Writing a website proposal helps your client understand what your firm plans to deliver.
If you're a web designer, well written website proposals can mean the difference between success and failure for your business. A proposal demonstrates your understanding of your client's goals and objectives. It fully describes how you expect to meet those goals and objectives. A proposal should also clearly state the client's responsibilities for providing content, assets and reviews. A website proposal includes the project milestones and deadlines for meeting the milestones, along with the website's cost and payment schedule.
Instructions
1. Interview your client about the goals and objectives of her site. Discover the needs the site should fulfill. Request information on sites that she likes. Get an idea of any assets, such as logos, graphics and content, the client already has and can be used in the site. Discuss in general the number of web pages needed and any web applications she may want included.
2. Analyze the client's goals, objectives and needs for her website. Develop ideas for meeting those criteria. If needed, discuss your ideas with other members of your firm to ensure they are technically feasible.
3. Write the proposal. Think through the entire scope of designing, hosting and maintaining the proposed website. The proposal should have a section for the website's scope, which will summarize the project and the goals, objectives and needs it should meet. Discuss the design and development of pages, applications and assets. The discussion of assets should define who is responsible for providing each asset.
4. State the SEO services your firm will provide and the web reporting package you plan to use. Describe your quality assurance plans and list the responsibilities your client has for user acceptance testing. List the website's domain name, and clarify whether you or the client will obtain the name. Document whether your firm will be hosting the website, or if the client will be responsible for that. Describe your plans for moving the site from development into a live environment. State who is responsible for maintaining the site. If the client will be maintaining the site, you may want to provide training.
5. Detail the price of the website. You may wish to price by high-level tasks, which can help the client understand the expenses involved in building the site. Develop a high-level time line of when tasks must be completed for the project to complete on time. Include tasks the client is responsible for. Define the payment schedule. For example, your firm may require a 50 percent down payment to begin the project, and 50 percent after project completion.
6. List your client's contact information and address, as well as your firm's. This will make it easier for each of you to correspond, and will be useful for record keeping. Review the proposal carefully to catch any errors or omissions, and correct as needed. If you work in a firm, formally review it with management and obtain approval.
7. Present your proposal to your client. In some cases, you may email the proposal. In other cases, you may set up a meeting to review the proposal and answer any questions.
8. Set a day and time to follow up with your client if he does not immediately accept your proposal.
