Before scoring
Make the proposals answer the same job.
A five-page template, a custom 24-page build, and an ecommerce project cannot be ranked on headline price. First write one scope sentence and one success measure that every provider is pricing.
01 / Scope
What must be delivered?
Record pages, content types, products, locations, forms, booking, ecommerce, integrations, migration, languages, accessibility target, and launch date.
02 / Responsibility
Who supplies each input?
Assign copy, photos, product data, legal text, brand assets, domain access, analytics, approvals, testing, and post-launch changes.
03 / Measure
What proves completion?
Define acceptance checks such as working forms, mapped redirects, page count, mobile review, analytics, response targets, or a production crawl.
Write your comparison sentence: “We need a -page website for that launches by and is accepted when .”
Normalize the money
What should the cost summary include?
Capture the cash due to start, the 12-month operating total, the renewal year, and the cost to leave. A low monthly equivalent can conceal a long upfront commitment.
| Cost field | Vendor A | Vendor B | Vendor C | Evidence / clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup or build fee | __________ | __________ | __________ | ____________________________ |
| Deposit due to start | __________ | __________ | __________ | ____________________________ |
| Minimum contract cash | __________ | __________ | __________ | ____________________________ |
| First 12 months total | __________ | __________ | __________ | ____________________________ |
| Second-year total | __________ | __________ | __________ | ____________________________ |
| Three-year total | __________ | __________ | __________ | ____________________________ |
| Estimated exit / transfer cost | __________ | __________ | __________ | ____________________________ |
| Hourly or change-order rate | __________ | __________ | __________ | ____________________________ |
Need price context first? Use the 50-provider pricing benchmark or the website cost calculator.
The comparison sheet
Website proposal checklist: 45 written checks
Tick a vendor box only when the written proposal, statement of work, or attached agreement supplies the answer. Use the final column for a page number, heading, clause, or requested amendment.
| Requirement | Vendor A | Vendor B | Vendor C | Written evidence / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ownership and account control | ||||
1Domain registrant is identified.The legal registrant and registrar account owner are named. | ____________________________ | |||
2Business content ownership is explicit.Copy, supplied photos, logos, and approved business data remain yours. | ____________________________ | |||
3Website files or code are addressed.Ownership, license, export format, and transfer timing are stated. | ____________________________ | |||
4Design-source files are addressed.Figma, Canva, Adobe, component libraries, and editable artwork are included or excluded. | ____________________________ | |||
5CMS and platform account control is stated.Administrator access, billing owner, and seat transfer are defined. | ____________________________ | |||
6Analytics and marketing accounts stay portable.GA4, Search Console, tag manager, ads, pixels, and business profiles use client-controlled access. | ____________________________ | |||
7Licensed assets are itemized.Fonts, themes, plugins, stock media, and their post-cancellation licenses are named. | ____________________________ | |||
8Customer data and exports are covered.Forms, orders, accounts, bookings, and databases have an export and deletion rule. | ____________________________ | |||
| 2. Hosting, security, and reliability | ||||
9Hosting provider and environment are named.Managed platform, shared hosting, cloud service, region, and account owner are clear. | ____________________________ | |||
10SSL, CDN, and DNS responsibility is assigned.The party monitoring certificates and domain records is stated. | ____________________________ | |||
11Backup frequency and retention are written.Frequency, storage separation, retention window, and restore testing are addressed. | ____________________________ | |||
12Security updates and monitoring are assigned.Core, plugin, dependency, malware, uptime, and incident responsibility is explicit. | ____________________________ | |||
13Availability or support targets are stated.Uptime promise, response window, priority levels, and exclusions are defined. | ____________________________ | |||
14Hosting renewal and overage costs are visible.Traffic, storage, bandwidth, seats, environments, and renewal increases are disclosed. | ____________________________ | |||
| 3. Maintenance and support | ||||
15Technical maintenance is itemized.Updates, compatibility checks, backups, monitoring, and bug fixes are not bundled into one vague word. | ____________________________ | |||
16Content-change allowance is defined.Hours, tasks, request count, active queue, and rollover rules are stated. | ____________________________ | |||
17“Unlimited” has a written boundary.Eligible work, request concurrency, response target, and project exclusions are clear. | ____________________________ | |||
18Support channel and hours are named.Email, portal, phone, emergency access, timezone, and after-hours rules are listed. | ____________________________ | |||
19Response and completion targets are separate.An acknowledgment is not represented as finished work. | ____________________________ | |||
20Post-launch defect period is defined.Duration, covered defects, exclusions, and reporting method are stated. | ____________________________ | |||
| 4. Content, design, and accessibility | ||||
21Exact page or template count is stated.Unique pages, reusable templates, products, posts, and location pages are distinguished. | ____________________________ | |||
22Copy responsibility and revisions are stated.Research, interviews, writing, editing, approvals, word limits, and revision rounds are assigned. | ____________________________ | |||
23Photography and media scope is stated.Client supply, stock licensing, shooting, editing, compression, captions, and alt text are covered. | ____________________________ | |||
24Custom design versus template use is clear.What is original, licensed, reused, or constrained by the platform is explained. | ____________________________ | |||
25Responsive review devices are named.Mobile, tablet, desktop, and supported browsers are part of acceptance. | ____________________________ | |||
26Accessibility target and testing are stated.Target standard, automated checks, keyboard review, forms, contrast, and known limits are described. | ____________________________ | |||
| 5. SEO, analytics, and measurement | ||||
27SEO deliverables are named.Research, titles, descriptions, headings, internal links, schema, local work, and content are separated. | ____________________________ | |||
28Redirect and migration scope is written.Old URLs, redirect map, metadata, files, forms, and post-launch errors are assigned. | ____________________________ | |||
