What affects the cost of a business website in Bangladesh

The cost of a business website depends far more on what it has to do than on how many pages it has. Two quotes for "a website" can be very far apart because they describe different work: one may be a template with your logo, the other a designed, written and tested site with booking, payments and training for your staff. This guide does not quote prices, because they change and depend on your exact scope. Instead it walks through the factors that set the cost, so you can read any quote with confidence.

Scope: what the site must do

Scope is the biggest factor. A site that presents your services and collects enquiries is a smaller job than one that takes orders, payments or bookings.

Pages and templates

Ten pages that share one layout are less work than ten pages that each need a unique design. Ask how many distinct page templates are involved, not only how many pages.

Features

Each feature adds design, building and testing time: a product catalogue, search and filters, user accounts, an appointment calendar, a quotation form, a dealer login. Make two lists, the features you truly need at launch and the ones that can wait.

Integrations

Connecting to other systems is where hidden effort often lives: a payment gateway for bKash, Nagad and cards, a courier's system, your accounting software, an SMS service or a CRM. Each connection needs set-up, testing and someone to handle it when the other side changes. If you plan to take payments online, first read how payment gateway integration works.

Design: template or made for you

A ready-made theme adjusted with your colours and logo is quicker. A custom design starts from your brand, your customers and your content, which takes research, drafts and rounds of feedback. Neither is wrong. A new business testing its market may be well served by a clean template; an established brand selling to foreign buyers may need something more distinctive.

Ask how many rounds of design changes are included. A promise of unlimited revisions usually signals a vague scope, which leads to disputes later.

Content: the work everyone underestimates

Words and photos are a common reason websites launch late. Someone has to write service descriptions, the About text, FAQs and product details, and in many Bangladeshi businesses that means writing in both Bangla and English. Professional photography, product photos and translation are separate pieces of work.

Decide early who will write and supply content: you, your team or the developer. A quote that assumes you provide all content will look smaller than one that includes writing, even if the second is the better deal.

Platform and build approach

A site built on WordPress with existing plugins usually takes less effort to build than custom code, though it can cost more to maintain if it relies on many plugins. Custom development costs more up front but fits unusual workflows. The comparison of WordPress and custom websites covers this choice in detail.

Quality work also includes things you cannot see: making the site fast on mobile data, working on small Android screens, basic SEO set-up, security hardening and testing on several devices. A very low quote often leaves these out.

Running costs after launch

The build is not the last bill. Plan for:

• Domain renewal, usually yearly.
• Hosting, which varies with the type of server and the traffic you receive.
• Business email, if you want addresses on your own domain.
• Updates and backups, especially for WordPress sites.
• Paid plugins, themes or services, many of which charge every year.
• Payment gateway charges, usually a share of each transaction; check the current terms with the provider.
• Content updates and small changes after launch.

A maintenance and backup plan turns these from surprises into known, planned costs.

How to compare quotes fairly

1. Write a short brief first: goals, pages, features, languages and who supplies content. Send the same brief to everyone.
2. Ask each developer to list in writing what is included and what is not.
3. Check who will own the domain, the hosting account and the code.
4. Ask what happens after launch: the support period, how quickly problems are handled and how later changes are charged.
5. Open real sites they have built on your own phone, on mobile data.
6. Compare like with like. A cheaper quote that leaves out content, training and testing is not really cheaper.

If you would like help turning your idea into a clear brief before you ask for quotes, get in touch, or see how my web development service works.