How to Read a Web Design Quote (And Spot the Padding)
Builds are quoted per project after a six-tap estimate, and the care plans that keep them running are $149 to $749 a month.
Most web design quotes are written to be skimmed, not read. Read one properly and padding falls out of it. Here's the line-by-line.
What lines should be in a web design quote?
Number of pages, named. Who writes the copy. Mobile explicitly included (not "responsive available"). Forms and where they send. Basic SEO setup: titles, descriptions, Google indexing. Launch on your domain with you owning the accounts. A named timeline.
Lines that are usually padding
"Discovery phase" billed in weeks. "Content strategy" nobody can define. Separate line items for things browsers do free. "SEO optimization" as a vague lump; real SEO names deliverables. Hosting marked up 10x.
The three deflating questions
1. "Can you show me each line's deliverable on a past project?" 2. "Which lines disappear if I provide photos and copy?" 3. "Who owns the domain, hosting, and site if we part ways?" Watch the quote shrink, or the agency squirm.
The math check
Divide the total by the deliverables you can point at. If a five-page site prices like a 60-page industry build, you're funding their office plant budget.
And the standing offer: bring me any written quote for the same scope and I beat it. That's on the plans page in writing.
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