8 tips to create a great Web Design Proposal

A good proposal is always a way to show our customers that we are professional.

There can be some common elements you’ll see in all design proposals. But for Web design proposals there are certain elements that are crucial for creating a good relationship with your client from the start and for having a happy and returning client.

WHAT IS A WEBSITE DESIGN PROPOSAL?

A website design proposal is a fancy way of saying quote. A good proposal is always a way to show our customers that we are professional. It is also a tool to explain our customers: processes, design development and finally that professional design has a cost.

Remember always the most important part of creating a proposal: Never promise what you can’t accomplish, don’t fall for the gig and charge low fees. Be confident in your abilities.

1. Mock-ups

Establishing this from the beginning will save you a lot of headaches as the Project develops. Be careful not to give too much away, just enough to give the client a good idea of what the site will look like. I usually establish:

• 3 mockups, choose 1

2. Revisions

Once the client has choose a mock-up you must control the revisions, if not the Project can go forever in revisions.

• 2 different revisions page and sub page

3. Copywriter

Who is going to be the copywriter? Is it you or they are gong to provide it?

4. Images

From the start establish where the images are coming from, this will save you a lot of money:

• Free stock photos
• Stock photos (is the client paying for right managed images?)
• The client provides the materials

Never work with images that are not established in the proposal: maybe you present a draft with a Stock Photo with Rights payments, or images from Google search and later regret it.

5. Maintenance.

6. Hosting

are you going to provide the hosting service, they have already a hosting service? If so It Works for the site you are developing?

7. Manage the domain

Renew it; change its DNS settings, status and administrative contact information.

8. Payments

Normally we try to establish a 50% upon signing the contract and 50% upon delivery of the finished project

There is another much better method:

Payments on Project advance. You must set up different stages:

• Mockups
• Revisions
• Draft, etc
• In each stage you charge a percentage of the Project total price. If you establish 4 different stages you will charge a 25% in the competition of each one.

With these you ensure that if you take more time in revisions or in any stage you are always collecting some part and you don’t have to wait for the Project to end to collect the 50% remaining.

For the client is much easier to pay this way because he is not paying a 50% for nothing (clients usually see the 50% in advance that way)

It is a win win scenario

You can find a Professional Design Proposal and a link to download it here:

http://www.designerfreelance.net/how-to-do-a-professional-proposal/

You have other tips?

Please share it with us:

Tags: Graphic Design Pricing, web proposal

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15 Comments to 8 tips to create a great Web Design Proposal

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Tweets that mention 8 tips to create a great Web Design Proposal | Designer Freelance -- Topsy.com on August 5th, 2010
2. 

   nice post! not liking the 3 mockups idea though. I rather stick with 1 as every design choice has a reason…
Good Web Design on August 5th, 2010

3. [...] Direct Link [...]
8 tips to create a great Web Design Proposal : Speckyboy Design Magazine on August 6th, 2010

4. [...] 8 tips to create a great Web Design Proposal August 5, 2010 There can be some common elements you’ll see in all design proposals. But for Web design proposals there are certain elements that are crucial for creating a good relationship with your client fr… [...]
Best Design News in August | nenuno creative on August 7th, 2010

5. [...] 8 Tips To Create A Great Web Design Proposal [...]
8 Tips To Create A Great Web Design Proposal | Design Newz on August 8th, 2010
6. 

   Thanks for your tips,i am a new web designer and really think it will help me for my designing.
Alex Cooper on August 8th, 2010

7. [...] This post was Twitted by Shishev [...]
Twitted by Shishev on August 8th, 2010
8. 

   Thanks for u r information

   its very useful
website design on August 9th, 2010
9. 

   I have a friend who loves web designing. This tip is going to be a big help for me to be a better web designing. I will show this post to him and I am sure he will be happy.
dining table on August 10th, 2010
10. 

    Thanks for sharing these tips – I think they are quite useful.
KellyW on August 16th, 2010
11. 

    I really like your post its interesting and I hv learnt so many things from your post……I knw its really helpful!!!!!!!!G8t Job
Web design milton keynes on August 18th, 2010
12. 

    The ideas and insights are very worth reading. Thanks for the useful tips. I appreciate everything I learned from you. Keep on posting!
web design outsourcing philippines on August 27th, 2010

13. [...] 8 tips to create a great Web Design Proposal [...]
130+ Articles: The Best Web Creativity Review August | nenuno creative on September 6th, 2010
14. 

    Greate Web Design

    thanks
Va Infotech on September 9th, 2010
15. 

    Thanks for the nice information. I am sure, I will tweet this to my twitter account. This will help a lot of users.
Mobile Game Development on September 28th, 2010