Why a website has no fixed price
A website is closer to a custom job than a product on a shelf. Two sites with the same number of pages can differ many times over in effort: one runs on a ready template with a couple of forms, the other has customer accounts, Click and Payme checkout, and a link to your inventory system.
That is why a contractor who names a final figure after one Telegram message is either guessing or padding the quote against their own risk. A more useful question than “how much is a site?” is “what will one lead or order from it cost me?”
What the cost is made of
Most of the price is specialists’ time: an analyst, a designer, a developer, a tester and a manager who keeps the project on schedule. The more of the items below you need, the more hours go into the estimate.
- Site type: business card site, landing page, catalog, online store, corporate portal or web service.
- Design: an adapted template or a fully custom layout with prototypes.
- Features: cart, filters, user accounts, calculators, online booking.
- Integrations: Click, Payme, Uzum, CRM, warehouse, SMS gateway, Telegram notifications.
- Languages: Uzbek, Russian and English versions each need their own content and layout checks.
- Content: copy, photos and video, either ready or to be produced.
- SEO and analytics: page structure built around search queries, counters, goals.
Freelancer, studio or agency
A freelancer is usually cheaper and fine for simple tasks, but you depend on one person: if they get sick, overloaded or disappear, the project stalls. A small studio gives you a team, though quality varies a lot in Tashkent and the regions. A full-cycle agency costs more, but it answers for more than the layout: it also wires up analytics, ads and SEO so the site actually brings in enquiries.
So compare what is included, not just the totals. Ask for live sites in your industry rather than portfolio screenshots, and agree upfront who makes edits after launch and on what terms.
Costs people forget to budget for
The development estimate is not the whole budget. Some costs come back every year, and it is better to know them before launch than after.
- Domain and hosting, including the .uz zone.
- An SSL certificate and regular backups.
- Maintenance: updates, bug fixes, security.
- Setting up online payments and contracts with payment providers.
- Photography and copywriting if you have no materials of your own.
- Advertising and SEO: a site with no traffic is a shop in a locked courtyard.
How to avoid overpaying
Start with a short brief: what you sell, who the customer is, and what a visitor should do, whether that is call, message you in Telegram, leave a request or pay. A clear goal saves more than any haggling, because unneeded sections and rework disappear.
Split the project into stages. Launch a working version with the essentials first, then add features once you see real results. Put the scope, acceptance stages, rights to code and design, and access to your domain and hosting into the contract. Those should belong to you, not to the contractor.
How to tell whether the site pays off
Without analytics you cannot. Connect Google Analytics or Yandex Metrica and set goals: form submissions, phone calls, clicks into a Telegram bot, payments. Then you can see where enquiries come from and what each one costs.
For example, a clothing shop in Fergana can compare how many orders came from Instagram ads and how many from search, then move budget accordingly. A site that runs unmeasured means paying blind.
Where to start
Write down the goal, list the features you need, and collect two or three offers from different types of contractors, checking scope line by line. If you want an independent view, the markdev team can review your task and explain which kind of site fits your business and what its budget will consist of. Get in touch and we will talk it through with no obligation.
FAQ
Why won’t contractors give a price straight away?
Because the workload depends on site type, features, integrations and content. Without a brief any figure is a guess, so serious teams clarify the task first.
Is a website builder a cheaper option?
For a simple business card site or an idea test, yes. As the business grows, limits on integrations, SEO and flexibility appear, and moving off the builder can cost more.
What do I keep paying for after launch?
Domain, hosting, security certificate, maintenance and usually promotion. Include these in the budget from the start.
How do I compare offers from different developers?
Look at scope, stages, timelines, post-launch support and who owns the rights to the site. Identical totals can hide very different amounts of work.
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