Most web designers and agencies offer "packages" — but packages can mean very different things depending on who's selling them. Understanding what's actually inside one before you commit saves you from unpleasant surprises after launch.
What a good website package should include
A solid small business website package covers:
Design — the visual look and feel, tailored to your brand. This should feel like your business, not a generic template. Ask to see examples of previous work to understand their design style.
Development — building the actual site from the design: coding the pages, setting up navigation, making sure everything connects properly.
Mobile responsiveness — the site should work cleanly across all screen sizes. Ask whether they test on real devices, not just a browser window resized.
On-page SEO — at minimum: page titles, meta descriptions, heading structure (H1, H2s), image alt text, and a sitemap submitted to Google. This is table stakes. If a package doesn't mention SEO, ask directly what's included.
Contact form — a basic enquiry form that delivers messages to your email. This sounds obvious, but check it's actually tested before handover.
Content upload — adding your provided text and images to the site. Distinguish this from copywriting — most packages expect you to provide the content; uploading it is part of the build.
Launch — publishing the site to your domain and verifying it works. This includes setting up your SSL certificate (the padlock that makes URLs start with https://).
What's often extra — and what to ask about
Before signing anything, ask explicitly about:
Hosting. Some packages include ongoing managed hosting; others hand over the finished site and leave you to sort it yourself. Both models work, but the costs are very different. Managed hosting typically means a monthly or annual fee after launch. Self-managed hosting on a provider like SiteGround or Kinsta starts from around £8–£20/month.
Domain name. Almost always purchased separately by you. Expect £10–£15/year for a .co.uk. Some designers will buy and manage it on your behalf — if so, make sure you can access and control it yourself.
Copywriting. If you can't provide your own page text, someone has to write it. This is usually charged additionally, and rightly so — good web copy takes real skill and time.
Logo design. Web design and graphic design are different disciplines. A web designer can use your existing logo; creating one from scratch is typically an additional service or a separate engagement with a brand designer.
Blog setup. If you want to publish blog posts, ask whether this is included in the platform setup.
Ongoing support. What happens after launch? Is there a period of included support for bug fixes and small changes? Or is everything after handover charged hourly? This matters more than people realise — websites always need small tweaks in the weeks after launch.
Revisions. How many rounds of design changes are included? One round of feedback before the build is standard; multiple rounds of revisions to a live site may cost extra.
The "£99 website package" warning
You'll see very cheap packages advertised online — sometimes on Fiverr or Bark, sometimes from small agencies. These almost always mean one thing: a pre-built template dropped into a website platform, with your logo, text, and contact details swapped in.
The result looks like a website, but it's essentially the same as dozens of other sites using the same template. It won't be built for your specific audience, it likely won't perform well on Google, and it'll often sit on a shared hosting environment so slow that visitors give up before the page loads.
Questions to ask any web designer before signing
- Is hosting included, and what does it cost after year one?
- Who owns the website and domain? Can I transfer it to another provider?
- How many revisions are included?
- What exactly does the SEO include?
- What happens if I need changes after launch?
- Do you provide content or do I need to supply it?
- What platform will the site be built on?
A professional designer should have clear, specific answers to all of these. Vague answers — "we'll look after everything," "we handle all of that" without specifics — are a warning sign.
What CloudLaunch packages include
Our packages cover design, build, on-page SEO, hosting, SSL, and ongoing support — all at a fixed price with no hidden costs after launch. Get in touch and we'll walk you through exactly what's included for your project.