Website design quotes can vary by dozens of times because each provider bundles different items. Here are 6 real cost components to compare fairly.
For the same request to build a company website, businesses can get quotes ranging from 5 million to 150 million VND. This gap isn’t because someone is overcharging — it’s because each quote bundles different items. Understanding the cost components is the only way to compare fairly.
1. Domain and hosting
A .vn or .com.vn domain costs a few hundred thousand dong per year. Hosting depends on storage and traffic, typically running from one to several million dong per year. This is a recurring cost, not a one-time payment — many “all-inclusive” quotes only cover the first year free, and you pay it yourself starting year two.
Ask clearly: whose name is the domain registered under? If it’s registered under the design agency’s name, you’ll run into trouble later if you want to switch providers.
2. Interface design
This is where the biggest price gap comes from. Using a ready-made template is cheap and fast, but your website will look like thousands of others. A custom design built around your brand identity costs more, but in return you get something no one else has.
The question to ask isn’t “how much does it cost” but “how many other businesses are using this same template.”
3. Functional development
A company profile website is entirely different from an e-commerce site with a shopping cart, payment processing, and inventory management. Each function represents its own amount of work. List the functions you need before asking for a quote, rather than letting the provider guess.
4. Content and images
The most commonly overlooked cost. A beautiful website with product photos shot on a phone and hastily written copy wastes all the design effort. Budget for content writing and photography from the start.
5. SEO built into the structure
This is where money most often gets spent twice. A website built without SEO in mind usually needs its URL structure, title tags, and load speed reworked later — more expensive than getting it right the first time. SEO isn’t an add-on item; it’s how the site should be built.
6. Maintenance and updates
A website is software, and software needs security patches, regular backups, and platform updates. Skip this and within a year or two the site becomes vulnerable to attacks or simply falls out of date.
How to compare quotes correctly
Line up the quotes side by side and check off each of the six items above. Cheap quotes usually leave out items 4, 5, and 6 — the three that determine whether a website actually brings in customers or just sits there.
SMO Media quotes by clearly itemized categories, so you can see exactly what you’re paying for. See our full website design service or contact us for advice tailored to your needs.
