3 years, two quotes: why the website with the lower quote at the start will cost you more
You get a quote for the website and you only look at one thing: the final figure. But that figure is just day one. There are two ways to pay for the same website: one that grows every year with extras to renew and unexpected work, and one that stays the same, all included in a single fee. Here we put them side by side, over 3 years, so you can decide.
In this guide (5)
You ask for a quote for the website. You get a figure. It looks fair, you sign.
The problem is that figure is a snapshot of day one, not of year three. Because with a website you don't pay once: you pay for as long as you keep it running. And the way you're made to pay for it changes everything.
Let's do something simple: let's take the exact same website and look at two different quotes. Not two websites, two ways of paying for it. Then we'll draw the line at the end of year three.
Quote A: the "piecemeal" website
In the first quote, the website costs little at the start because it's almost empty. Everything you actually need, you add later, one piece at a time, and each piece is a separate cost:
Getting found on Google? Not included, it's an extra to renew every year.
Protecting orders and customer data? Another extra.
Keeping the website fast, so customers don't get frustrated and go elsewhere? Yet another one.
Backups, so you don't lose everything if the website breaks one day? That too is often charged separately.
None of these pieces costs much on its own. It's together that they add up. And above all: they almost never go down. Every year there's something to renew.
Then there are the things that weren't written anywhere. A piece stops working. An update takes the website down. Whoever fixes it for you comes back, and you pay again. Over 3 years these surprises add up to the rest.
Here's the point of quote A: the day-one figure is never the final bill. If you want to understand where the items on a quote actually come from, we also talk about it in the guide on how much a business website costs.
Quote B: the "all-inclusive" website
In the second quote, the starting figure might be a bit higher. But it already includes everything that in quote A you paid for separately.
With KeideaCMS:
One fixed fee, one single point of contact. Getting found on Google, keeping the website fast, protecting orders, saving a backup every day: it's already included. There are no scattered extras to renew one by one.
We take care of the technical side. You upload your products from a simple panel. We handle the rest, and there's always the same Italian contact person to answer to you, 7 days a week.
The price doesn't change when you're not looking. What we tell you today is what you pay. The same in January, the same in December, no bills popping up unexpectedly at year's end.
The point of quote B is the opposite of the first: you know right away how much you'll spend, even in 3 years. It's the same logic as an all-inclusive website instead of a piecemeal one: the important things are already included, not to be bought separately.
The two quotes, side by side
We won't tell you which is better. We'll put the two accounts side by side and let you decide:
| Quote A: "piecemeal" website | Quote B: all-inclusive (KeideaCMS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting found on Google, protecting orders, keeping the website fast, backups | Extras to buy and renew separately | Already included, from day one |
| What you pay | Many scattered items, one per piece | One fixed fee |
| How it changes over the years | Grows with renewals and interventions | Stays the same |
| If something breaks | You pay for the fix again | We take care of it, no surprises |
| Who you talk to | Multiple providers passing the buck | One single person, in Italian, 7 days a week |
Over 3 years the difference shows
Look at how the two accounts move over time.
The "piecemeal" quote starts low, but rises: every year there are extras to renew, and now and then an unexpected intervention you hadn't budgeted for. Year after year the real figure drifts away from the one you signed.
The single-fee quote might start a notch higher, but it stays there. No piece to buy separately, no separate renewal, no bill at year's end. Day one and year three cost the same.
Over the long run, the quote that's lower at the start often ends up being the higher one in the end. That's why the right question isn't "how much does it cost today", but "how much does it cost me to keep it running, every year, for as long as I need it?".
In short
The same website, two quotes. The first starts low and grows, because everything important is an extra to buy and renew, plus surprises when something breaks. The second starts with a fixed fee that already includes everything and doesn't change: a single figure, a single person to deal with, and we take care of the technical side. What matters isn't just how much it costs today. What matters is how much it costs to keep it running.
And if you're not sure, we offer a guarantee: 30 days satisfied or refunded. Try it, and decide with peace of mind.
