Start with the commercial job
Define what a useful visitor should understand and do. A trades business may prioritise urgent calls and quote requests; a clinic may need treatment comparison and booking; a consultancy may rely on expertise, case studies and a qualified enquiry.
The cost follows that job. Page count matters, but unique templates, content depth, evidence, integrations and migration risk often explain more of the difference.
- Priority audiences and services
- Main enquiry or purchase action
- Proof needed before contact
- Existing content and URLs worth keeping
- Required booking, CRM or commerce systems
Which scope decisions change the proposal?
Ask suppliers to separate assumptions from confirmed work. “SEO included” can mean metadata on a few pages or a proper audit, redirect map and technical launch review. “Custom design” can mean a colour change or a purpose-built responsive system.
| Scope factor | Why it changes the work |
|---|---|
| Content | Writing, photography, migration and approvals require different responsibilities. |
| Templates | A service, location, case-study and article system needs more design and testing than one repeated layout. |
| Integrations | Booking, CRM, property, payment and email systems add setup and failure scenarios. |
| SEO migration | Existing rankings, backlinks and URLs need inventory, mapping and post-launch checks. |
| Governance | Training, permissions, licences and support affect the handover and ongoing workload. |
Compare risk as well as deliverables
A low quote can be appropriate for a narrow, well-prepared project. It becomes risky when content, mobile behavior, redirects, accessibility, analytics or launch testing are silently excluded.
Ask who owns each task, what the acceptance checks are and how changes to the initial assumptions affect the proposal. Clear exclusions are more useful than a long feature list.
Prepare a brief that produces useful answers
Share the current site, priority audience, valuable services, genuine proof, required systems, deadline reason and the internal people available for feedback. If the budget is flexible, ask what coherent scopes are possible rather than requesting an arbitrary number of pages.
Arkidis prepares a fixed proposal after discovery and does not publish a fabricated universal starting price.
Frequently asked questions
Is a template always cheaper?
It can reduce initial design work, but content structure, integrations, migration and maintenance still matter. A template is useful only when it fits the required journeys and editing workflow.
Should SEO be a separate project?
Technical and on-page foundations are most efficient when planned with the website. Ongoing research, content and authority work can be scoped separately.
How many pages does a small business need?
Enough to explain distinct services, audiences and proof without splitting one intent across thin pages. The answer follows the content and customer journey, not a preset package.