Steps to Commission a Website for Your Local Business

Ordering a website shouldn't feel like a leap of faith, but for many Dominican business owners it does — you know you need one, you're not technical, and you're not sure what to ask for, what it should cost, or how to avoid paying for something that never launches. The fix is knowing the process in advance. Here are the steps to commission a website for your local business, in the order they should actually happen.

Step 1: Define what the website is for

Before contacting anyone, answer one question: what should this website do for the business? Get calls and WhatsApp messages? Take bookings? Sell products? Show up on Google when tourists search for what you offer? A clear goal changes everything downstream — the pages you need, the features, and the price. It also determines the type of site: a business that just needs to convert ad traffic into inquiries may only need a landing page, while one that needs to rank on Google needs a full website. We break down that decision in does my business need a website or a landing page?

Step 2: Set a realistic budget

You can't evaluate quotes without a reference point. In the Dominican Republic in 2026, a professional landing page runs around US$400 and a complete business website around US$950, with e-commerce, multilingual support, and custom features adding to that. Anything dramatically cheaper usually means a template with your logo dropped in — and hidden costs later, as we explain in the real cost of a cheap website. Our full pricing breakdown is in how much a website costs in the Dominican Republic in 2026.

Step 3: Gather your content before development starts

The single most common cause of delayed website projects isn't the developer — it's missing content. Photos, service descriptions, prices, your logo, contact details, testimonials. Collecting this before the project starts can cut weeks off the timeline. Our guide on how to prepare content for a new website covers exactly what to gather.

Step 4: Write a short brief

A brief is one page that tells a developer what you need: what the business does, who your customers are (locals, tourists, or both — it matters for language), the goal from Step 1, examples of sites you like, and your budget range. This document is what turns vague conversations into comparable quotes. We have a full template in how to brief a web developer.

Step 5: Choose who will build it

With a brief in hand, get two or three quotes and compare them on the same terms. Look at real portfolios (and verify the sites are actually live), ask who will own the domain and the site when it's done — the answer must be you — and confirm what's included: mobile design, basic SEO, connection to WhatsApp, Google Maps, and Instagram, and support after launch. If you're hiring locally in the east of the country, we've written a dedicated guide on how to hire a web designer in Punta Cana, and on the local-vs-foreign question, see local vs international web development.

Step 6: Agree on scope, timeline, and payments in writing

Before any money moves, get a simple written agreement covering: the exact pages and features included, the delivery timeline, the payment schedule (a deposit plus a balance at launch is normal; 100% upfront is not), how many revision rounds are included, and what happens after launch (hosting, maintenance, updates). This protects both sides and is the mark of a professional — someone who resists putting things in writing is telling you something.

Step 7: Stay involved during the build

A good developer will show you progress and ask for feedback at defined points — typically after the design concept and again before launch. Respond quickly; most "slow" projects are actually waiting on the client. Our guide to planning a web project with your developer explains how this collaboration works when it works well.

Step 8: Launch with a checklist, not a shrug

A launch is more than the site going live. Verify it loads fast on a phone, every button and form works, WhatsApp links open correctly, Google can find it, and analytics are running — the full list is in our Dominican business website launch checklist. And confirm you have the keys: domain access, hosting access, and an agreed plan for maintenance.

What this looks like with us

At DR Web Studio this whole process is built in: you can start with our project planner, which walks you through the brief step by step, we quote fixed prices from a public pricing page, you own everything, and the first year of maintenance is included. It matters more than ever — with seven in ten Dominican adults now buying online, the businesses that commission their website properly are the ones ready for those customers.

Ready to start? Contact us for a free consultation — bring your Step 1 answer and we'll handle the rest with you.