Written by Eric Gockel
One of the first questions we hear when starting a new project is, “How much will this cost?” The honest answer is: It depends—but that’s not as vague as it sounds.
We like to start by asking: “What’s your budget?” We know some people hesitate to answer, but here’s why it’s helpful:
Your budget helps us recommend the right CMS or e-commerce platform for your needs. For example, if you’re looking for custom features or advanced integrations, we may suggest a custom-built solution. On the other hand, if you’re working with a simpler setup and a tighter budget, a platform like Shopify might be the way to go.
If you’re satisfied with your website’s design but not the CMS itself, a replatforming might be the perfect solution.
When we know your budget and pain points, we can tailor our recommendations to ensure you get the most value without unnecessary costs.
But what if you don’t have a budget in mind yet? No problem! We can explore different options and work with you to define a path forward.
Why Discovery Matters
We recommend starting with a paid discovery phase when there are many unknowns. Think of it like hiring an architect before building a house. An architect can’t draft accurate plans without understanding your needs, and you wouldn’t expect them to work for free, hoping to recoup costs later. The same goes for web development.
We’re often asked, “Can you just give us a quote?” And we can—but there are risks. We could give you a high-end estimate to account for every possible scenario, or we could quote based on a best-case outcome. However, those often lead to unwelcome “out-of-scope” surprises down the line.
A discovery phase lets us work with your team to capture everything—business objectives, marketing needs, content, CMS requirements, and any customizations. This gives us a blueprint for the project that we can hand off to our designers and developers—or even to another agency if you prefer. We believe this step is crucial to keeping your project on track, on budget and free of unexpected hiccups.
Ready to Get Started?
If our process sounds like what you’re looking for or just want a fresh perspective, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us to see how we can help make your next project successful.
Photo by Andrew Haimerl on Unsplash