What Is a Web Design Proposal? (And How to Write One)

Chelsea Greene
5 min readJun 28, 2022

--

A web design proposal may not be your favorite part of web design, but they are essential in helping you find clients and get work. It doesn’t matter if you work on your own or you’re a web design company, a web design proposal done right will help you find work.

If you haven’t completed a web design proposal before, or haven’t heard about them, then we are here to help. Here you will find out what it is, what you should include in one, and why they are so important.

A website design proposal is essential for the web design process. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

What Is A Web Design Proposal?

A web design proposal is an agreement in writing used when a web designer and a client consider working with each other. The proposal includes what the client wants, what this will cost the client and the services the web designers will provide to do what the client wants.

Web designers can have a proposal template when they get new clients. This template can be customized for each client. The web design proposal needs to be structured well and organized so the web designer can make a great first impression.

This proposal is not a contract; it is a roadmap that can be followed if the web designer and client work together. If the web designer and client are both pleased with the proposal, then they are likely to work with each other.

What Should You Include In A Web Design Proposal?

You Need To Introduce Yourself

A web design proposal should help the client learn more about you, what you have to offer, and why you are the right web designer for what the client needs.

This is just an introduction, don’t overwhelm the client with details not needed here.

If you are creating the web design proposal, you should have already talked with the client and found out what they need from you. The proposal should include the information that the client has told you.

When you are introducing yourself, you should include your name, the title of the web design proposal, the client’s name, and the date of submission.

The first part of a website design proposal includes description of required web design services. Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash

Overview Of The Problem

In the problem overview, make sure that you show you clearly understand the problems and opportunities the client has. This will help the client trust you and want to work with you. It would help if you communicated all of this, don’t make it complicated. You need to make sure you get the client’s attention when reading this. This is what web design agencies try to do when creating a web design proposal, and it’s what everyone should do. That’s how you get new clients.

The client’s needs and what they should do must be clearly set out. Make the client believe you can help them.

Successful web design proposal process requires delving into a clients problems. Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Propose A Solution

You need to outline how you can solve the client’s problem and what you will be doing to help them. It would help if you talked about everything you will be doing; this includes wireframing, prototyping, how many web pages you will need to work on, the design of these pages, etc.

You need to tell the client about the benefits they will receive if you make these changes and how they will help the client. Convince the client why they need this, don’t hold back. If you can show the client proof, then do that.

Providing an overview of the solution will be helpful, so make a list of the deliverables that the client can expect to receive from you. Make sure this list is detailed and includes the services you will offer them if they work with you. Web design agencies know to make this simple and easy to understand, and that’s what you need to do.

Scope creep is something you want to avoid. Make it clear what you will be doing. State the objectives that you have, and make sure they are detailed. Don’t be vague; it should be easily understood when these objectives are achieved and how they can be achieved.

Overview Of The Process

Once you have told the client about their problem, the solution to their problem, how you can help them, and the deliverables you will provide to the client, you need to outline the process.

The process will be different for each client. This process will depend on what the client needs. Be detailed; you do not want to miss out on an important step to solve the client’s problem. This can cause scope creep, and you will need to spend more time than expected to complete the client’s work.

It would help if you had a schedule that the client approves. This will help you and the client know when deliverables should be finished. Following the program will help everything go smoothly. Ensure it is detailed and gives you enough time to complete each deliverable.

Include a timeline for your website design services in a website design proposal. Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash

Cost

It would help if you had already asked the client their budget before you started working on the web design proposal. Talking about the funding will help you decide if the project is worth the required work. That’s why it should be discussed before you start creating the proposal.

The proposal should break down the cost so the client understands what they are paying for. A web design company may use tools such as Photoshop to create a pricing table to show clients so it looks professional and organized.

Thanks for reading!

If you appreciate this post, follow me on Medium for more design-related content.

--

--

Chelsea Greene

I’m a designer that loves UX, fonts, and sunny beach days