Landing page quote: why the number alone tells you nothing

"How much does a landing page cost?" is the question we get asked the most. But when someone sends us two quotes to compare, they're almost always comparing two things that have nothing to do with each other, just because both are called "landing page."

We already covered the real price ranges in Argentina and why cheap can end up costing more if it doesn't convert. This piece is about the step before that: how to read a quote before deciding whether it's expensive, cheap, or something else entirely.

The problem isn't the number, it's what it doesn't say

A $50 quote on Fiverr and a $500,000 ARS quote from an Argentine agency aren't the same product at a different price. They're two different products that happen to share the name "landing page":

• The $50 one is usually a generic template, put together in hours, with no technical SEO or performance optimization, often not even adapted to your business beyond swapping the logo.
• The $500,000 ARS one usually includes custom design, its own code (not a builder), full technical SEO, optimized performance, and some level of post-delivery support.

Neither one is "the scammer." The problem shows up when someone compares the two numbers as if they were quotes for the same job. That's where the wrong choice happens, on either side: someone overpays for a template, or someone dismisses a serious proposal thinking it's overpriced.

The five questions that break down any quote

Before looking at the number, ask the quote to answer this:

1. Custom design or template? A template adapts to you; a custom design is built for you. The difference isn't visible on the first screen, it shows up in how it behaves on mobile and whether it looks like a thousand other sites.
2. What stack does it use? A builder like Wix or Tiendanube leaves you dependent on that platform forever, with performance and customization limits. A proprietary stack (Next.js, Astro) is faster, ranks better, and the code is yours. We cover this in WordPress vs. custom site.
3. Does it include technical SEO? Title, meta description, sitemap, robots.txt, Schema.org. If it's not in the quote, that cost shows up later, when you realize you don't show up on Google.
4. What happens after delivery? Some quotes end the day the site goes live. Others include support, minor changes, or at least the option to request them without renegotiating everything from scratch.
5. Who owns the code? This is the least-asked question and the one that matters most in the medium term. If the code isn't yours, you can't switch providers without starting over.

With those five answers, two quotes can finally be compared for real. Without them, you're comparing one number against another number, with no idea what's behind either one.

Why the cheaper quote isn't actually cheaper

If the $50 quote doesn't include technical SEO or optimized performance, that cost didn't disappear: it turned into customers who never found you or who left because of a slow load. It's the same argument we make in why a cheap landing page isn't a good deal if it doesn't convert, applied here to the moment of comparing quotes instead of evaluating results.

The right quote isn't the lowest or the highest. It's the one that, with the five questions above answered, gives your business exactly what it needs, no more and no less.

How we do it at Manivela

Every quote we put together details exactly what it includes: custom design, stack, technical SEO, performance, and what happens after delivery. No fine print, no "that's quoted separately" that only shows up after you've signed.

If you have a quote from another provider and you're not sure what you're comparing, send it to us on WhatsApp. We'll tell you, using the same five questions, whether it's what your business needs.