The single biggest cost driver in a web project isn't the design or the development. It's ambiguity. Every question you leave unanswered before you sign the contract becomes an assumption, and every assumption gets priced with a buffer.
Answer these questions before your first call and you'll get better quotes from better people.
Before the call — answer these for yourself
1. What is this website actually for?
Not "our online presence." What specific thing should a visitor do on the site? Book an appointment. Buy a product. Fill out a quote form. Read case studies and then call. Pick the one most important action. That answer decides half the design.
2. Who is the visitor?
One paragraph. Age, occupation, why they're on the site, what they're worried about, what they've tried before. If you can't write this paragraph, you can't design for them.
3. What pages do you need?
List them. Not "about the usual pages" — actually list them. Home, About, Services, Contact, and every subpage. This is your sitemap. It's the single most useful thing you can hand a designer.
4. Who provides the content?
The words, the photos, the videos. If you're providing them, great — cheaper project, longer timeline. If you need the designer to write copy and source photography, that's a bigger scope. Decide before you get quoted.
5. Three sites you like — and why
Don't just send links. Say "I like this one because of the way the hero section explains what they do in one sentence." That kind of specificity is worth an hour of design discussion.
6. Your realistic budget
You don't have to disclose the exact number, but have one. Designers who ask about budget aren't trying to price up — they're trying to figure out whether you're the right fit. Refusing to discuss budget doesn't get you a lower quote; it gets you a slower response, or none at all.
7. Your realistic timeline
"By next week" and "before the end of the quarter" are very different projects. Rushed projects cost more; flexible ones cost less. Tell the truth.
On the call — ask these
- Who does the work? If it's an agency, is it the person on the call, or someone offshore you'll never meet? Neither is wrong — but you should know.
- What does the process look like week by week? A vague answer here is a red flag.
- How do revisions work? How many rounds? What happens if you want more? Is there a limit?
- Who owns the code and the domain when we're done? Answer better be "you."
- Can I edit content myself after launch? If the answer is no, that's a monthly maintenance bill in disguise.
- What happens if something breaks a month after launch? Is there a warranty period? Emergency support?
Red flags in a quote
No fixed price. Hourly billing on a defined project is fine for maintenance, but for a build it usually means the designer doesn't know how long it'll take. That's a risk they should carry, not you.
No written scope. If the quote is a number without a list of what it includes, don't sign it.
A discount for signing today. Legitimate designers don't run flash sales on custom work.
Enormous quote from the biggest agency. Sometimes worth it. Often not. Ask what you're getting that a solo expert can't deliver.
The one-line summary
The clearer you are about what you want, the cheaper and faster you'll get it. Spend the hour on the brief. It pays back tenfold.