A website quote makes much more sense when you can see the decisions hiding behind the total. For a Belgian business, the number of languages, the content work and the way enquiries reach the team can matter as much as the number of pages.
The useful question is: what will be working when this project is finished, and who is responsible for keeping it that way?
Compare the same job
Write down a shared brief before requesting prices. A five-page brochure site, a bilingual catalogue and an online shop are different jobs, even if all three have a lovely homepage.
Specify the pages, languages, forms and integrations. Include the existing content that can be reused and anything that needs rewriting or translating. Otherwise, one proposal may include substantial content work while another assumes you will provide everything.
Look for these separate lines
- Discovery and structure: understanding the business, organising the pages and defining visitor journeys.
- Design and development: agreed layouts, mobile behaviour and custom functionality.
- Content and languages: writing, translation, image sourcing and entering the final content.
- Launch and handover: redirects, testing, account ownership and showing you how to update the site.
- Ongoing costs: hosting, care, paid tools and any usage-based services.
Ask how revisions and changes of scope are handled. “Unlimited possibilities” is a mood, not a useful project boundary.
Ask what happens after launch
Who owns the domain and hosting account? Can you edit your pages? Who handles a broken form? What happens if you change suppliers? Ask for clear answers before signing.
For a multilingual project, check whether the quoted price includes all language versions, translated emails and future content updates. A language button is only the visible tip of that particular iceberg.
Tax treatment, payment stages and third-party charges should be explicit in your proposal. A web article cannot settle the terms of your specific agreement.
A practical way to decide
Put the proposals side by side and mark each requirement as included, excluded or unclear. Ask each supplier about the unclear items. Only then compare the totals.
Our website services explain the different starting points we offer. If you are still defining the job, use our website brief checklist first. A clearer brief usually makes for a much more useful quotation.
