“How much does a website cost?” doesn’t have a single answer. You can see quotes that look nearly identical but differ by multiples, and there’s usually a good reason for it: the quotes aren’t describing the same work.
In this article, we’ve gathered the items that actually determine the price and the questions you need to ask when comparing quotes. Our goal isn’t to give you a price list, it’s to help you understand what each quote actually covers.
1. Number of pages and structure
A five-page promotional site is not the same job as a site that covers each service on its own page and includes a blog and an FAQ section. Every page means design, content and testing. When you get a quote, ask for the page list in writing.
2. Design: a ready-made theme or something custom?
A ready-made theme is fast and economical, but it won’t set you apart from your competitors. A custom design takes more work; in return, you get a site that fits your brand identity and is memorable. Either one can be the right choice, what matters is knowing which one the quote actually includes.
3. Content: who prepares the text and visuals?
The number one reason websites get delayed is content. Will you write the copy, or will the agency? Is photography included? Is writing the service pages for search engines part of the quote? A quote that says “content is your responsibility” and one that says “content included” shouldn’t cost the same.
4. Number of languages
A second language practically doubles the page count: translation, separate pages, correct language tags and testing in both languages.
5. Features
Booking, appointments, membership, quote request forms, multi-step forms, maps, multiple branches… Every feature means development and maintenance. If you’re going to sell online, that’s now an e-commerce project, with a completely different scope involving payment, shipping, stock and legal text.
6. Speed and technical infrastructure
A site that looks great but loads slowly on a phone will cost you customers. Google’s Core Web Vitals measure page loading speed (LCP), responsiveness to interaction (INP) and visual stability (CLS); the recommended targets for a good experience are 2.5 seconds for LCP, 200 milliseconds for INP and 0.1 for CLS. Ask the team you’re getting a quote from: “Will you measure and share these values once the site goes live?”
7. SEO and AI visibility
Setting a site up correctly from the start is far cheaper than fixing it later: correct page titles and descriptions, a clean URL structure, a sitemap, structured data, and making sure search engines — and now AI assistants too — can access the site. Google’s SEO starter guide covers these basics. It’s not enough for a quote to say “SEO-friendly”; ask exactly what will be done.
8. Legal requirements and maintenance
In Turkey, a website requires a KVKK (Turkey’s Law on Protection of Personal Data) privacy notice, a cookie policy, and a cookie banner that gets prior consent for analytics or advertising cookies. The Personal Data Protection Board’s cookie guide provides direction on this. If these are added later, they create both extra work and risk.
What happens after launch matters too: who handles domain and hosting renewal, security updates, backups and small content changes? Is monthly maintenance a separate item in the quote, or is it included?
6 questions to ask when comparing quotes
- Is the page list and feature set written into the quote?
- Who prepares the text and visuals?
- Will speed measurements be shared once the site goes live?
- Who will the domain, hosting and site files be registered under? (The right answer: you.)
- Is KVKK and cookie consent setup included?
- How is maintenance and minor changes priced after launch?
In short
A website’s price is determined by the number of pages, whether the design is custom, who owns the content, the number of languages, the features, speed, SEO and legal requirements. The cheapest quote may be the one that leaves most of these items out. Bring the quotes to the same scope before comparing them; only then will you see the real difference.