How much deposit should a freelancer ask for?

Fifty percent is standard for fixed-scope design work and the template defaults to it.

How do I handle scope creep?

Two revision rounds in the scope, an hourly rate for more in the terms, and a line saying content delays pause the timeline. All three are in this template.

Should I offer a maintenance plan?

Yes, as an optional recurring line on the proposal. It is the difference between a project and an income.

Website design proposal template

Freelance web work goes wrong at the edges: revisions, content delays, and ownership. This template puts those edges in writing before the deposit lands, prices the site as a fixed scope, and adds the care plan as an optional recurring line, which is how a project becomes a client.

Use this templateFree, unlimited, no card.

The template, as your client sees it

Northshore Studio

Licensed and insured

Website design

Prepared for
Dana Whitfield

By
Mike Reilly

The plan

A five-page site built to bring you inquiries

A five-page site built to bring you inquiries: home, services, about, gallery, contact. Mobile first, fast, set up for local search, with your content written from a one-hour interview. You own everything at the end, hosted wherever you like.

At a glance

What is included

✓Five pages, mobile first
✓Set up for local search
✓Two rounds of revisions
✓Launch and 30 days of fixes

Not included: copywriting beyond the pages listed, and photography

Your investment

Pricing

Design and build, five pages	$4,800.00
Content writing from interview	$900.00
Local search setup Google Business Profile, schema, analytics	$450.00
Logo refreshOptional, not included	$1,200.00
Care plan, per monthOptional, included Updates, backups, monitoring, one hour of edits 12 × $99.00	$1,188.00

Total: $7,338.00
Deposit on signing: $3,669.00
Balance on completion: $3,669.00

Design is not taxed in most states. Ask if you need an invoice with tax.

Timeline

1
Interview and sitemapWeek 1
2
Design mockups, two roundsWeeks 2 to 3
3
Build and contentWeeks 4 to 5
4
Review, launch, handoffWeek 6

Good to know

Questions people ask before saying yes

What do you need from me?+

Your logo, photos, and a call to talk through services. We write from that; you review twice.

Who owns the site?+

You do. The domain and hosting are in your name and you get every login.

What happens when you sign

Step 1

Sign below

Typed or drawn, takes a minute

Step 2

Pay the deposit

Card on this page, or a check

Step 3

We pick a start date

You hear from us within two business days

Terms

50% deposit at signing, 50% at launch. Two rounds of design revisions included; further rounds billed hourly at the listed rate. Content delays pause the timeline. You own all deliverables on final payment.

Sample content and prices. Optional items are marked; on a real proposal the client toggles them and the total updates.

What a web design proposal should include

The page count and what each page does. Mobile first and speed as commitments, not adjectives. Who writes the content and where it comes from; a one-hour interview is a scope, "you send us copy" is a stall. Local search setup as its own line so the client sees it as work, not magic.

A timeline in weeks with a clear statement that content delays pause it. Two revision rounds included, further rounds at an hourly rate in the terms. Ownership of deliverables on final payment.

How to price the optional items

A logo refresh is the classic optional line, off by default so it does not inflate the headline number. The care plan is the one that matters: a monthly line with the quantity set to twelve, on by default, so the client sees a year of updates and backups as part of owning the site. Most leave it on.

Mistakes that lose design clients

Hourly estimates. Clients cannot budget an estimate and pick the fixed price next door. Unlimited revisions. It is not generosity, it is an open loop. No deposit. Half up front is normal in this trade and filters out clients who are not serious.

Deposit and payment

Fifty percent at signing, fifty at launch, both by card through the proposal. A 30-day expiry gives a small business time to decide without letting the quote go stale.

Questions

How much deposit should a freelancer ask for?: Fifty percent is standard for fixed-scope design work and the template defaults to it.
How do I handle scope creep?: Two revision rounds in the scope, an hourly rate for more in the terms, and a line saying content delays pause the timeline. All three are in this template.
Should I offer a maintenance plan?: Yes, as an optional recurring line on the proposal. It is the difference between a project and an income.

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