Comments on: Writing a Website Design Proposal

By: Daniel Veiga

Daniel Veiga — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:30:06 +0000

Good article, quick and short. I’m trying to come up with a good proposal for my clients and this helped out a bit.

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:50:33 +0000

Thanks all!

@PETER: The up-front fee is the deposit. You can also include some legalese about how many hours your deposit covers and what happens if the client changes course mid-stream or leaves the project all together. The important thing about the proposal and then the contract is to make sure you’re covered. Not only do I have the deposit info in my proposals but they also go in the contract and I make sure I talk to the client about the non-refundable deposit too. I’m not a huge fan of surprises, particularly when it comes to not getting paid.

By: Alex Mungo

Alex Mungo — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:50:23 +0000

Very good post, helps to have someone out there prepared to offer there advise for free

By: Alex Mungo

Alex Mungo — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:49:37 +0000

Hello Jen,

good post, I am about to write a proposal for a charity website. Then present it.

By: Anwar

Anwar — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:44:39 +0000

This is great. I usually have a break down that gives the milestone dates where reviews and payments will be made. This is standard for most clients. And specifics about the project is done in Photoshop. I think this does two things, it gives a schedule structure and a visual presentation of the site.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:36:42 +0000

Great tips! As for the upfront fee you charge your clients… does it only cover the time spent doing the specs of your project? Lets say you take a job, the client calls you up a week later, which is already a week into the project process, and say they changed their minds about having the work done or some other likely possible risk to the project.. what do you do? Time is money, and you’ve already done a whole week worth of developing/designing… Shouldn’t there at least be some type of a deposit included in the proposal? Sorry about the dumb question, but I’m thinking about freelancing myself and I’ve never had to make a proposal..

By: Andrea Norman

Andrea Norman — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:13:43 +0000

Excellent summary! I would add that providing a clear understanding not just of the project but of the customer will give you a greater chance of being selected for the project. We’ve written over 150 proposals. Clients REALLY want to FEEL that you know THEM! They really could care less about you!

By: SitePoint » 7 Tips For Writing A Winning Web Design Proposal

SitePoint » 7 Tips For Writing A Winning Web Design Proposal — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:42:22 +0000

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By: SitePoint » 7 Tips For Writing A Winning Web Design Proposal

SitePoint » 7 Tips For Writing A Winning Web Design Proposal — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:42:22 +0000

[...] to a Great Sales Proposal, by Miles Burke Writing a Website Design Proposal, by Jen of Pop Stalin [...]

By: Jordan Burke

Jordan Burke — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:57:35 +0000

Hey Jen,
Great article. Your clear, concise focus on what’s important for a good proposal has really helped me in developing my proposals. Keep up the outstanding work!