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Website proposal
1. Situation and goal
- Where the client stands today (their words, from the kickoff/questionnaire)
- What the new website must achieve, measurably (inquiries, sales, applications)
- Why now — the trigger that makes the project worth the budget
2. Proposed solution
- The approach in three sentences a non-technical decision-maker understands
- Page structure: which pages, which key functions
- What makes this solution fit THIS client (not a generic feature list)
3. Explicitly not included
- Copywriting / photography / logo (if not included — say so here)
- Ongoing maintenance, hosting, content updates after launch
- Everything you don’t want to argue about in week 6 belongs in this block
4. Process and feedback rules
- Phases: concept → design → build → review → launch
- Number of included revision rounds per phase (e.g. two) and what extra rounds cost
- How feedback is collected (one link, one deadline per round) and who approves
5. Timeline
- Milestones with realistic dates — tied to client input arriving on time
- The dependency sentence: “Timeline shifts day-for-day with delayed feedback/content”
6. Investment
- The price, stated plainly — one number or clear packages, no asterisk maze
- Payment schedule (e.g. 40 / 40 / 20 along milestones)
- What a change request costs after a phase is approved
7. What we need from you
- Content, access, brand assets — with dates
- One named decision-maker for approvals
- Feedback within the agreed deadlines per round
8. Next step and validity
- The one action to accept (sign, reply, book the kickoff)
- How long the proposal and the slot are valid
- Start date once accepted
The three blocks that do the winning
Most proposals list features and a price. The ones that win — and stay profitable — earn it in three specific places:
- Block 1 in the client’s words. When the situation reads like the client described it in the kickoff, the proposal feels understood instead of templated. Copy their phrases.
- Block 3, the exclusions. Everything not written here will be assumed to be included. This block protects the margin more than any hourly rate.
- Block 4, the feedback rules. Two included rounds per phase with a deadline, extra rounds at a named price. Projects rarely die from bad design — they die from round seven.
Block 4, made operational
The proposal promises structured rounds — bepeq delivers them: one review link per round, feedback pinned to the page with a deadline, and a documented sign-off that closes each phase. What you sold is what the client experiences.
Start bepeq for freeRound 1 closed
14 notes · all done
Round 2 running
Deadline: 4 days left · 3 open points
Then: sign-off with a record
Related templates and guides
About this template
Created by David Malewski, founder of bepeq (DAMA Solutions GmbH), based on real agency proposals for web projects. Free to use and adapt — it does not replace legal advice on contract terms. Last updated July 13, 2026.
Common questions about website proposals
What should a website proposal include?
Eight blocks: the client’s situation and measurable goal, the proposed solution in plain language, what is explicitly NOT included, the process with feedback and approval rules, a timeline with dependencies, the investment with a payment schedule, what you need from the client, and one clear next step with a validity date.
How long should a website proposal be?
Two to four pages. Long enough that scope, exclusions and process are unambiguous — short enough that the decision-maker actually reads it. Detail that only matters after winning (technical specs, full sitemaps) belongs in the brief, not the proposal.
Why put feedback rules into the proposal?
Because unlimited revision rounds are the most common way web projects lose money — and the moment to cap them is before the signature, not during round four. Naming the included rounds and the price of extra ones turns a future conflict into a line item.
Should I list what is NOT included?
Always. Block 3 is the cheapest insurance in the document: every assumption a client can silently make (“copywriting is surely included”) costs you unpaid work later. An explicit exclusion list is not unfriendly — it’s what makes the price believable.
How do I raise the acceptance rate of proposals?
Mirror the client’s own words from the kickoff in block 1, give the price plainly instead of hiding it, and make the next step one action. And send the proposal fast — acceptance probability decays by the day after the conversation that created it.