29Indexing controls are part of launch.Robots, canonicals, sitemap, noindex pages, and Search Console submission are covered. | ____________________________ | |||
30Local business facts have an owner.Locations, hours, phone, service area, map profiles, and structured data stay synchronized. | ____________________________ | |||
31Analytics setup and events are listed.GA4, Search Console, consent, calls, forms, bookings, purchases, and test evidence are named. | ____________________________ | |||
32Claims avoid guaranteed rankings.Success is measured with defined baselines and reports, not a promised position or AI mention. | ____________________________ | |||
| 6. Cancellation, renewal, and exit | ||||
33Minimum term and renewal are explicit.Billing cycle, auto-renewal, renewal rate, notice window, and early termination are written. | ____________________________ | |||
34Cancellation notice method is stated.Where, when, and by whom notice must be submitted is clear. | ____________________________ | |||
35The live-site end date is stated.Hosting does not disappear before transfer and DNS work are complete. | ____________________________ | |||
36Export package and format are listed.Content, media, files or code, database, redirects, analytics, and credentials are itemized. | ____________________________ | |||
37Transfer assistance and fees are stated.Hours, rate, destination limits, domain unlock, and migration support are clear. | ____________________________ | |||
38Deletion and retention timeline is stated.Backups, customer data, account access, and final deletion follow a written schedule. | ____________________________ | |||
| 7. Payments, approvals, and change orders | ||||
39Payment milestones match deliverables.Deposit, design approval, development, launch, and recurring billing triggers are stated. | ____________________________ | |||
40Revision rounds and approval timing are defined.Who approves, response deadlines, consolidated feedback, and deemed approval are clear. | ____________________________ | |||
41Out-of-scope work has a written trigger.The provider cannot silently convert an assumption into billable work. | ____________________________ | |||
42Change orders require price and schedule approval.Scope, added fee, added time, and approver signature precede the work. | ____________________________ | |||
43Third-party and pass-through costs are listed.Apps, themes, plugins, stock media, email, APIs, transactions, and taxes are visible. | ____________________________ | |||
44Launch acceptance is objective.Page count, forms, redirects, analytics, accessibility checks, and production review are testable. | ____________________________ | |||
45Delay responsibility is allocated.Client content delays, vendor delays, pause fees, rescheduling, and revised launch dates are covered. | ____________________________ | |||
Take the same worksheet into every sales call.
The PDF is designed for handwriting or typed annotation and includes the cost summary, 45 checks, red flags, and follow-up questions. No email address is required.
Pause before signing
Which proposal red flags need clarification?
Ownership
“You own it” with no asset list
Ask whether “it” means the domain and copy, or also the website files, code, CMS, design files, licenses, accounts, and database export.
Maintenance
“Unlimited” with no workflow
Ask which requests qualify, how many can be active, the response target, and what becomes an hourly change order.
SEO
A guaranteed Google rank
No provider controls the result page. Require named deliverables, baselines, reporting access, and a defined comparison period.
Price
Monthly equivalent without checkout
A $2.99 monthly headline can require years of payment. Record the minimum cash commitment and renewal price.
Exit
Cancellation stops hosting immediately
The site, email, domain, exports, and DNS need a sequenced handoff. Add a transfer window before deletion.
Scope
“SEO-ready” or “custom” without details
Convert adjectives into pages, tasks, artifacts, tests, revision rounds, acceptance conditions, and explicit exclusions.
Copy into one email
What should you ask every finalist?
Send the same questions so the answers are comparable and become part of the written record.
- What exact cash amount is due before launch, during the first 12 months, at renewal, and to exit?
- Which pages, templates, content, integrations, revisions, tests, and post-launch tasks are included?
- Who owns and controls the domain, content, website files or code, CMS, design assets, analytics, licenses, and customer data?
- What export and transfer package will you provide, in what format, within how many days, and at what fee?
- What does maintenance include, what is the response versus completion target, and what becomes a change order?
- Which SEO tasks will you complete before launch and each month, and which metrics or accounts will we be able to inspect?
- What event changes the price or schedule, and who must approve a change order before work begins?
This worksheet supports commercial comparison; it is not legal advice. Ask a qualified attorney to review material ownership, data, liability, privacy, accessibility, regulated-industry, or termination terms.
Proposal questions
Website proposal comparison FAQ
How should I compare website proposals?
Compare the same written scope across each proposal: first-year and renewal cost, pages and features, domain and file ownership, hosting, maintenance, content responsibilities, SEO deliverables, launch acceptance, cancellation, export, and change-order rules. Mark a check only when the proposal or an attached contract answers it.
What ownership terms should a website proposal include?
The proposal should identify who owns and controls the domain, business content, photos, design files, website source or export, CMS account, analytics, advertising accounts, licensed assets, and customer data. It should also describe the transfer process and fees at cancellation.
What website costs should I compare beyond the build price?
Compare setup and build fees, required deposits, monthly or annual platform fees, domain renewals, hosting, maintenance, content changes, plugins or apps, email, SEO, support, payment processing, taxes, migration, cancellation, and change-order rates.
Is an unlimited website update promise really unlimited?
Only the written definition controls. Ask whether unlimited means one active request at a time, which tasks qualify, the response and completion targets, whether design or development is excluded, and what becomes a separately priced project.
What happens to a website when the contract is canceled?
The agreement should state the notice period, final payment, live-site date, domain transfer, content and database export, website-file or code transfer, account handoff, email continuity, redirect plan, assistance fees, and deletion schedule.
Is the website proposal worksheet free?
Yes. The web worksheet and PDF download are free, require no account or email address, and may be used to compare up to three proposals.