Contractor website cost, explained

Why quotes are so far apart

Two website quotes can look alike on paper and cover very different work. One includes writing every page and setting up your forms. The other is a template with your logo dropped in, and the writing is left to you. Before comparing prices, find out what each one includes.

What drives the cost

Number of pages

A one-page site is less work than a site with a page for each service and area. More pages mean more writing, more photos to place and more to test. See one-page vs multi-page websites for how to decide.

Who writes it

Writing is the part that's easy to underestimate. Someone has to turn what you know about your trade into clear pages. If the builder writes it, that's time you pay for. If you write it, the price drops but the site waits on you, and it's easy for a project to stall right there.

Photos

Your own job photos cost nothing but a few minutes per job. Hiring a photographer costs more. Stock photos are cheap, but they shouldn't be passed off as your work.

Design and custom features

A clean, proven layout costs less than a fully custom design. Extras add up: online booking, payments, a customer login, calculators. Many contractors only need a phone button, a form and a gallery, not software.

Domain and hosting

The domain is usually a small yearly fee. Hosting is an ongoing charge that depends on the provider. Ask whether these are included, and whose name the domain is in.

Upkeep

Sites need care after launch: updates, backups, fixing a broken form, adding photos, changing hours. Either you do it, you pay someone when something breaks, or you pay for a monthly plan. See what a monthly website plan should include.

Three ways to get a site

Do it yourself with a website builder

The lowest cash cost, usually a monthly or yearly subscription. The real cost is your time, both for building it and for keeping it up. It can work if you're comfortable on a computer and willing to write. Check what happens to your site if you stop paying or want to move.

Hire a freelancer

Usually a one-time project fee that depends on their experience and the size of the site. Quality ranges widely. Ask to see contractor sites they've built, who does the writing, and who you call a year from now if something breaks.

Hire an agency

Often the highest price of the three, sometimes with a contract term. You get a team and a process. Read what's included each month and what happens to the site if you leave.

What we charge, and our own answers

For comparison, our contractor websites are $1,000 to build (bigger sites get a written quote) plus $100 a month. We build a free draft first: you pay for the build only after you've seen the draft and want to go ahead. If you don't, you owe nothing. Here are our own answers to the questions below, so you can compare us fairly:

• Who owns the site: Obsidian Grid owns the website we build: the design, the code and the words we write. You get a license to use your site while you're a client and, if you cancel, to keep it online as it is. Copying or imitating our websites or designs for any other use isn't allowed. Your domain: if you already own it, it stays yours; if you don't have one, we register it and hold it for you. Photos you send us stay yours. The design and code stay ours, so the site itself doesn't move to another company if you leave.
• Contract term and cancelling: Website care ($100/month) is month to month with no cancellation fee. Cancel anytime: the monthly charge stops, and the site stays online exactly as it is in the month you cancel. After that there are no more updates, fixes or maintenance.
• Website refunds: a refund is available only within the first month after you pay for your website. After the first month, refunds aren't available. If you get a refund, your license ends and you must stop using the site and any copies of it. We reserve the right to take legal action to protect our work.

These are the terms you accept before paying; the full text is in the Paid services section of our terms. Whether we're the right fit depends on your business. A site is a cost, and no builder can promise it pays for itself.

Questions to ask any builder

• What exactly is included, and how many pages?
• Who writes the text?
• Whose name are the domain and hosting in?
• What does it cost per month after launch, and what does that cover?
• Is there a contract term, and what happens if I cancel?
• Can I take the site with me?
• How do I get changes made, and how long do they take?