Compare
A once-off website or a monthly plan: what you really pay for
A once-off quote, say R2 000, usually pays for the design and the build. Hosting, your domain, your Google Business Profile, Analytics, Search Console and changes after launch tend to be extra, or left to you. Our plan includes all of them for R299 a month, with no setup fee.
- R0setup or development fee
- R299a month, with hosting, your domain and Google setup included
- No contractmonth to month, cancel any time
What it costs
Our monthly price is the whole price. For a once-off build, start with the quote, then add the running costs it leaves out.
Our plan
- Setup or development feeR0
- Website, hosting and HTTPSIncluded
- .co.za domain and its renewalsIncluded
- Google Business Profile connected, review link and QR codeIncluded
- Google Search Console, and Analytics if you want itIncluded
- One website change every monthIncluded
R299 a month
R3 588 over 12 months, R7 176 over 24 months
A once-off build
- Design and build (example)R2 000
- Hosting+ from R99 a month
- .co.za registration and renewals+ from R109 a year
- Google Business Profile setup+ from R999 once-off
- Google Search Console and Analytics+ your time, or a quote
- Changes after launch+ from R450 an hour
R2 000 up front
With the cheapest hosting, .co.za and Google Business Profile setup we found, and 4 changes a year: R6 096 over 12 months, R9 193 over 24 months. Search Console and Analytics not included.
Side by side
What a once-off build usually covers, and what our plan includes. Every once-off quote is different, so use the left column as a list of things to ask about.
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Design and build
A once-off buildYour quote, say R2 000, usually paid up front, often as a deposit with the balance on completion.
Our planNo setup or development fee. We plan the pages, write the words and build the site.
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Hosting
A once-off buildA separate bill to the developer or a hosting company, for as long as the site is online. Entry plans start from about R99 a month.
Our planIncluded. Your site runs on Cloudflare's global network, with HTTPS set up and renewed for you.
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Your domain
A once-off buildOften yours to register and renew each year, from about R109 for a .co.za, or registered by the developer. Check whose name it is in.
Our planA free .co.za registered in your name, renewals included while you are a client. Or transfer yours, or keep it where it is.
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Google Business Profile
A once-off buildNot usually part of a website quote. Published setup services start from about R999 once-off.
Our planConnected to your website, help to create and verify one if you have none, and a review link with a QR code.
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Analytics and Search Console
A once-off buildOften not set up, or left to you.
Our planGoogle Search Console set up. Google Analytics set up if you want it, loaded only for visitors who accept it.
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Changes after launch
A once-off buildQuoted one by one or by the hour (published rates from about R450 an hour), unless you pay for a maintenance plan.
Our planOne change every month included. An extra one in the same month is R350.
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Commitment
A once-off buildPaid once, while the hosting and domain bills carry on.
Our planMonth to month, cancel any time. Your first payment is refunded in full if you cancel within 7 days.
Five things a once-off quote often leaves out
Each one costs money or time after the website is built. Here is what we do, and the question to ask anyone who quotes you a once-off price.
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No development fee
A once-off build puts the biggest cost up front, before your website has brought in a single enquiry. Quotes vary with the number of pages, who writes the words and who prepares the photos.
With usWe charge no setup or development fee. Your first month of R299 starts the build, we usually send your preview link within a few days, and nothing goes live until you approve it.
Ask a once-off provider: What does the quote include: how many pages, who writes the words, and are my photos prepared for me?
- 2
Hosting, included
Every website needs hosting to stay online, and it costs money for as long as the site is live. A once-off quote usually covers the build, so hosting arrives later as a separate bill, to the developer or to a hosting company.
With usHosting is part of the plan. Your site is served from Cloudflare's global network with HTTPS, and every page must score at least 95 on Google's Lighthouse mobile performance test before it first goes live.
Ask a once-off provider: Who hosts the site after launch, what does that cost each month, and who renews the security certificate?
- 3
Your domain, handled for you
Your domain is your address online, and it has to be renewed every year. With a once-off build it is often yours to register and renew, or the developer registers it, sometimes in their own name, which can make it hard to take back if you part ways.
With usWe register a .co.za in your business's name and pay every renewal for as long as you are a client. Already have a domain? Transfer it to us, or keep it where it is. Either way we copy its settings across first, so your email keeps working.
Ask a once-off provider: Whose name will the domain be registered in, and who pays the renewal each year?
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Analytics and Search Console, set up
Google Search Console shows which searches bring people to your website and tells you when Google has trouble reading it. Google Analytics shows how visitors use the site. Both are free, but each needs an account, a verification and the right settings, and a website build often stops before them.
With usWe set up Google Search Console for your domain. If you want Google Analytics, we set that up too, behind a consent banner, so it loads only for visitors who accept it.
Ask a once-off provider: Will you set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics, or is that left to me?
- 5
Your Google Business Profile, connected
For a local business, your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees: when people search for your trade in your area, Google often shows a map with business profiles near the top of the results. Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and how well known a business is (Google's tips on local ranking). A complete profile that matches your website helps with relevance, and real reviews help people choose you.
With usEvery plan includes connecting your profile to your website, with the same name, number, hours and towns on both. No profile yet? We help you create one and get through Google's verification. You also get a Google review link and a QR code for your invoices and vehicles.
Ask a once-off provider: Will you connect my Google Business Profile to the website, and help me ask customers for reviews?
Questions about monthly and once-off websites
Is a monthly plan more expensive than a once-off website?
Over time it can be, if all you need is the website and you are happy to arrange the hosting, the domain, your Google setup and every change yourself. Our plan comes to R3 588 over twelve months and R7 176 over twenty-four. Add the running costs to a once-off quote over the same months, along with what your own time is worth, and compare what each one includes.
Who owns the website?
Your business name, logo, photos, text and domain stay yours, and your domain is registered in your name. The design system, templates and software we use to build and run your site stay ours, and you may use them while your subscription is active. With a once-off build you usually receive the website itself, so ask in what form, and whether you can move it to another host.
What happens if I stop paying for the monthly plan?
There is no fixed contract. Your website stays live until the end of your last paid month, then goes offline; ask within 30 days and we send you your text and photos. Your domain stays yours, and a .co.za included in your plan is moved to the registrar you choose. If you cancel within 7 days of your first payment, we refund it in full.
Is there a setup fee or a deposit?
No. You pay your first month of R299 when you sign up, and that starts the build. We usually send your preview link within a few days, and nothing goes live until you approve it.
I already have a domain. Do I need a new one?
No. Transfer a .co.za to us and its renewals are included while you are a client, or keep it with your current provider. Either way, we copy its existing settings across before it points at the new website, so your email keeps working.
No setup fee. R299 a month, everything above included.
Sign up online in five short steps. We usually send your preview link within a few days, and nothing goes live until you approve it.