What Determines the Cost of a Website?
Two websites with the same name can be completely different jobs. This article explains the items that set the price, the costs that renew every year and the questions to ask when you get a quote.
The first question most businesses ask when they consider a new website is "How much does a website cost?" There is no single answer; two sites sold under the same name can require very different amounts of work. In this article we explain which items determine the price, which costs continue after delivery and what to look for when you compare quotes.
Why There Is No Single Answer to "How Much Does a Website Cost?"
Three different kinds of work are sold under the name "website". Most of the large gap between quotes comes from which of them you are buying.
Packaged or Rented Site
One of the provider's ready-made templates is chosen and filled with your text and images. The starting cost is low; however, the site usually runs on the provider's platform and is used through a monthly or yearly subscription. Check the contract to see whether you can move your site elsewhere if you end the subscription.
Site Built on a Ready-Made Theme
A purchased theme is adapted to the business's colours and content. The design can only change as far as the theme allows. Themes and plugins need regular updates, and a single update can break part of the site.
Site Designed and Built from Scratch
The design is created for the brand and the code is written only for what the site needs. The starting cost is higher than the other two routes; in return, every section added later can be developed without running into the limits of a theme or package. This is how we build sites at Bordoat; you can find the details on our Corporate Website page.
Seven Items That Determine the Cost
For a site built from scratch, the quote is shaped by the items below. Preparing your own answers before you ask for a quote shortens the process and lets you compare quotes from different companies on the same scope.
1. Page Types, Not Page Count
Cost depends less on the number of pages than on the number of different page types. In a catalogue of a hundred products, every product page uses the same template, which is designed and built once. If the home, about, service, reference and contact pages each need a different layout, however, each one is a separate piece of design and development work.
2. A Design Made for You
With a custom design, the home page is prepared first and the other pages follow once you approve it. Meetings and revisions during the design stage make up a significant part of the total time. Whether your corporate identity, meaning your logo, colours and typefaces, is ready also changes how long this stage takes.
3. What You Will Edit in the Admin Panel
Will you only update text and images from the panel, or will you also manage sections such as products, blog posts, frequently asked questions or a dealer list? Every section managed from the panel is a separate piece of development, with its own input form, record structure and display on the site.
4. Number of Languages
On a multilingual site, every language is published completely at its own address, and search engines are told which page corresponds to which language. The number of languages and who provides the translations directly affect the scope.
5. Custom Features
Features such as member login, quote or appointment forms, order tracking and live price displays turn a presentation site into software. This is usually the item that grows the scope the most. If you need features like these, you may also want to review our Custom Software page.
6. Who Provides the Text and Photos
Will the text and photos for the site come from you, or is preparing them part of the job? When content is late, even a site with an approved design cannot go live. That is why the timing and source of the content are planned at the quote stage.
7. The Old Site and Search Engine Foundations
When a site is renewed, every old address has to be redirected to its new address; otherwise the site's search engine history is lost. Whether technical work such as title tags, structured data, sitemaps and speed settings is done from the start or added later also affects the cost. We cover these topics in detail on our SEO page.
One-Off and Yearly Costs
Quotes often cover only the cost of design and development. A website, however, also has costs that renew every year. The table below shows when each cost is paid and what it depends on.
| Cost | When Is It Paid? | What Does It Depend On? |
|---|---|---|
| Design and development | Once | The seven items above |
| Domain name | Every year | Extension (such as .com or .com.tr) |
| Hosting (server) | Every year | Visitor numbers and storage |
| Business email | Every year | Number of accounts; may be included in hosting |
| Security certificate (SSL) | Every year or included in hosting | Certificate type |
| New pages and features | When needed | Size of the work |
At Bordoat, we usually provide and manage the domain name and hosting for our clients; this service renews every year. This means you do not need to deal with a separate company for server settings and the security certificate.
After Delivery: Revisions, Support and Source Code
Even when two quotes have the same price, what happens after delivery can be very different. When comparing quotes, always ask how long bugs will be fixed free of charge after launch, how long your revision period lasts and who will hold the source code.
At Bordoat, revision requests are handled without limit during the first month after delivery. Any bugs that appear in the software are fixed free of charge for one year, and you can reach us directly if you run into a problem during that time. After these periods, requests for new pages and features are priced separately according to the size of the work. We hand over the source code to clients who request it.
Questions to Ask When You Get a Quote
Getting written answers to the following questions from every company lets you compare quotes on the same basis.
- Will the design be made for you, or will a ready-made theme or template be used?
- Which sections will you be able to change yourself from the admin panel?
- In how many languages will the site be published, and who will provide the translations?
- Who will hold the domain name and hosting, and how will the yearly renewal be handled?
- How long will your revision period last after delivery, and for how long will bugs be fixed free of charge?
- Will the source code be handed over to you if you request it?
- Will the addresses of your old site be redirected to the new pages?
- Does the quote include a work schedule, and what is most likely to extend it?
How We Prepare a Quote at Bordoat
We do not offer package prices, because two sites with the same name can be completely different jobs for the reasons above. In our first meeting we answer these questions together, clarify the scope and prepare a written quote that includes the work schedule. To tell us about your project, you can reach us through our contact page.