Business website guide
Website development cost: what to check in a quote
Compare website prices against the same scope: pages and content, languages, editing, forms and connections. Review domain, hosting, licence and maintenance costs separately. Novero estimates the work after reviewing those requirements; this guide helps you prepare an enquiry and is not a price list.
Start with what the customer needs to do
For a company, that might be sending an enquiry about a service. For a restaurant, it could be finding the current menu, checking opening hours or booking through an existing system. Name that action before choosing a design or a page count.
One service with a few examples may fit on a single page. Different services that need their own explanation and evidence may deserve separate URLs. Let the content determine the structure rather than filling a package's page allowance.
Customer accounts, access to personal orders and document approvals need further assessment. Compare websites and web applications: presenting a business and working with business records involve different tasks.
Compare what the development work includes
Fill out the same table for each supplier before comparing totals. An empty field is a question to resolve, not confirmation that the work is included.
| Item | Record against each quote | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Pages and languages | URLs, distinct layouts and language editions. | Who prepares translations and checks each edition? |
| Copy and images | What you supply and what the developer prepares. | Are writing, image preparation and usage rights covered? |
| Editing | Content your team will be able to change. | Do you receive access, instructions and a chance to try it? |
| Forms and connections | What is sent, to whom and through which existing system. | Who checks delivery, and what happens when it fails? |
| Review and handover | Agreed reviews, revisions, checks and account access. | What needs acceptance before the final handover? |
A platform name is not a complete specification. Ask to see how your content will be updated. If menus change weekly, try that task. If changes are rare, an agreed content-update service may be sufficient.
Separate development from recurring costs
Separate one-off work from the domain, hosting, licences and support. For each recurring item, record the charge, billing period, account holder and renewal terms. Check whether applicable taxes are included in the displayed price.
For a chosen period, compare development, initial setup and every charge you will actually pay during it. If the first hosting year is included, ask about renewal. A cost omitted from a quote is not automatically a free service.
Describe maintenance through tasks: updates, backups and restoration, fixes, form checks and agreed content assistance. Additional pages, another language or a new function may be separate development. Response times need an explicit agreement.
The domain and the hosting are separate items. Ask who holds the domain, how you access the accounts and how handover works. Ownership, licences and source-code delivery belong in the project's agreement.
Restaurant menus and bookings need a plan
Agree who updates prices and menus, how guests find the latest version and what differs between locations or languages. Open the menu on a phone and check whether it can be read without zooming into an image.
For reservations, name the current supplier. Linking to a booking page, embedding a form and exchanging records are different scopes. Available access and supported operations need checking before promising an integration.
Assess loyalty separately. Novero Loyalty shows the delivered Balance app and Remaris connection. This is not a restaurant website case study or confirmation that every other POS can be connected.
Bring the old URLs to a redesign
Share the existing site and any available visit and enquiry data. Mark what stays, what changes and which URLs are used by adverts or other websites. The launch plan should state where those old addresses lead afterwards.
Establish who manages the domain, email and hosting before the switch. Check how those accounts are connected. Agree on a copy of the current content and a recovery process if publication does not go to plan.
How to accept the finished website
- Open important pages and menus on the agreed phones and desktop browsers.
- Send a test enquiry and verify actual receipt, the success message and error handling.
- Check phone numbers, locations, opening hours, languages and external connections.
- Try the agreed editing process and verify account access.
- Review page titles, public search access, old URLs and the shared-link preview.
Ask for the checks performed for search visibility. Google describes indexing and accessible content as requirements for its AI Search features. Technical preparation helps eligibility; the service decides what to display or recommend.
What to send for an initial estimate
Share your current URL, if one exists, your offer, audience, languages and the action visitors should take. Add who will update the content, any systems involved and an important launch date. A complete technical specification is not required for the first conversation.
Request an estimate through our website design and development page. For a project involving accounts and business workflows, continue with the web-application preparation guide.