In order to get a quote, you will obviously need to make contact with a few of the website design companies that you have selected in your screening process (see Screening Companies) You can usually make contact using their website contact forms or they will provide you with relevant email or telephone contact details. Keep a note of who you contacted and when, as the length of time that they take to respond will also give you an idea of how organised they are.

Before you make contact, you should have a pretty good idea of what kind of website design you have in mind (see Planning Your Website). They are probably going to ask you a lot of questions about your website, so make sure you have this information handy. The more information you can give you prospective website designer, the more accurate a quote they can provide.

The Quoting Process

In general, you should expect a response no later than two days after you sent out your request. Any longer than that and the company might be too busy to handle your project. Of course there could be any number of reasons why they haven’t got back to you so if you really think they are worth the effort, try calling them or contacting them again.

When the company does respond, they might have some more questions to ask you in order to get more information about your venture. Take this as a good sign, and try to be as helpful as you possibly can. The more they know, the more likely it is that they are going to be able to provide you with a suitable solution for the right price.

Next they will probably suggest what they think is the best option for you based on your brief and your proposed budget. Even with all your learning and research on the subject, this is where things get tricky, but you can increase the chances of making the right choice by doing the following:

- Ask lots of question. There is no such thing as a stupid question; you have every right to try and understand what they are offering you.

Remember your two most important questions to ask yourself:

1. Will this benefit my business?
2. Can I afford it?

- Don’t allow yourself to be pressured in to taking something you don’t want or need. If you feel that this is the case, make it clear to the salesperson that you need some time to decide.
- If you are really confused, there is no reason to feel pressured into making a snap decision. We would be happy to review your brief and all the quotes that have been sent to you and give you some advice as to the next best step. If you would like some advice on your quotes, why not visit our WebWise Advice Centre to learn more about how we can help you...

Once you have got your website design quote and are satisfied with what the company is proposing to do for you, its time to review the pricing. Don’t be afraid to ask the company to be more competitive in their pricing if your budget feels too tight. Very often, website designers are willing to come down in price, so you only need to ask. If they refuse, however, you have two options:

1. Find out from them what they can do within your budget. There’s a good chance that they can still provide you with a solution that will cater to your needs, (if slightly scaled down) that won’t break your bank.

2. If this is not a feasible option, your only other choice is to find another website design company.

Lastly, you need to know what kind of development timescale you can expect. If you have a particular deadline in mind, tell them. The website design company will either agree to this timescale, or give you reasons why they cannot feasibly achieve this deadline and provide alternatives. As you are not their only client, and they have other commitments too, try to be as flexible as possible on the time issue without letting them get away with too much.

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