What a website quote includes
A client reading a website quote wants to know what they will get, when, and what it will cost if something changes. These are the parts that answer those questions:
- Project summary: one or two lines on the goal, for example a five-page site for a dental practice with online booking.
- Pages and features: the number of page templates, plus each feature as its own line: contact forms, booking, shop, blog, multilingual pages.
- Platform: WordPress, Webflow, Shopify or custom code, and who owns the accounts.
- Content: who writes the copy and supplies photos and logos, and by which date. Late content is the usual reason a launch slips.
- Design rounds: how many rounds of changes each stage includes, and your rate for extra ones.
- Milestones and payments: a deposit, then payments tied to events the client can see, such as design sign-off and launch.
- Timeline: a start date, the milestone dates and the launch date, all depending on content arriving on time.
- Exclusions: domain, hosting, paid plugins and themes, stock photography, copywriting, SEO, training beyond what is listed.
- Ongoing costs: hosting and maintenance as separate, optional lines.
- Ownership: when the finished design and code pass to the client, usually on final payment.
- Validity and acceptance: a valid-until date and one clear way to say yes.
Example website quote: a five-page business site
A fixed-fee quote for a small business website, built from the milestones above. Prices are examples only, not market rates.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery workshop and sitemap | 1 | $600 | $600 |
| Design: 5 page templates, 2 rounds of revisions | 1 | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Development and CMS setup | 1 | $3,200 | $3,200 |
| Content upload (client supplies copy and images) | 1 | $450 | $450 |
| Launch and 1 hour training | 1 | $250 | $250 |
| Total | $6,900 | ||
Payment in this example: 50% deposit ($3,450), 25% on design sign-off ($1,725) and 25% before launch ($1,725). Domain, hosting, paid plugins, copywriting and stock images are listed as not included.
How to price a website project
Pick one pricing method and show it on the quote. The line items should still list the work, so the client can see what each part of the fee covers.
| Method | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee per milestone | A set price for discovery, design, build and launch, each paid when it is done | Brochure sites and small shops with a clear scope |
| Time and materials | Hours worked × your rate, usually with an estimate and a cap the client must approve before it is passed | Projects where the scope will change as you learn more |
| Monthly retainer | A set monthly fee for a set number of hours or tasks | Maintenance, content updates and continuing work after launch |
To build a fixed fee, estimate the hours for each milestone, multiply by your hourly rate and add a buffer for revision rounds and client delays. For example, 80 hours at $75 is $6,000; a 15% buffer brings it to $6,900. Round to a clean figure and write the milestones next to it. Quote by milestone rather than by the hour for design work: clients compare the total, and open hours invite scope creep.
Web development quote: custom builds and web apps
Custom development carries more unknowns than a template site, so a development quote leans on written assumptions. Split the work into phases that can each be accepted on their own:
- Discovery and specification: requirements, user flows, data model and a written spec. Price it separately so the client can stop after it.
- Design: wireframes and screens, with a stated number of screens and revision rounds.
- Front-end build: responsive layouts and the browsers and devices you test on.
- Back-end: database, admin area, accounts and any API work.
- Integrations: payments, email, analytics and other third-party services, with their fees billed at cost.
- Testing, deployment and handover: the test pass, the launch, documentation and a short support window for fixes.
State the assumptions that the price depends on, for example that the client supplies content and API access, that the spec is signed off before design starts, and that anything outside the spec is a change request. Load the development example to see the phases as quote lines.
Website quote wording to copy
Replace everything in square brackets. This is general wording, not legal advice; have a solicitor check terms for larger projects.
Scope and deliverables
Scope: design and build of a [5]-page website on [WordPress] for [client name], with [a contact form and a booking page]. Pages: [Home, About, Services, Pricing, Contact].
Deliverables: the finished website on the client's hosting, [a short training session], and login details for every account set up for the project.
Not included: domain registration, hosting, paid plugins and themes, copywriting, stock photography and search engine optimisation. We can quote any of these separately.
Content, revisions and changes
Content: you supply all text, images and logos by [date]. If content arrives more than [10] working days late, the launch date moves by the same number of days.
Revisions: each design stage includes [two] rounds of changes. Further rounds are billed at [$75] an hour.
Changes: any work not described in this quotation is a change request. We will price it in writing and agree it with you before we start.
Payment, ownership and validity
Payment: [50]% deposit to book the start date, [25]% when the design is approved and [25]% before launch. Invoices are due within [7] days.
Ownership: the copyright in the finished design and code passes to you when the final invoice is paid. Themes, plugins and fonts licensed from third parties stay under their own licences.
Validity: this quotation is valid until [date]. To accept, reply to the email it came with or sign and return it.
Hosting and maintenance after launch
Quote what happens after launch as separate, optional lines so the project price stays comparable. Typical lines are hosting (at cost or with a stated markup), a monthly maintenance plan for updates and backups, and an hourly rate for changes outside the plan. The maintenance example shows how a retainer can be written.
Once the quote is ready, send it with one of our quote email templates, give the client acceptance wording, and see how to write a professional quote for the order the parts should go in.