Why the same website gets three very different quotes
Ask three Hong Kong web studios to quote for the same five-page site and you will get three numbers that differ by a factor of three. That is not necessarily a rip-off. It is usually because the quotes are describing different things: one is a template install, one is a custom build, and one quietly bundles a year of hosting, maintenance and content edits into the headline figure.
The way to compare them is not to look at the total. It is to ask for the quote to be broken into lines, then read each line and ask what is included. Below is a practical way to do that, without needing any technical background.
Step 1: Split the quote into three buckets
Every website quote, however it is presented, contains three kinds of money. Separate them before you compare anything.
- One-off build costs — design, development, content migration, setup. You pay once.
- Recurring costs — hosting, domain, maintenance, security updates, licence fees. You pay every month or year, forever.
- Change costs — what happens when you want a new page, a new section, or a price update. This is where quotes most often stay silent.
A quote that only shows bucket one is not a cheaper quote. It is an incomplete one. Ask the supplier to add the other two in writing before you decide.
Step 2: Check what the build line actually covers
“Design and development” can mean anything. Push until you can answer these:
- How many pages and templates? Five pages built from three templates is a different job from five unique layouts.
- Who writes the copy? If you supply it, the build is faster and cheaper — but budget your own time.
- Who supplies images? Stock licences and photography are often excluded and appear later as an extra.
- Is the site built on a standard platform or from scratch? Standard platforms are usually cheaper to run and easier to hand over. Custom builds cost more to maintain but can fit unusual workflows.
- Is there a staging site? You want to review changes before they go live. If this is not mentioned, ask.
- What is handed over at the end? You should own the domain, the hosting account and the content. Get this confirmed in writing.
The handover question nobody asks
If the agency registers the domain in its own name, you do not control your own address on the internet. If you ever want to move, you may have to negotiate for it. Insist that the domain and hosting account are registered to your company, with you holding the login. This single point has caused more expensive disputes than any design disagreement.
Step 3: Price the recurring lines honestly
Recurring costs are where a low headline figure quietly becomes expensive. Typical recurring items for a Hong Kong SME site:
| Item | What you are paying for | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Server space, bandwidth, backups | Where is the server? How often are backups taken, and can you restore one yourself? |
| Domain | The address itself | Registered in whose name? Who renews it? |
| Maintenance | Software updates, security patches, small fixes | How many hours per month? What counts as a small fix? |
| Licences | Paid plugins, fonts, form tools | Are these billed at cost or marked up? |
Add up three years of recurring lines before you compare totals. A build that is 30% cheaper but carries a heavy monthly retainer is often the more expensive option by year two.
Step 4: Ask what a change costs
Your website will change. New services, new prices, a new staff photo. Ask for the hourly rate for changes, and ask what the minimum billing unit is. Some studios bill in 15-minute blocks; others have a one-hour minimum. Over a year, that difference is real money.
Also ask whether you get edit access to the content management system. If you can update your own opening hours and prices, you avoid a stream of small invoices. If every change goes through the agency, budget for it.
Red flags worth pausing on
- A total with no breakdown, and reluctance to provide one.
- Hosting “included free forever” with no named provider.
- No mention of who owns the domain or the code.
- A price that is dramatically below every other quote, with no explanation of what is being left out.
Step 5: Compare on total cost of ownership
Put the three quotes side by side in a single table: build cost, year-one recurring cost, estimated annual change cost, and what you own at the end. That comparison usually reorders the list. The cheapest build is rarely the cheapest website.
If you want a second opinion on a quote you have already received, or a clear starting point for what a project should cost, send it to us and we will read it line by line with you. It is a faster conversation than guessing.
Summary
Separate every quote into one-off build, recurring, and change costs. Insist on a written breakdown, confirm that you own the domain and hosting account, and price three years of recurring fees before comparing totals. A quote you cannot read line by line is not a quote — it is a number waiting to grow.