Planning a Small Business Website: What to Agree Before Hiring a Developer

A website project starts with decisions about what customers need to do, what the business can afford and who will maintain the finished site. Getting those details into a written brief gives you a clearer basis for comparing developers and their quotes.

For small and medium-sized businesses, the aim is to commission something manageable, with clear costs and responsibilities.

Start with the tasks your website needs to handle

List the main things visitors should be able to do, such as check opening hours, understand your services, request a quote or buy a product.

Then separate essential features from additions that can wait. A local business taking enquiries has different requirements from an online shop managing stock, payments and deliveries.

Make the brief specific. Instead of asking for “a better enquiry process”, explain which information the form should collect, where enquiries should go and who will respond.

If you are researching business support alongside the project, check the definition used by each scheme. The European Commission’s page on SMEs explains its EU definition; it should not be treated as confirmation that your business qualifies for a particular UK programme.

Assess developers on their proposed work

Ask potential suppliers to explain how they would deliver your brief, who would do the work and what support would be available afterwards. Request relevant examples and ask what their involvement in those projects was.

A UK address alone does not establish a developer’s technical ability, understanding of your customers or approach to legal requirements. If location matters to you, establish practical details such as working hours, meeting arrangements and whether subcontractors will be involved.

Luminary Brands markets website development, design and other digital services. Its website contains service information, project examples and a commercial enquiry form. To assess an offer from this or another agency, request a written scope, price and support terms. A supplier’s marketing page does not establish whether its service suits your project.

Compare approaches against the same brief

Ask suppliers to explain whether they propose an existing website platform, a customised template or a bespoke build, and why.

Avoid deciding solely on labels such as “custom” or “template”. Instead, ask for a demonstration of how the proposed approach would handle your essential tasks.

Useful questions include:

• Can your team update text, images and prices without developer help?
• Which features depend on paid subscriptions or extensions?
• What happens if a service or component is discontinued?
• How would another developer take over the website?
• What work would be needed to add a likely future feature?

Request separate prices for optional features. This makes it easier to decide what belongs in the initial project.

Compare the full cost, including ongoing charges

Use the same scope and time period when comparing quotes. Alongside the build price, ask each supplier to identify:

• Hosting and domain renewal charges.
• Software, theme and extension licences.
• Content writing, photography and migration costs.
• Maintenance and support fees.
• Charges for additional revisions or new features.
• Any usage or transaction charges relevant to the proposed services.
• Handover, cancellation or migration fees.

Ask whether each quoted amount includes VAT and whether recurring prices can change.

Set out payment milestones and what must be delivered at each stage. Agree how additional work will be quoted and authorised before it begins.

Turn privacy, security and accessibility into specific tasks

Rather than accepting a broad promise of a “compliant website”, ask what the supplier will implement, what they will test and what remains your responsibility.

For customer information, document what each form collects, where it goes and who can access it. Agree who will prepare and maintain privacy information and review the website’s cookies and tracking tools against current UK requirements.

For security and maintenance, ask who will manage software updates, administrator access, backups and recovery. Request a clear process for reporting problems.

Include accessibility in the brief. Ask how the supplier will test navigation, forms and content for people with different access needs, including those using a keyboard or screen reader.

Where specialist legal or technical review is needed, identify who will arrange it and include the cost in the project budget.

Agree control and handover before work starts

Record who will control the domain registration, hosting account and website administrator access.

The contract should explain what you will own, what you will use under licence and any restrictions affecting a future move to another supplier. Ask what files, content, credentials and documentation will be handed over.

Also establish whether another developer can maintain the site without permission or paid assistance from the original supplier.

These details deserve attention before signing, while you can still compare the proposed terms.

Set launch checks and ongoing responsibilities

Agree a written acceptance checklist before development begins. Depending on the project, this could cover enquiry delivery, mobile layouts, checkout steps, broken links and staff access.

Allow time for your team to test everyday tasks. Ask the supplier to distinguish between correcting a fault and charging for a change to the agreed brief.

Before launch, confirm who will handle urgent problems, what support hours apply and what happens when the initial support period ends. A response-time commitment should also explain whether it covers acknowledgement, investigation or a completed fix.

Give someone in your business responsibility for keeping contact details, prices and other content current. Keep renewal dates, supplier details and account access records somewhere the business can retrieve them.