How to build a website quote

How to build a website quote - The White Label Agency

Every website project is different. This means every website quote should be different.

But how do you price your services in a way that will make you and your client happy?

What do you need to consider?

That’s what we’re here to tell you.

Whether this is your first time building a quote or you’ve been building websites for years, this article will guide you on developing your website quote in a way that somewhat benefits you and your client.

Before you build a website quote, do this.

Don’t waste time and energy building your website quote before knowing precisely what the client wants.

Firstly, understand what you are creating. A website quote is a document that provides detailed services and pricing of a website project for a client. So the result should be a document for them to sign.

Your client calls are a great time to understand the results they are looking for. Do they want a simple landing page with some basic information? Do they want multiple pages requiring complicated development work to connect to databases, dynamic content, etc.? Answering these questions will clarify what you’ll need to build the correct quote.

How to price your website services

There are four main factors to consider when pricing your services for your website quote.

Business Cost

Don’t just charge for your services. Factor your business operational costs, like your office rent, equipment, taxes, etc., into your base price. For example, suppose you subscribe to a graphic design website like Canva, rent an office space, and have a subscription to a font library that costs $500/month. Then, based on the number of projects you take, split this price amongst your website quotes so you are guaranteed to make a profit.

Project Complexity

At this point, you should know exactly how complex the project will be based on your current skills. If the client asks for an intensely complicated website that will require more time and energy, you can increase your prices. Or if it’s something simple that you can do quickly with minimal effort, then you can offer a lower price. Once a price is determined, ensure that a written agreement is formalized and signed.

Experience

Usually, the more experience you have in something, the higher you can charge because you are providing years of knowledge. This can also include being a brand name. If you are a sought website developer, you can price yourself higher when there is more demand for your specific skills. Some clients will be willing to pay more for someone with a brand-name reputation that can be trusted, but if you are a beginner, this will probably not be something you can factor into your quote.

Personal Cost

Another thing to consider is the client. Are they the type that will need more hand-holding? Will they require more calls and face-to-face interaction and, thus, take up your working time? Do they want you to be available to pivot if need be in a short amount of time? All of these are factors you can bake into your website quote. The more a client requires from you, the more you can increase your price.

Scope

“Project scope” is the term used in project management and planning. To scope out a project means to outline costs, goals, tasks, deliverables, resources, and deadlines. If you have scoped out a project correctly, you will understand the costs, resources, and time required to complete it successfully. This is essential knowledge if you want to turn a profit. Make it clear to your client that anything out of the initial scope will come with an extra charge, and ensure this cost is noted in the contract.

The different pricing structures

There are typically three general ways to price your services to a client.

Hourly

This is when you’ll create an hourly rate for your time working on the website, and the client will pay you based on the total hours you worked. Something to consider is that you’ll have to track your billable hours, which is more time-consuming.

This way of pricing will also make it difficult for your client to budget for the project because you don’t know how many hours it will take. Communication of budgets and timelines will be key here in making this work.

Project-Based

A commonly practiced pricing structure is quoting based on the project total. You can estimate how long it will take to finish a project, including all the factors above of complexity, overhead, personal cost, and experience, and give the client a total estimate. An easy way to determine this price is to figure out how long you think this project will take plus buffer time and then multiply those hours by your hourly rate.

Value-Based

Value-based pricing is just project-based plus extra for the value you will bring to the project. That value could be your experience, your brand, or even as personal as what you want to price to maintain your current lifestyle and budget. You can determine this by your project-based quote plus a number you believe your skills are worth.

How to build your website quote

Once you know what you want to price your services at, it’s time to build the actual website quote. Each website quote depends on the business, but here are the standard features you don’t want to miss.

Deliverables

Your document should start with a basic introduction of your client and your business information to clarify who this quote is for. Then, write down the details of your project so that no one is confused about what is expected in delivery. These requirements can be as granular as you want, but overall they would include the website content, pages, features, domain costs, branding logos, etc., as the client discussed. Clients also want to know when to expect delivery, and this is the best place to put those estimated deadlines.

Prices

Remember to add a list of your services with transparent pricing and an estimated total, so clients know what they are getting and why they are paying this specific price. This is also an excellent time to remind your clients that this is an estimated total that can change. Along with the costs, you should write how your client should pay you. You can choose to get paid after the project is delivered before the project starts, or a combination of the two, where you receive half before and the rest when the project is complete.

Terms & Conditions

Here you can add details of what would happen in certain instances during your relationship with this client. Things change, and it’s essential to state what would happen during those changes ahead of time. If a client or your business needs to cancel this project, determine if you’ll charge a penalty fee and how many days from the deadline they would need to cancel to avoid it.

You’ll also want to specify what happens if the client misses a payment deadline. This can be adding fees or stating that all work belongs to you until the payment is complete. Also, what would happen if a project’s scope or requirements changed? Would an entirely different quote need to be created? Clarifying these points are pivotal to protecting you and your client so you can have a happy and healthy working relationship.

Conclusion

Knowing how to build a good website quote is essential, so you price yourself fairly for your work. Use these tips to quote yourself properly to get to the fun part of building a website.