A website RFP template that gets quotes you can compare

The short answer

A good website RFP (request for proposal) tells agencies what your business does, what the site must achieve, what pages and features you need, what content you will supply, which systems it must connect to, your budget range and your timeline. It asks every agency to answer in the same format so you can compare quotes line by line. Keep it to a few pages. The outline below covers the ten sections that matter, with notes on what to write in each.

Why most website quotes are impossible to compare

When a brief says “we need a new website, about 15 pages,” one agency quotes a template build, another quotes custom design with copywriting, and a third adds SEO migration and integrations. All three are reasonable readings of a vague brief. The fix is not a longer RFP. It is a more specific one, with a fixed response format.

The website RFP template: ten sections

1. Company overview. Two paragraphs: what you do, who you serve, where, and how many employees. Include your current website address.
2. Goals and success measures. What should the new site do that the current one does not? Examples: more quote requests, fewer “what do you do” calls, online booking. Name how you will measure it, such as form submissions or calls per month.
3. Audience. Who visits and what they need to decide. A homeowner comparing contractors needs different pages than a procurement manager.
4. Current site and what to keep. What works, what does not, and which pages bring in the most traffic or leads. For a redesign, ask for a plan to redirect old URLs so rankings carry over.
5. Scope: pages and templates. A draft sitemap. List the number of unique page types (home, service, location, team, blog, contact) and the total page count. Count layouts, not just pages.
6. Features and functionality. Forms, booking, quote calculators, member areas, search, multilingual, e-commerce (product count, variants, shipping and tax rules).
7. Integrations. Every system the site must talk to: CRM, email marketing, scheduling, accounting, ERP, payment processor. Name the products.
8. Content. Who writes copy, who supplies photos, and whether you want copywriting, photography or content migration quoted separately.
9. Technical and ongoing needs. Preferred platform (or ask for a recommendation), hosting, accessibility target such as WCAG 2.2 AA, security, training, and support after launch.
10. Budget, timeline and response format. A budget range, a target launch window, the proposal deadline, and the exact structure you want responses in.

The response format to require

This is the section that makes quotes comparable. Ask every agency to answer these in order:

• Price broken into discovery, design, development, content, SEO migration, integrations and training.
• Yearly running costs after launch: hosting, licenses, plugins, support.
• Platform recommended and why.
• Number of design concepts and revision rounds included.
• Timeline with milestones and what they need from you at each.
• Who owns the site, domain, hosting account and content at the end.
• Two or three relevant examples and references.
• Assumptions and exclusions, in a list.

Should you include a budget?

Yes, as a range. Without one, agencies guess, and you get a mix of minimal and maximal proposals. A range lets each agency show what it would do for your money, which is exactly what you want to compare. If you truly have no idea, read our guide to small business website costs first, then pick a range.

Want a second opinion on your RFP before you send it? Book a free 30-minute call. We look at what you have now and tell you what we’d change first. No obligation.

What to leave out

• Detailed design instructions. Share sites you like and why, but let agencies propose the design.
• Pages of boilerplate legal terms. Save the contract for the finalist.
• Requests for free design mockups. Many good agencies decline spec work. Ask for relevant past work instead.
• A list of 40 “must-have” features. Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves so agencies can phase the work.

How to score proposals

Use a simple weighted scorecard so the decision is not just the lowest price:

• Understanding of your goals (25%). Did they restate your problem in their own words?
• Relevant experience (20%). Similar businesses, similar features.
• Approach and process (20%). Discovery, content plan, SEO migration, testing.
• Total three-year cost (20%). Build plus running costs.
• Ownership and support (15%). Clear terms on who owns what, and what happens after launch.

If one quote is far lower than the rest, check its exclusions. It is usually missing content, redirects, integrations or post-launch support.

Process tips

• Send to three to five agencies. More creates work without better choices.
• Allow two to three weeks for responses and a window for questions.
• Share all agencies’ questions and your answers with everyone, so all bid on the same information.
• Hold short calls with your top two or three before deciding.

When you shortlist, ask each finalist to walk you through a past project like yours. Our before and after page shows the kind of examples worth asking for.

A filled-in example

Here is an illustrative example of how a short, specific scope section might read for a 35-person landscaping company:

• Goal: increase commercial maintenance inquiries; currently about eight a month from the website, measured by form fills and tracked calls.
• Pages: about 25 in total. Unique layouts: home, service (6 services), service area (8 cities), about, team, project gallery, contact, blog.
• Features: quote request form with photo upload; project gallery filterable by service.
• Integrations: send form leads to our CRM (name the product) and add contacts to our email marketing list.
• Content: we supply photos; please quote copywriting for service and city pages separately.
• Current site: 60 indexed URLs; the top 10 pages by traffic are listed in Appendix A and must keep their rankings.
• Budget and timing: budget range stated; launch before our spring season.

With a scope this clear, every agency is pricing the same project, and the differences between quotes reflect real differences in approach.

Common RFP mistakes

1. Listing pages without saying how many unique layouts they need.
2. Forgetting integrations until after the contract is signed.
3. Leaving content responsibility unclear.
4. Not mentioning that the current site has rankings to protect.
5. Asking for a fixed price on a vague scope.

Working with JLB USA

We build custom WordPress websites and e-commerce sites on Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and other platforms. Most custom sites launch in 6 to 10 weeks. You can edit your site and keep it if you leave, and we set up redirects from old pages so rankings carry over. We are glad to respond to a clear RFP, or to help you shape one on a call.

Related services

• Custom web design
• What a small business website costs
• Website before and after examples
• Contact JLB USA