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Turn your idea into a testable brief

List the required pages, forms, integrations, administration features and mobile behaviour. Explain which content and images you will supply. If the website takes payments or handles customer data, agree who configures those services and how access is protected. Separate essential launch features from work that can follow later.

• List pages and key visitor actions.
• Define mobile and desktop acceptance checks.
• Separate launch scope from optional additions.

Compare complete quotes

Ask whether the price includes design, coding, domain registration, hosting, licences, content entry, deployment and maintenance. A low development price can exclude recurring charges or ongoing support. Review relevant previous work, ask what the developer personally delivered, and define revision rounds and response expectations before starting.

Use milestones with actual demonstrations

For a larger project, agree separate deliverables such as approved designs, a working staging version and final deployment. Each acceptance condition should be something you can inspect. Check forms, mobile navigation and staff functions with test data. A screenshot or a public homepage alone does not demonstrate that the complete application works.

Complete the handover

Agree ownership or licensing of the code, design and content. Record domain, hosting and repository handover, backups, documentation and any warranty period. Use authorised access methods; rotate temporary access after delivery. Release payment when the agreed work is checked, and keep evidence if material parts are missing.

Common questions