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Guidelines to Writing a Web Design Proposal
October 3, 2011 by Nathan PowellWeb Design
Writing website proposals is boring. There are no two ways about it, but they’re a necessary evil.
The proposal is the final push before our client signs on the dotted line. We need to make sure
we have all our bases covered and that we project, as always, an image of professionalism.
writing a web design proposalPhoto Credit: Stacey Shintani
Whether you intend to create your website proposals in Word, Indesign, or use an online service
to help you out, its important that you know what you’re doing.
Company Information
This refers as much to your company as to theirs. Include your contact information in a concise,
unobtrusive manner. This can be placed in the footer if you like, but I also recommend that you
include it in full on the front page. Make sure your proposal is made out to a specific person, with
a name. A proposal to “The Marketing Department” is more of a long shot than a proposal.
Project Overview: Research your client
research your clientPhoto Credit: Rafael Anderson Gonzales Mendoza
The hopes and dreams of your client. What does your client expect to get from this website, what
are their objectives and goals? Here is where we let the client know that we understand what they
need, and where they want to go with this project. This can be a brief paragraph setting the
scene.
The Client’s Problem
Usually a client comes to you with a problem. Whether that problem is the lack of a website, or
that their landing page has a bounce rate of 90%. We need to identify their problem and address
it. Here we make a list of all the problems our client is facing. Explain to them that they can find
your killer solutions below the list. Short and sweet.
Site design is outdated.
Contact form no longer works.
Gallery is impractical both to use and update.
Site was designed using tables and has no CMS.
Home page has a bounce rate of 90%
Etc.
Project Solutions: Research your solutions
All the above negativity has to be counter balanced with blinding positivity and clear solutions. For

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example our client has a very old website that is in desperate need of an overhaul…so instead of
saying:
Macintosh Clothing needs their website redesigned. It’s 6 years old, looks very old school, and
not in a good way. It needs something funky for todays youthful market…
Try a different approach. The fact that the site is 6 years old makes for many problems, that
should be addressed individually. What will a redesign do for Macintosh Clothing? Apart form
aesthetics, why should they update their site? Try something along the lines of:
Macintosh Clothing is finding that technology has passed them by, and with it the search engines.
The website was built using technologies no longer relevant to today’s modern broswers. The
Macintosh Clothing site was built using tables. This creates problems with search engines, while
also making updates a laborious task. Any updates to such an antiquated system can be a long,
costly affair. Google reads web sites in the order in which the HTML is written, therefore tables
can result in…
You could, and probably should, spend a good few paragraphs outlining your solutions. It’s a pain
but we can’t afford to be wishy washy. This is where our previous client research pays off. Let’s
not forget, all that information we got from our project planner wasn’t just to make us appear
conscientious.
Other Considerations
Sometimes there are items that are not necessarily requested but are good to mention anyway.
You may even make an extra sale!
For example if you offer hosting, now is the time to mention it. If you offer logo design, now is the
time to mention it. It’s up to you if you want to discuss pricing here, or save it until the final costing
estimate.
I offer maintenance plans to all my customers, some take it, some don’t. I let them know what the
package includes, and inform them that they can find prices at the end of my proposal.
Development Timeline
project development timePhoto Credit: Grufnik
How long will everything take? There’s a lot to take into account:
Research, Wireframes, Sitemap design, Initial Designs, Design Revision, Design Approval, Final
PSD’s, XHTML/CSS, CMS and configuration, Testing & Debugging, Cross-browser fixes, Client
Testing, Setup, We’re live!
How you lay this out is up to you. Some use graphs, some text, but make it easy to read and
don’t forget to inform the client that all times are approximate. It takes two to tango, if your client
isn’t fulfilling their side of the deal then it’s impossible for you to deliver on time. Make sure you
have this stipulated in your agreement/contract.
Costing Estimate
Ideally this should be laid out in table format, making it easy to scan. The client can see what
each item costs without the need to dig. Let them know why they’re paying 3.000€, tell them
what’s involved etc. It’s also handy to add any common items that haven’t been requested…just
incase. The client should know, that if further down the road they decide to ask for extras then it
will cost them X. Again, we need to be clear with our pricing structure. There can be no room for
misunderstandings.

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It’s also a good thing to include your pricing schedule. Most designers use a milestone system. I
usually request 30% upon the signing of our agreement, another 30% upon approval of the initial
designs, and the remaining 40% before handing the site over to the client. Some people ask for
50% up front. Go with what feels comfortable. Make sure you do get a deposit. Any client who
refuses to pay upfront for your services is not worth working with. You can almost guarantee
problems.
Again you can use a graph, illustration or simple plain text to let your client know your payment
schedule. Make sure they are aware of how you work. After all it’s not like going to a shop where
you pay for the product at the till. We as designers invest a lot of time in our projects, and there is
always a risk that some people will decide not to pay on time. Get it up front and get it in writing.
Conditions & Contracts
signing a web design contractPhoto Credit: Frank McMains
Here’s where you lay down the law. State what you expect from your client and what they can
expect from you. Only recently I began including my work agreement (contract) within the
proposal. If the client is happy with everything, they can sign off that very day, get your transfer
done and you can begin. Before, I would send the proposal, wait for the OK and then send the
work agreement. This way I save time and kill two birds with one stone.
Writing a contract is for another article and can be a bit of a pain, but it’s your only back up, so
make sure it’s air tight.
What’s Next?
Be sure to let your client know what comes next. If they agree to the proposal, what should they
do? Do they need to sign a print off and email it back to you, or simply respond by way of email?
Let them know. Don’t make them guess.
Once last thing I would suggest, even after spell checking your proposal. Get someone to read it
through. It’s very rare if something hasn’t slipped through the net.
Online Options
If you would like to take a look at some of the online options available for creating proposals, then
check out the links below.
Bid Sketch
WP Bids (self hosted)
Quote Roller
Quote Robot
Proposable
Proposal Pad
Socket App
Nusii
How do you create your proposals, what do you include? Everyone has their preferred method. If
you have any ideas or comments, jump right in.
Good luck!
No related posts.
Author: Nathan Powell (7 Posts)

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Nathan is a visual designer living in Madrid, Spain. He's author of The Designers Guide to
Freelancing and founder of nusii an online proposal platform for designers and creative types.
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