Choosing a web design company comes down to eight lines in the quote, not to a ranking. The “top ten agencies in Hong Kong” lists you find are mostly paid placements, and they tell you very little about delivery.
1. Is the price per page or per feature?
Per-page pricing assumes every page is static content. The real cost of a company site sits in features: member login, payments, booking, multiple languages, and integration with systems you already run.
If a quote says “10-page website, HK$XX,XXX”, ask: do the homepage enquiry form, the product filter and the blog count as pages? Most disputes start here.
2. How many rounds of design revision are included?
The healthy flow is: first draft, your feedback, revision, sign-off. The problem is the word “revision”. Some quotes include three rounds, but each one is limited to small tweaks; change the layout structure and it becomes a new line item.
Ask directly: “If I want to change the whole direction of the homepage after seeing the first draft, is that inside the quote?” A clear answer usually means they have done this many times.
3. Who enters the content?
This is the most common surprise. Design and content loading are separate jobs. Some quotes cover design and build only — copy, photos and product data are yours to paste in. Others include a set number of pages or products.
If you are uploading fifty products, that difference can be dozens of hours. The quote should state how many pages or products of content entry are included.
4. Who owns the domain, hosting and source code?
This matters more than the price. Confirm three things:
Domain: the registrant email must be your company’s, not the supplier’s.
Hosting or cloud account: you should have your own account, or at least co-admin access.
Source code and database: can you take them when the contract ends?
If the quote never mentions these, assume the answer is no. Changing supplier later then means starting from zero — a bigger risk than paying a little more.
Practical step: get one sentence in writing before signing — “domain, hosting, source code and database transfer to the client on completion, with export or handover provided.”
5. Is the admin panel custom, or something you cannot read?
Many agencies hand over a self-built admin panel. That is not automatically bad, but ask two things: is there documentation or recorded training, and can a new colleague take over after the current one leaves.
If the answer is “just WhatsApp us”, you are not buying a system you can run — you are buying a dependency.
6. What does post-launch support cover?
How many days of free bug fixing after launch (usually 14 to 30).
Whether ongoing maintenance is billed per request or as a monthly fee.
Who absorbs price increases from hosting or third parties such as payment, SMS and WhatsApp APIs.
7. Is there a handover checklist?
A professional handover includes admin accounts, a database backup, DNS records, SSL, GA4 and Search Console access, and original image files.
No checklist usually means no documentation. Ask to see a sample before you sign.
8. How is out-of-scope work priced?
The quote should state its validity, payment milestones, and how out-of-scope work is charged. A healthy quote lists an hourly or per-item rate instead of “we will work it out later”.
Five questions to ask
“How many pages and products of content entry are included?”
“Who is the registrant of the domain, hosting and source code?”
“Where is the line on design revisions?”
“What does the first 30 days of support cover?”
“If I change supplier in a year, will you help with handover?”
Clear answers are worth paying for. Vague answers cost more over time, even at thirty percent less.
Frequently asked
Is a very cheap quote always a trap?
No, but ask where the saving comes from. Common answers: no content entry, no basic SEO setup, very few revisions, or the domain registered in the supplier’s name. Low price is fine; low price with vague terms is not.
Freelancer or company?
It depends on whether the site will keep evolving. A one-page brochure site that rarely changes is fine with a freelancer. Payments, membership, booking and ongoing features are safer with a team that can hand over and support.
Can I see the contract before signing?
Yes, and you should. The four sections that matter are intellectual property, data ownership, confidentiality and exit. If you cannot see a contract before paying a deposit, walk away.
What is a normal price range?
The range in Hong Kong is wide because “website” covers everything from a single page to an online store. Define the pages, the features and who supplies content first, then compare quotes. Our prices and calculator are public, so you can size a range yourself.
Is a portfolio enough?
A portfolio proves they can make something attractive; it does not prove they hand over well. Ask: “Who maintains this site now, and may I speak to them?” Agencies willing to let you ask usually have nothing to hide.
Next step
Every price is published on our pricing page, so you can size a range before talking to anyone. If you already have a quote from another company, bring it to a 30-minute call and we will go through it line by line — and tell you if we are not the right fit.