Before requesting a web design quote, it’s essential to have a clear idea of the type of website you need: any special features, your target audience, and the goals you want to achieve.
In this post, we’ll outline the key points to consider before asking for a web design quote. This will help clarify your needs and make it easier for the web design studio to provide the most accurate estimate possible.
How to draft a project brief for a web design quote
Website sections
When requesting a web design quote, the first thing to determine—if you haven’t already—is the number of sections your website will need. The best way to do this is by creating a simple site map.
Building a site map or website structure isn’t complicated, and it will help you lay the foundation for your new website.
You can do this with a simple list, like so:
- Home
- About Us
- Team
- History
- Philosophy
- Services
- Service 1
- Service 2
- Service 3
- Service 4
- Blog
- Contact
As you can see, this simple exercise makes it much easier to create a web design quote that’s tailored to your actual needs, which can have a direct impact on your budget.
You can also provide a sketch
While this is usually handled by the web design studio, you can also take the initiative and create a simple hand-drawn sketch of how you envision your website’s structure. Still, we recommend staying open to suggestions from experienced web designers, who will know how best to organize your site’s content. In any case, any information you provide when requesting a web design quote will be warmly welcomed by any web design studio.
Reference websites
Doing some research and sharing reference websites is also extremely helpful for showing the web design studio what you expect or need, as well as the level of design you’re aiming for.
You can share links to websites you’ve visited that caught your eye for any reason—maybe you liked their navigation menu, image treatments, or impressive animation effects.
Here are some curated web design galleries that are sure to inspire you:
http://www.awwwards.com/
http://thebestdesigns.com/
https://www.cssdesignawards.com/
On our blog, you’ll also find regular roundups from these galleries to help spark your creativity—whether you’re looking for a web design studio for your next project or you’re a web designer seeking inspiration. Here’s a direct link to our Inspiration category, where you’ll find all related posts:
http://codewebbarcelona.com/category/inspiracion
Main competitors
It’s important to share the main companies you compete with so the studio can see what kind of websites are common in your sector. While not all competitors may meet your standards, this will give a sense of the landscape you operate in.
This information can also help you stand out from your competitors by offering a more advanced or interactive web experience, giving you an edge in terms of online presence.
To do this, simply provide 3 or 4 links to competitor websites that you feel best represent your industry. If you can also highlight what you like about each one, even better—this helps clarify what you value most when requesting a web design quote.
Languages
Consider which languages your website should be available in. Most websites are multilingual, especially for companies based in Spain. Be sure to specify if your site needs to be accessible in multiple languages, and which ones. If a single language is sufficient, mention that as well, since this can affect the quote.
Self-managed sections
Do you want to manage products, projects, or blog posts on your website easily, without technical knowledge? If so, you’ll need a content management system.
Clearly stating which parts of the website you want to manage independently will help ensure your web design quote accurately reflects your needs.
Desired style
You can make a list of the visual characteristics you want for your website, as well as what you hope to convey to visitors.
For example:
- Fresh
- Modern
- Minimalist
- Interactive
- Colorful
- Illustration-driven
Features and special requirements
Is there a special section or unique functionality you need?
If so, try to describe in as much detail as possible how it should work and what its purpose is, as this can significantly affect the quote. It could mean a difference of a few hundred or several thousand euros.
For instance, you might need a private area where users can download certain files, organized in a specific way and requiring user data. Will users register themselves, or will you create accounts manually for greater control?
Or perhaps you need custom forms that generate specific reports for users, and so on.
All of this is crucial when preparing a web design quote, so it’s worth spending extra time on this section. Of course, if you’re unsure how to approach this, a good web design studio will always be happy to provide guidance and advice to help create a quote that meets everyone’s needs.
Summary infographic
To sum up, we’ve created this fun infographic that we’re sure you’ll find very useful!
