What is a WordPress Website Proposal?
A WordPress website proposal is a document that shows potential clients how you will meet their web design needs by creating a high-quality WordPress website, or enhancing their existing WordPress site.
Different from contracts, proposals show precisely how you’ll meet the business needs for a specific project, and offers you a chance to showcase your skills and experience. Using proposal templates helps you get to work quicker.
Note: Sign up to Bonsai for free today to create a unique and professional WordPress website proposal. Plus, with Bonsai, your client can sign the proposal digitally and instantly!
What to Include in the WordPress Website Proposal
WordPress powers over 455 million websites globally. When sending a high-quality WordPress website design proposal to a potential client, it’s essential to show how you’ll leverage the platform’s powerful features to meet the client’s needs by creating an awesome website.
Developing a proposal is part of your sales process; it’s part pitch and part introduction to working with you. Ensure your WordPress website proposal includes everything necessary to sign the client and begin the project. After all, once these steps are completed, you can get paid, which is your ultimate goal of creating proposals.
Let’s explore the features that the best proposals have so you can stand out from the competition.
Key Elements in a Winning WordPress Website Proposal
The beginning of a website proposal is similar to a contract. Both start with detailed contact information about you and your client.
All proposals include the company name, address, and any contact information available. You want to ensure the proposal looks professional and gives your potential client the means to connect with you.
While a contract is an offer and acceptance, a proposal describes how you’ll meet the client’s needs. A proposal goes into more detail to outline precisely what services are offered to the client.
Let’s explore some of the key elements in a WordPress website proposal.
Scope of web development
The main goal of your WordPress website proposal is to describe the project specifics in great detail. Explain to the client what services you’re providing and how they’re implemented.
One client may only require a simple one page website, while another might require something more complex with multiple pages, ongoing blog articles, and more. When writing proposals, help the client understand exactly what service you’ll provide and how you’ll fulfill their needs.
Consider the following elements when describing your project scope (we’ll explore each one in more detail next):
- The description of the WordPress theme or design being used
- Use of images and other design collateral
- Use of plugins or other theme enhancements
- Use of custom code; HTML and CSS
- Ongoing hosting and tech support options
- The overall timeline and projected milestones
Remember, your client is likely receiving multiple proposals, so you want to ensure the scope is detailed but clear. This way, your WordPress website proposal stands out from the rest and helps you land the project.
Description of WordPress theme
WordPress is a great content management system (CMS) and makes web development much more manageable. However, when developing new websites for clients, they might not care as much about the site’s backend. Their main concern is typically all about what the web design looks like.
There are thousands of high-quality free WordPress themes and related templates available and additional ones for purchase. Are you using one of those to provide the client with a certain layout they’re looking for, or are you creating something custom for them?
Help the client understand what you’re offering and what they will ultimately pay you to produce. Use the project proposal to include screenshots or describe the features of the chosen WordPress theme.
Explain if the theme offers custom features, design elements, or plugin support like sliders or WooCommerce. Assure your client understands what their web design project proposal includes. If they know what the layout template looks like, you are much more likely to land their business.
Another thing to consider when explaining the web design scope is how images will be handled. Are you creating new graphics and providing custom photography? Are these assets being provided by the client? Are you using stock images? Help the client understand what is and what is not included in your WordPress website design proposal.
Hosting and tech support
Web developers know that one of the best ways to generate ongoing revenue from a WordPress website is by offering web hosting and technical support. Bundling these services into proposals shows clients that you can meet both their immediate and lasting needs.
Tell the client about the ongoing costs associated with these options if you’re offering support features. Assure them you can provide updates to their content in a timely manner.
Remember, though, that clients can take advantage of ongoing support by requesting more than they pay for. Support is one area where scope creep can become real very quickly.
When creating proposals, be clear about what is and is not included and how much these services cost. If not, you can run into an issue where multiple “quick fixes” add up and begin taking all of your available time.
Another upsell option to consider in your website proposal is to provide training so the client can add content and blog posts on their own. Training empowers clients while generating another revenue stream for you, the web designer.
Project timeline
Aside from what their website will look like, clients are most concerned about how quickly everything will be completed. While it’s unrealistic to expect new websites are built overnight, it’s important to provide realistic expectations about when their WordPress website will be public-facing.
Use this section of the WordPress proposal template to detail the different stages of the project entirely. Each step will also likely result in new payments and deliverables. When describing milestones, remember to put your client’s needs first and write everything from their perspective.
Explain to the client when you check in with them, require their input, and need their approvals. Also, briefly mention that there will be periods where you will work independently while creating their new website.
