The short answer. Compare website quotes on ten lines, not on the total: scope and page count, who writes the copy, who owns the files and the domain, hosting, a speed score promised in writing, the revision policy, the timeline from a complete brief, maintenance and its minimum term, what happens if you do not approve, and who you can look up. A blank line is an answer.
The ten lines
Put every quote in a column and fill these rows. Where a quote does not say, write “not stated”: that is the answer. Firstfold’s column is filled from its terms so you can hold it to the same test.
| Line | What to ask | Firstfold |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and page count | Which pages, named, and what is out of scope | 5, 10 or custom by tier; exclusions listed in the terms |
| Who writes the copy | You, them, or a copywriter billed extra | Drafted from your brief and your current site; you approve |
| Ownership | Whose name is on the domain and who gets the files | Domain in your name at your registrar; the complete folder on request |
| Hosting | Where, what it costs, what happens if you stop paying | Included in the monthly plan; leave with the folder any month |
| Speed, in writing | A number, a tool, a consequence | 90 or above on all four Google Lighthouse categories at launch, fixed before the balance if not |
| Revisions | How many rounds, and what “approved” means | Unlimited before approval; approved when you say so in writing |
| Timeline | From what starting point, and what stretches it | About ten days from a complete brief and a cleared deposit |
| Maintenance | What it includes, and the minimum term | $85 to $499 a month, month to month from day one |
| If you do not approve | What happens to the money | $500 deposit refunded in full, provided the brief was filled and one round of changes sent |
| Who you can look up | A person, a company, past work you can test | About: the founder, the company, four live sites and a case study with Google’s test on each |
Why the total misleads
Two quotes for “a ten-page website” at $2,500 and $9,000 are not the same product at different prices. They differ on who writes, who owns, who hosts, who maintains and who absorbs revisions, and the difference between them is mostly on those lines. The research behind that is in what a small business website costs: page count is the weakest predictor of cost, and the four things that move a quote are copy, connections, custom design and revision risk.
The two lines people skip
Ownership is the one that costs the most later and is asked about the least. A site on a closed builder is rented, whatever the quote calls it; do you own your website quotes what each platform says about leaving. Ask for the domain in your name and the files on request, and get both in writing.
What happens if you do not approve is the one that tells you how confident the builder is. Silence means the deposit is theirs whatever happens. A stated refund, with a fair condition attached, means they expect to earn it.
How to use this with an owner or a committee
Fill the table for each bid on one page and hand it over. It turns a $3,000 decision from a taste argument into a comparison of ten facts, and the blank cells do the arguing. If a bid needs a call to fill its cells, that is also a fact worth writing down.
Questions people ask
Why is the cheapest website quote often the most expensive?
Because it is the one with the most blank lines. A $1,200 quote that leaves you writing the copy, buying stock photos, renting a builder and paying hourly for changes costs more in the first year than a $3,000 quote that includes them, and it costs your time, which the quote never shows.
What should a website quote say about speed?
A number, a tool, and a consequence. "Scores 90 or above on Google's PageSpeed test on every page at launch, or we fix it before the balance is due" is a promise. "Fast, modern and optimised" is not. Google's own threshold for good is 90, and 43 percent of mobile sites pass all three of its vitals, so most quotes are for the other 57 percent.
How many revisions should a quote include?
Enough that the number is not the negotiation. Two rounds is the industry habit and it is why so many sites launch with the third round of problems still in them. Look for unlimited rounds before approval, in writing, with a definition of approval, so the site is finished when you say it is.
What if I do not approve the finished site?
Ask each bidder this exact question and write down the answer. Most quotes are silent, which means the deposit is gone. The strong answer is a refund conditional on you having done your part: filled the brief and sent your changes. That protects both sides and tells you the builder expects to earn approval.
See what yours would look like, free
Firstfold builds the first fold of your homepage free, in two business days, with no call. If you like it, we build the rest for $1,950 to $4,950, with $500 to start and the balance only when you approve it. If you do not, you owe nothing.
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