CODEQuestions before you reach out
The things people ask on the first call, answered here so you do not have to make the call to find out.
Cost and quoting
How much does a website cost in South Africa?
It varies enormously, which is why so many quotes are useless for comparison. Here, a 3–5 page business site starts at R3,500, a site with booking at R7,500, a database-backed system at R12,000, and an online store runs R12,000 to R15,000. Those are starting points; the quote for your specific job is fixed in writing before work begins.
Why do you publish prices when most developers do not?
Because you should be able to work out whether you can afford this before spending an hour on a sales call. Hiding pricing mostly serves the seller.
What are the payment terms?
50% deposit to start, 50% on launch. Larger builds can be split into more stages if that suits your cash flow better.
Are there ongoing fees?
Only if you choose the maintenance retainer at R350 a month, which includes hosting and domain renewal. Without it, you pay your own hosting and domain costs directly and nothing to us.
Process and timing
How long does a build take?
A basic site is usually 1–2 weeks. A booking system is 2–4 weeks. A full database-backed system with staff roles runs 3–6 weeks depending on the complexity of the rules. The most common cause of delay is waiting on content from the client side.
What do you need from me?
A conversation about how the business works, then text and images for the pages. Rough notes are fine, we shape them into finished copy. If you have no photos we will work with stock or arrange something.
Will I see it before it goes live?
Throughout. You get a private link and see it as it comes together, so feedback happens while changes are still cheap. Nothing launches without your sign-off.
What if I need changes after launch?
Small changes are quick and low-cost, or included if you are on the maintenance retainer. Bigger additions get scoped and quoted the same way the original build was.
Ownership and risk
Do I own the site and the code?
Yes. Once it is paid for, the code, the content, the database and the domain are yours. You can take it to another developer at any time and we will hand over everything needed to do that.
Do you host the site, or do I?
Either. Most clients have us set up and manage hosting so it just works, which is included in the maintenance retainer. Others prefer their own hosting and we deploy to it.
What happens if you are unavailable?
Everything is built on standard, widely-used technology and ships with documentation, so any competent developer can pick it up. You hold the credentials and the backups. This is covered in more detail on the about page.
Can you take over a site someone else built?
Often. We will look at what is there and tell you honestly whether it is worth maintaining or whether rebuilding would cost you less over time.
SEO
Is SEO included or extra?
The technical and on-page foundation is included in every build at no extra cost: page structure, titles, descriptions, schema markup, sitemap, Google Business Profile and Search Console. Ongoing content and link work is separate and only worth doing in competitive markets.
Can you guarantee a first-page ranking?
No, and nobody legitimately can. Google does not sell positions. What is promised is the specific work, and the ranking data so you can judge the outcome yourself.
How long until SEO works?
Local searches typically show movement in 4–8 weeks and meaningful traffic by three months. Competitive national terms take six months or more.
Still have a question?
Ask it directly. We would rather answer it than have you guess.