What to Look for in a Website Development Proposal

You’re in the market for a new website, but after countless hours of leafing through website proposals from different vendors, you still have no idea which one to go with. Sound familiar?

We thought it might.

The good news is that IMGE is here to help. Here are five key items we think you should look for in a website proposal before you hire a vendor.

1. A Well-defined game plan

The most important part of any website proposal is a well-defined game plan. If a vendor doesn’t have a concrete step-by-step process outlined, you will probably end up wasting a ton of extra time and money on billed-back project management hours.

Not ideal for your sanity or your wallet.

IMGE uses the scrum methodology to keep that from happening. We break big projects down into smaller incremental sprints to ensure that we complete each step of the website build process in a timely fashion. We share the details of each sprint with you so you know exactly where we are in the process and what you can expect along the way.

The result? Your new website gets turned around in the amount of time we outlined in the proposal. No excuses, just results.

2. Custom framework

If you receive a website proposal that uses a templated website builder like Wix or Squarespace, throw it in the trash immediately.

Let’s face it – unless you’re a blogger or do freelancing as a side hustle, a cookie-cutter prefabricated website just isn’t going to cut it. Sure, it’s the most cost effective solution to begin with, but it could cost your brand a lot in the long run. (We explain why here.)

You need a website that is tailor-made to meet your unique needs and scale with you as your business grows. That means a custom framework and an easy-to-use editor that gives you the control to make changes without having to have a developer on speed-dial.

That’s exactly the approach we take here at IMGE – bespoke websites that are beautiful AND functional. The best part? Our custom framework is so easy to use that you don’t need us to make edits. You can easily make updates yourself, and you’ll forever have a custom CMS guide to use as reference.

3. Top-notch security

Here’s a shocking stat – the average cost of a data breach to a company is over $3.5 million.

We live in a digital world, so cybersecurity should be at the center of any conversation about building a new website. Keeping data and sensitive information safe is important to you, so it should be important to whoever is building your website, too.

Any website vendor worth hiring should have plans in place to protect your passwords, billing information, and any other highly-sensitive data. While you are combing through website proposals, look for one that includes various cybersecurity safeguards.

4. A Comprehensive cost breakdown

When it comes to websites, you get what you pay for. That means if the price a vendor quotes you seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

A lot more goes into your website’s final price tag than just the cost of labor to build it. Here are some examples of what you are paying for on top of a designer’s and developer’s time:

• Fonts
• Images
• Domains
• Plug-ins
• SSL Certificates
• Site hosting
• Ongoing maintenance

But not all vendors include these hidden costs in the price they quote you, which means you could be stuck footing the bill for them later. That’s why you should look for a website proposal that has an itemized breakdown of EXACTLY what that money is getting you.

5. Proven experience to back it all up

Making a lot of promises in a website proposal is easy, but keeping all those promises is an entirely different ballgame. Choose a vendor that has plenty of experience developing cutting-edge custom websites and can prove it!

Look for case studies and work samples that back up the promises the vendor made in the website proposal. Most importantly, make sure their website is up to snuff. If a vendor can’t build a beautiful, functional website for their own brand, you shouldn’t trust them to build one for you.

If you are gearing up to build a new website and want a vendor who checks off every item on this list, reach out to our team today.