Start with the job the website must do
Before asking for a quote, write down what a successful visit looks like. Does someone need to call you, send a WhatsApp message, book a service, buy a product, or log in to an account? A simple company site designed to generate enquiries is a different project from an online shop or a customer portal. Both may be called a “website,” but they require different design, testing, security and ongoing work.
For many small businesses, the first useful version is a homepage, a clear description of services, an about page and a contact page. That can be enough to show what you do and let the right people reach you. More pages make sense when each one answers a distinct customer question. Adding pages just to make a package feel larger does not necessarily make the site more helpful.
Typical starting points at LionTech
Our Essential Website starts at S$490 for up to four essential pages. It includes a branded responsive layout, WhatsApp and enquiry paths, basic page-level search foundations, deployment, two revision rounds and a 30-day defect warranty. It is intended for a content-ready business that needs a clean, custom online presence—not a booking engine, shop, login or database.
A Business Website starts at S$1,290 when you need more pages, a content-management option where appropriate, more detailed service content or advanced forms. A Shop / Booking site starts at S$2,490 because payments, availability, emails and the admin process need extra planning and testing. Mobile apps, CRMs and other business tools are quoted after we understand the workflow. These are our starting prices, not market averages or a promise that every project fits a fixed package.
What changes the price?
Content is one of the biggest variables. If you already have approved words, a logo and usable images, the build can move faster. If you need someone to interview your team, decide the page structure, write persuasive copy, source photography and seek approvals, that is a separate body of work. A quote should say who provides each asset and when it is needed.
Functionality matters too. A contact form is much simpler than a booking calendar that checks availability, takes payment, sends reminders and lets staff manage changes. A basic product catalogue is different from a shop with stock, delivery rules, discounts and returns. Integrations also depend on whether the other tool has a reliable API and whether your team has access to it. The more moving parts, the more time is needed to test what happens when something fails.
Do not forget the costs outside the build
A website usually needs a domain name and hosting. Depending on the project, it may also use business email, licensed fonts or images, a paid booking or ecommerce service, a payment provider and a maintenance arrangement. Those services may be billed by third parties on a recurring basis. Ask who owns the accounts, who receives the bills and what happens if you later change providers.
At LionTech, domain, hosting, premium licences, paid stock, email hosting and third-party charges are separate from the S$490 build. We identify known dependencies in a written quote. LionTech is not GST-registered, so we do not charge GST. Your own accounting and tax treatment is something to check with your adviser; a website quote should not try to answer it for you.
Template, site builder or custom website?
A do-it-yourself builder can be a sensible choice if you have time to learn the tool, your needs are standard and you are happy to maintain the site yourself. A template-based service can get a familiar layout online quickly. The trade-off is that your content may have to fit the template and you may have limited control over how the site works or moves to another provider.
A custom site can be a better fit when your brand, message or enquiry journey needs more attention, or when you expect the site to grow. Custom does not mean every component must be invented from scratch. It means the result is planned for your business, and the scope, ownership and third-party dependencies are clear. Ask to see what you receive at handover, not just the homepage mockup.
How to compare two quotes fairly
Put the proposals side by side and compare deliverables: number and type of pages, mobile behaviour, content responsibility, forms, analytics, search basics, revisions, accessibility checks, launch support and warranty. Look at whether a quote includes design and development or only the assembly of supplied content. A lower price can be right for a smaller job; it is less useful if you discover after paying that your core requirement is excluded.
Ask how changes are handled. When you request an extra page or a new feature halfway through, you should know whether it is included, billed at an agreed rate or separately quoted. Also ask what “done” means: which devices and forms will be tested, who approves the final version, and what happens if a defect appears after launch. These questions are more useful than asking for a vague promise that everything is included.
What to prepare before you enquire
You do not need a technical specification. A short brief is enough: what your business sells, who it serves, the main action you want visitors to take, the pages you think you need, examples you like, your preferred deadline and a realistic budget range. If you have an existing domain or site, say who manages it. If several people need to approve the work, decide who gives consolidated feedback.
Gather your logo, current business details, service descriptions, photos you have rights to use and any legal text your business requires. It is fine if some of this is not ready—just flag it, because the timeline begins when approved content and the deposit arrive. A good adviser can help separate what is essential for launch from what can come in a later phase.
What happens after launch?
A website is not a set-and-forget promise. Contact details change, services evolve, software needs updates and enquiries need to reach the right person. Decide who will make routine edits, keep backups and check that forms still work. If your provider offers a monthly care plan, ask exactly which updates and response times it covers. A warranty fixes defects against the agreed build; it is not the same as unlimited content changes.
After launch, look at the questions customers actually ask and the pages they visit. Improve confusing sections, add genuinely useful answers and keep contact paths obvious. Search traffic can take time and depends on many factors outside the website itself. No responsible provider can guarantee a particular ranking, but a clear, useful, technically sound site gives you a better foundation for future marketing.
Questions worth asking before you sign
Who owns the domain, hosting account and commissioned source code? Will you be able to export your content? What will the site look like on a small phone, and how will someone using a keyboard navigate it? Where do form submissions go, and what happens if email delivery fails? Who is responsible for keeping third-party services current? Ask these questions in writing, even for a small project. The answers make the handover and future support much easier.
Ask what is excluded as well as included. A package may cover a form but not a custom customer database; it may include deployment but not a year of hosting. A good quote makes those boundaries visible without burying them in jargon. If something important is uncertain, agree on how it will be investigated before treating the estimate as a firm promise.
Plan for useful content, not just a launch date
Visitors arrive with questions: what you do, who it is for, what it costs or how pricing works, where you serve, and how to get started. Each page should answer the question it promises to answer. Photos of your real work, a straightforward process and clear contact details can make a site more convincing than generic claims. Do not publish testimonials, client logos or outcomes without permission and a way to support them.
After the site goes live, keep a short list of customer questions you hear in calls and messages. Those are candidates for useful service-page improvements and future articles. Measure whether enquiries are relevant, not only whether visits increase. If a page attracts many visitors but leaves them confused, more traffic will not fix the experience. That is why the smallest useful website is a starting point, not the end of the work.
The short answer
The right price is the cost of a clearly defined website that does the job you need now, with ownership and future costs understood. Start with your customer’s next step, then ask for a quote that spells out the work.