last.

Red flags#

• A price before the scope is agreed. A number that arrives before the structure will change later.
• Guaranteed first place on Google. Nobody can promise that.
• The domain registered in the supplier's name. Always ask for it in yours.
• No access given. You should be able to reach your own hosting and CMS.
• Everything is always possible. A good supplier tells you what isn't sensible, and why.

The cheapest way to check#

Before deciding, spend an hour with someone who isn't quoting for the work. Have the quotes read through, and ask what's missing from them.

We do that as a free consultation: thirty minutes reviewing where you stand and what a sensible first step is — including when the answer is that we're not the right people for it. You get a written summary within two working days, and it's yours to keep.