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How do web designers use underquoting with hidden fees to trap web design clients and increase project cost and how do you? In this article, I discuss how underquoting with hidden fees can mislead business owners into agreeing to web design services that appear initially affordable but gradually become more expensive due to additional charges.
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- Price of Small Business Website Design
- Price of Ecommerce Website
- Price of Startup Business Website
- Price of One-Page Website
- Pricing of Web Design
A designer might initially quote a very low price to win a project but later add hidden fees for essential features or services such as SEO, SSL certificates, or content uploads. This strategy can leave the client paying far more than expected once the project progresses.
When embarking on a new website design project, the price is often a primary concern for many business owners. It’s tempting to go for the designer or agency that offers the lowest quote, but this is where some unscrupulous web designers can take advantage of clients by underquoting upfront and then adding hidden fees later in the project.
This practice leaves clients facing unexpectedly high costs, and it can damage the trust in the working relationship. Here’s a detailed exploration of how this underquoting with hidden fees works and how business owners can avoid falling victim to it.
The Appeal of a Low Quote
At first glance, a lower price from a web designer can seem like a win for your business. In an industry where prices for custom websites can vary significantly, some designers will offer very attractive initial quotes, sometimes undercutting their competitors by a large margin.
They might justify this by suggesting they can deliver the same quality of work for less or by leaving out detailed explanations of what their quoted price covers. This often appeals to small businesses working within tight budgets.
And as the project progresses, hidden costs begin to emerge. Many of the essential features or services that were assumed to be included in the initial quote are suddenly treated as add-ons or extras, which the client has to pay for if they want their website to function as expected.
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Common Hidden Fees
Here are some popular hidden fees charged by many web designers, and you should look out for them;
1. SEO Services
While Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential for any website to be visible to search engines like Google, some web designers omit this from their initial quote, treating it as a premium service. You might find that the low price you were quoted only covers the bare minimum – building the site – while optimizing it for search engines is an added expense.
This is especially problematic because a website without SEO will likely struggle to attract traffic, making it far less effective as a business tool.
2. SSL Certificates
Security is critical for any website, especially those handling sensitive customer data or online transactions. An SSL certificate, which encrypts data and provides that reassuring “padlock” in a browser’s address bar, is a must.
Unfortunately, some designers will build the website but leave SSL certificates out of the initial quote, only to surprise the client with the additional cost later.
It might interest you that many modern professional web hosting companies offer a free SSL certificate as part of the web hosting costs anyway.
3. Content Uploads
Another common tactic is charging extra for uploading content like text, images, and videos. You might assume that your designer will handle this as part of the package, but in some cases, the initial quote covers only the technical design of the website.
Once the site structure is complete, the client might find that they need to pay more to have the actual content uploaded and properly formatted on each page.
4. Responsive Design for Mobile
In today’s mobile-first world, a website that isn’t optimized for mobile devices can lose a significant portion of potential customers.
Despite this, some web designers may present mobile responsiveness as a costly add-on rather than including it in the standard package. The client is then forced to pay extra to ensure their website functions well on smartphones and tablets, even though this feature should be standard.
Why Designers Use This Approach
Underquoting with hidden fees is primarily a sales tactic designed to win projects by offering what appears to be the best deal. For many clients, especially those unfamiliar with web design pricing, a lower quote seems like the smartest choice.
Designers employing this tactic rely on the fact that once a client is halfway through the project, they are unlikely to switch providers, despite the unexpected additional costs. The designer can then charge for essential features that should have been part of the core package from the beginning.
In some cases, designers may not even disclose these additional fees upfront, only introducing them once certain stages of the project are completed. This leaves the client with little choice but to pay more, or risk having an incomplete or poorly functioning website.
How Business Owners Can Protect Themselves
The best way to avoid falling victim to hidden fees is to ask detailed questions before signing any contract with a web designer.
Ensure that every essential service, such as SEO, SSL certificates, mobile responsiveness, and content uploads, is clearly discussed and included in the initial proposal. Request a comprehensive breakdown of what the quoted price covers and confirm that it includes all critical components necessary for a fully functional website.
My advice would be to prefer designers who display transparent pricing on their websites, as this often indicates a commitment to clarity and fairness. Make sure to get everything in writing, so there are no misunderstandings or unexpected costs later in the project.
Additionally, compare quotes from multiple designers to understand what the industry standards are for the services you need. If one quote seems significantly lower than the others, it could be a red flag that hidden costs will emerge later. Transparent designers will often provide a clear, itemized quote with no surprises, and these are the designers you want to work with.
In conclusion, while an attractively low quote may seem appealing at first, hidden fees can quickly turn what appeared to be an affordable project into an expensive one. By taking the time to thoroughly vet your web designer and their pricing practices, you can avoid being caught off guard and ensure your project is completed within your budget.