The short answer
A web design proposal template needs eight parts: the client's goal in their words, what you'll build, what's left out, the timeline, the price, what you need from them, what happens after launch, and how to say yes. Keep it to two pages and send it within a day of your call.
Ask these questions first
A proposal written without a conversation is a guess. Spend 15 minutes on the phone, and write down their exact words, because you'll use them.
- What made you start thinking about a website now?
- Which jobs do you want more of, and which fewer?
- What's a good new customer worth to you?
- What do customers ask you most?
- Whose website do you like, and why?
- Who else has a say in this?
- When do you want it live, and is something driving that date?
- What have you set aside for this?
If they won't answer the last one, give a range and watch the reaction. "Sites like this usually run between $1,000 and $3,000. Does that fit what you had in mind?" It saves you writing a proposal for someone with $200.
The template, section by section
This works as a website proposal template for most small business jobs. Copy the sample text and replace it with your own. The business, the names and the numbers are made up.
1. Title and summary
A busy owner reads the first lines and the price, so put both at the top.
A new website for Northside Plumbing
Prepared for Dana Ortiz by Sam Rivera, Rivera Web, on [date]. Good until [date 14 to 30 days out].
In short: a five-page website, live on your own web address within two weeks, for $1,500 plus $99 a month. See the draft at [demo link].
2. What you told me
This is the section that wins the job, because it shows you listened. Use their words, and skip the jargon.
You told me most of your work comes from word of mouth, and that people who hear your name search for you and find only an old directory listing. You lose emergency calls at night because nothing shows you offer them. You'd like more water heater and drain jobs and fewer small faucet calls.
3. What I'll build
List what they'll get in terms they can check when it's done.
- Five pages: home, services, emergency service, about and contact.
- A call button on every page on phones.
- A quote form that emails you each request.
- Your service area, listed by town.
- Reviews you choose, used with your permission.
- Search basics: page titles, a sitemap and a Google Search Console connection.
- Your own web address, with HTTPS.
4. What's not included
This is the section people skip, and it's the one that saves you later. Say it plainly, and say how to add things.
- New photography. I'll use the photos you send and licensed stock photos.
- Logo design.
- Taking payments online.
- Paid ads and ongoing search work.
I can't promise a place in search results or a number of calls, and nobody honest can. If you want something added, I'll quote it first.
5. Timeline
Dates depend on them as much as you, so show both sides.
| Step | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit, facts and photos | You | Day 0 |
| First draft to review | Me | Day 3 |
| Your first round of changes | You | Day 5 |
| Second draft and final changes | Both | Day 8 |
| Domain connected, site live | Me | Day 10 |
These dates assume I have your facts and photos on day 0, and your changes within two business days. If either runs late, the launch moves by the same amount.
6. Price
Give the total, what it covers and when it's due. Use your own figures from the web design pricing calculator.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Build and launch, with two rounds of changes | $1,500 |
| Monthly plan: hosting, small changes and a short monthly note | $99 a month |
Half of the build fee is due to start, and half before launch. The monthly plan starts the month the site goes live, and you can cancel with 30 days' notice. Extra rounds of changes are $[rate] an hour, quoted first.
7. What I need from you
Owners stall here, so make the list short and specific.
- Your logo, if you have one, and 5 to 10 photos of your work.
- Your correct hours, phone number, service area and license number.
- Access to your domain, or someone who can add two records to it.
- One person who can approve changes.
8. After launch
This is where you explain the monthly plan and settle ownership before anyone has to ask.
Each month I'll make your small changes, such as new hours, prices, photos or staff, and send you a short note with what came in through the site. You own your domain and your content. If you ever leave, I'll explain what you can take with you and help you move it.
Only write what's true for your setup. If the site runs on a hosted builder, say so, and say what leaving involves.
9. How to say yes
End with one step. Don't make them hunt for it.
To go ahead, reply "yes" to this email or sign below, and pay the deposit at [payment link]. I'll send our short agreement and start the day the deposit arrives.
Questions? Call me at (555) 555-0142.
Accepted by [name and signature], on [date].
One option or three
Start with one when you know what they need. A single clear recommendation shows you've thought about it, and it suits a short call with a busy owner.
Use two or three when the budget is uncertain or the owner is comparing quotes.
| Essentials | Recommended | Full | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pages | 1 | 5 | 10, one for each service |
| Rounds of changes | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Monthly note | No | Yes | Yes |
| Build fee | $600 | $1,500 | $3,500 |
| Monthly plan | $49 | $99 | $149 |
Make the options differ in ways an owner cares about, and make the middle one the one you'd pick for them. Never send more than three.
How to send it
Send it fast. The same day is best, and the next day is fine. Your interest is part of the sale.
Put the summary in the email. Many people read on a phone and won't open an attachment.
Hi Dana, thanks for your time today. Here's what we talked about: five pages, live in two weeks, $1,500 plus $99 a month. The draft is at [demo link], and the full proposal is attached. Can I call you Thursday morning to go through it?
Walk them through it. A proposal read alone gets judged on price. A proposal read together gets judged on what it does for them, and you hear the objections while you can still answer them.
Show the real thing. A demo beats a description. Client review links let an owner comment on each section of the page, so changes come back tied to the right part.
Follow up, then close the file
Most proposals don't get a same-day answer. People get busy, so a follow-up is a service.
- Day 2: call, or send one line asking what they thought.
- Day 5: make it easy to reply. "Is there anything in the proposal you'd change?"
- The day it expires: "This price runs out today. Happy to extend it if you're still deciding. If it's a no, that's fine, just let me know."
After that, stop and mark it lost. Check back in a few months if you parted on good terms.
A short version for small jobs
Two pages is too much for a $500 job. Send an email that does the same work in a few lines, and keep the same order.
Hi Luis, here's what we talked about for Harbor Auto Detail.
What you get: a one-page site with your services, your prices, photos of your work and a button to call you, on your own web address, live within a week.
Not included: new photos, a logo or online booking. I can quote those if you'd like them later.
Price: $500, half to start and half before launch, with one round of changes. Hosting and small changes are $49 a month after that, and you can stop with 30 days' notice.
What I need: your hours, your prices and 5 photos.
Reply "yes" and I'll send the agreement and a link for the deposit.
Proposal or contract
A proposal sells the work, and a contract sets out what happens when something goes wrong. For small jobs, some people combine them by adding terms and a signature to the proposal. Whether a signed proposal binds you both depends on what it says and where you are, so don't assume either way.
Our web design contract checklist covers what the agreement should include. This isn't legal advice.
What goes wrong
- A vague scope. "A modern, responsive website" means nothing when you disagree later. Count the pages.
- Too long. Twelve pages of your process and your values won't get read. Two pages about them will.
- Hiding the price. Owners flip to it first anyway, so put it near the top.
- Promising results. Never promise rankings or leads. Say what you'll build, and let the math on what one job is worth do the persuading.
- No expiry date. Without one, there's no reason to decide this month.
- Someone else's name left in. Reusing a template is fine. Sending Dana a proposal that says "Hi Priya" isn't.
Make one faster
The website proposal generator builds a proposal from your answers in your browser, with no account. Use it for the first draft, then add their words by hand. That's the part no tool can do for you.
