01
A focused trade website
A compact site might cover the business, its services, selected projects and contact details. Cost depends on the copy and photography available, the design work required and the agreed enquiry journey.
02
A contractor portfolio
A more detailed brief may include capabilities, sectors, project case studies and credentials. Content planning, migration and a structure the team can maintain become a larger part of the work.
03
An architectural experience
Large project galleries, motion, photographic room exploration and embedded models add design, asset preparation and testing work. A walkthrough and a verified 3D model are different deliverables and should be quoted separately.
04
Separate the one-off and recurring costs
Ask for design and build, copy, photography, migration and integrations to be itemised where relevant. Hosting, domains, software licences, maintenance, ongoing SEO and advertising should be clear separate commitments.
05
Ask how changes are handled
Confirm review rounds, payment stages, assumptions, ownership, editing access and what happens if the brief changes. A timetable should name the content and approval milestones it depends on.
06
Compare the handover, not just the launch
Ask each supplier to describe what your team can edit, how new projects will be added and what training or documentation is included. Confirm who controls the domain, hosting and relevant accounts. A quote for a few fixed pages and a quote for a maintainable project library are different scopes even when the homepage looks similar.
07
Get a scope-based quote
Crafters quotes against an agreed brief. Share your current site, intended audiences, services, available content and required features to establish the right scope.
COMPARE THE SCOPE
Questions to put beside each quote.
| Area | Ask the supplier |
|---|---|
| Content | Who writes the pages, selects photographs and prepares project stories? |
| Project library | How will your team add a project, and what training or documentation is included? |
| Migration | Which existing URLs, enquiry routes and domain settings will be checked? |
| Review stages | How many review rounds are included, and how are changes outside the brief priced? |
| Ongoing costs | What are the separate hosting, licence, maintenance and support commitments? |
| Ownership | Who controls the domain, hosting account and website content after handover? |
Mark each item as included, excluded or still to clarify. A lower headline price may cover less content preparation or handover, so resolve those differences before comparing totals.
SEE THE WORK
Explore the Bruntsfield website project