Budget & planning
How much should you budget for a website?
A website budget is mainly a reflection of the work required and the responsibilities assigned to your supplier. Page counts provide a starting point, but do not capture content production, user journeys, integrations or launch preparation. This guide explains how to build a budget you can manage and compare with confidence.
Define the outcome before listing the features
A website introducing three services differs from a catalogue with filters, customer accounts and a connection to business software. Start with the actions visitors need to complete: understand an offer, request a quote, make a booking or buy something. Give each feature a clear purpose rather than collecting attractive examples without explaining what they solve.
Separate page templates from individual pages. Ten service pages sharing a structure may require less design than three unrelated journeys. Specify languages, forms, administrative roles, search requirements and existing content to migrate. These details reveal the work much more clearly than the number of pages alone.
Understand the main components of a quotation
Planning resolves uncertainties before production. Design turns objectives into journeys and layouts for phones and computers. Development implements the interface, rules and administration. Acceptance testing checks the result against agreed scenarios. A useful proposal makes these stages identifiable, even when they are included in a single fixed price.
Copywriting, translation, photography and catalogue preparation also take time. Establish who provides them and in what condition. Approved copy and usable assets reduce revisions. A statement that the client supplies content does not automatically include importing it, formatting it or checking its quality.
Use day rates as a calculation, not a package price
The reference rate at developpeurs.com is €600 excluding VAT per day. For illustration, five days represent €3,000 excluding VAT and ten days €6,000 excluding VAT. These calculations are not complete website offers or delivery promises. The required days depend on scope, existing systems and the agreed finish.
A budget calculator can establish an initial conversation. The quotation then needs to identify assumptions, expected approvals and separately priced work. Ask how additional requests will be estimated and approved. Agreeing this process before development helps you control changes when a new requirement emerges during design.
Include ownership and running costs
Domains, hosting, licences, external services and maintenance may be charged separately. Distinguish the initial build from recurring costs and future development. Check who owns each account and how credentials, files and data will be handed over. An attractive launch price is only part of the decision.
Consider your actual editing frequency. A low initial cost may be less useful if every routine change needs supplier intervention. Conversely, a sophisticated administration system may be unnecessary for two annual updates. Choose a level of investment that reflects how the organisation will operate the website, and who will be responsible for it.
Compare equivalent proposals and phase the launch
Give suppliers the same brief and ask them to identify exclusions. Compare approval stages, content migration, mobile testing, redirects from old addresses, training and post-launch support. A price difference is easier to assess when it can be connected to a specific responsibility or deliverable.
When the budget is limited, reduce the first release to essential pages and a reliable enquiry journey. Add functionality once real feedback supports it. Keep the foundations that this release requires: understandable navigation, readable mobile content, tested forms and administration access for the person who will maintain it.
Your checklist
- Identify visitors and the actions they need to complete.
- List templates, languages and required integrations.
- Assign responsibility for writing, assets, imports and approvals.
- Separate the build from subscriptions, maintenance and new features.
- Agree review stages and the handover of accounts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an estimate before all the copy is ready?
Yes. A sitemap and representative content can support an initial estimate, provided its assumptions are explicit. The amount of writing, translation and data migration should be confirmed before committing to a final scope.
Does website creation include SEO?
Ask for specific deliverables, such as page structure, titles, descriptions, indexability, redirects and content. Technical preparation and ongoing editorial work are different services. A proposal should never be read as a guarantee of Google rankings.
A project to explore
Pare-Brise Éco
The Pare-Brise Éco project includes separate scopes: the brand website, franchisee pages, applications and integrations. It illustrates why estimating begins by defining the particular part of a project being commissioned.
Explore the project