A clear breakdown of what you pay for — design, pages, features, hosting and support — and how to avoid paying for things you do not need.

Ask ten agencies for a website quote and you may get ten very different numbers. The difference usually comes down to four things: design, pages, features and support.

1. Design A template-based design is quick and affordable. A custom design costs more but makes your brand stand out and is built around your customers' journey.

2. Pages and content A five-page business site is very different from a fifty-page site with blogs, services and case studies. More pages mean more design, writing and testing.

3. Features - Contact and enquiry forms - Online payments - Booking or appointment requests - Admin panel to update content - Multi-language support

4. Hosting and support Secure hosting, SSL, backups and updates are what keep a website fast and safe after launch. Always ask what is included after go-live.

Our advice: start with the pages and features that bring you customers, then grow the site step by step. Use our cost estimator on the Pricing page for a quick range, or ask us for a free, fixed quote.

Written byFounder & CEOFounder & CEO

Leads product vision and engineering at Synasys, with a focus on systems engineering and building software that lasts.