"I need a website" is not a brief

It could be five static pages or a booking system with payments. Quoting before you know which is how a two-week job becomes three months, unpaid.

The questions that change the price

1. How many pages, and who writes the content?
2. Do you have logo, photos and text ready, or do we create them?
3. Does anything need a login?
4. Do you take payments online? Which provider?
5. Will you update it yourself, or send changes to me?
6. Do you have hosting and a domain already?
7. Is there a deadline, and what is driving it?

Content is the usual delay

The build finishes and then everyone waits six weeks for photographs and text. Say it in writing early: the timeline starts when content arrives.

Write it down and get agreement

A one-page summary: what is included, what is not, what you need from them, the timeline and the price. Email it and ask them to confirm.

The most valuable line in any quote

NOT included: logo design, copywriting, product photography, ongoing SEO, hosting fees, an admin panel, monthly maintenance.

Nearly every difficult conversation later is about something one side assumed was included. Naming the exclusions prevents almost all of them.