Most importantly, explain to the client when the finished project becomes available and transferred to their possession. It is equally essential to define when the web design portion ends and the technical support begins if you offer ongoing support. A nice reference point for this change over may be giving the client administrative credentials for the WordPress installation.
Using free proposal templates to create more business
It may seem like writing proposals takes up a lot of time, but you don’t need to create a new proposal for every new project. Instead, consider using a WordPress proposal template, like the one we have available on Bonsai.
Using a template speeds up the process of writing proposals so you can focus on the finished project: developing high-quality WordPress websites for clients.
When using a template, be sure to personalize the proposal and make it unique to you. Add your company logo or other flourishes to ensure your proposal stands out from the crowd.
How to Write a WordPress Website Proposal
Each new website design project is unique, but there are similarities to each project that make writing proposals easier. Whether you decide to use a WordPress design proposal template or uniquely create proposals for other clients, the end goal is generating more website design business. More proposals signed turns into more revenue for you.
The first step is to create proposals that show clients you’re capable of meeting their needs. In order to do that, you must be on the same page as your client with what they want from their new website.
All it takes is a conversation to figure out exactly what they’re looking for.
Find out exactly what the client wants
An excellent proposal helps you and your clients reach a mutual agreement about the services provided. In order to be on the same page, you should have a detailed meeting with the potential client.
How the conversation happens doesn’t matter — in person, over the phone, or virtually. What is important is determining precisely what the client wants from their website.
When a company hires a freelance WordPress website designer, they typically do not understand the aspects required to create their project. To make sure there aren’t issues down the road, you should ask detailed questions to understand the project scope on a deeper level. Knowing what questions to ask will help your clients sign the proposal quickly and generate more business for you.
As your freelance business grows, you will become more familiar with the questions to ask that help avoid potential red flags or prevent issues down the road. If you’re starting in your freelance career, consider developing a set of questions that you may want answers to along the way. Need suggestions? We have you covered.
Here are a few questions to consider asking when talking to clients about providing WordPress services:
Here are a few questions to consider asking when talking to clients about providing WordPress services:
- Are there related templates or a live website similar to what they’re looking for?
- Do they have examples of content they want to include or features they want to create on the new website?
- Are there specific features or plugins they want to include in their website or the WordPress template you are creating?
- What fonts, colors, or other design elements are available for use?
- Does the business have a style guide to use when developing the website and page templates?
- Does the client provide services or sell products that need to be featured throughout the website or WordPress template?
Asking the right questions ahead of time ensures your website proposal shows you will provide the client exactly what they want. Plus, it will help you determine what additional services to offer for upsells and ongoing revenue throughout your proposal.
Highlight what sets you apart
Once you meet with the client, it’s time to create the proposal. Remember, yours is likely one of many proposals the company is reviewing. You want to create a winning proposal that stands out and makes it really easy for the business to sign.
To stand out as one of the better proposals they receive, describe the scope of work in your design proposal template in a way that engages the client and focuses on their needs. Be honest about the project timeline and your deliverables. Show them that you’re confident in your business skills and are the WordPress web developer to solve their problems.
Another way to stand out from the crowd is to create a high-quality proposal using a Bonsai proposal template.
Creating a WordPress Website Proposal is Simple with Bonsai
With Bonsai, you can create better proposals that stand out from the crowd. Start with a design proposal template from the unlimited proposals in the Bonsai collection and adjust it to your specific project. Bonsai sends the proposal to your client digitally and lets you track proposal views for followup. Plus, Bonsai allows potential clients to digitally sign the proposal so you can get down to business a lot faster.
Once everyone agrees to the proposal, create a contract with Bonsai, which has its own accounting software so you can get paid faster. Clients can pay you multiple ways; no credit card required.
Use a WordPress design proposal template from Bonsai and take your freelance business to the next level. Sign up for free and get started.
WordPress Website Proposal FAQs
Do you still have questions about WordPress website design or using a proposal template? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions.
How much money can I make as a freelance WordPress website developer?
The average WordPress website developer can make $72,968 a year, or $35 an hour. Developing WordPress websites for clients or modifying existing templates can be a very lucrative career choice if you have the skills.
What happens if someone doesn’t want to pay for a project?
Each proposal template and contract created in Bonsai offers a way to sign the finalized proposal or contract digitally. Bonsai makes a legally binding e-signature. If clients don’t want to pay but sign through Bonsai, you have legal recourse to receive payment.
Are WordPress templates reliable for business use?
There are 1,000s of WordPress themes and templates available for use either directly from WordPress or third-party developers. When looking for templates to use, ensure the theme is frequently updated alongside the core WordPress updates. This way, the theme will not have compatibility issues down the road.
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