By Mehdi HassanWhat should a website statement of work include?
A website statement of work should include the project goal, a line-item list of deliverables, what's excluded, assumptions, milestones and approvals, the revision process, QA and launch tasks, the change-order process and payment terms. It's the document both sides sign, and it's what you'll both point to when someone asks whether something was included.
The SOW comes last in the buying process. You start with an RFP or a brief, the agency replies with a proposal, and the agreed parts of that proposal become the SOW. If you're still at the first step, start with our website redesign RFP template or web design brief template.
SOW section | What it settles |
|---|---|
Goal and summary | Why the project exists and what success looks like |
Deliverables | Every page, template, asset and feature, line by line |
Exclusions | What's not included, written explicitly |
Assumptions | What the client provides and by when |
Milestones and approvals | Phases, review points, who signs off |
Revisions | How many rounds and what counts as one |
QA and launch | Browsers, devices, checks, go-live tasks |
Change orders | How new requests are priced and approved |
Payment and ownership | Schedule, terms and when files transfer |
Example scope: a line-item website SOW
Here's an example scope for a hypothetical 6-page startup marketing site. It shows the level of detail that prevents arguments. Replace the bracketed values with your own.
Line item | Example scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Unique page designs | Home, product, pricing, about, contact, careers | 6 unique layouts, desktop and mobile |
CMS templates | Blog post, blog index, customer story | Template design and build, not entry writing |
CMS collections | Blog, customer stories, team | Fields defined in a schema appendix |
Copy | [Agency writes / client supplies] all page copy | State which, per page |
Design rounds | [Number] rounds per phase | One round = one consolidated feedback document |
Integrations | HubSpot form, scheduler embed, analytics | Client provides account access |
Animation | Section entrances and hover states | Defined in the design files |
QA | Latest Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge; iOS and Android | Fix list closed before launch |
Launch | Domain connection, redirects list, metadata, sitemap | Client approves go-live |
Handover | CMS walkthrough recording, source files | After final payment |
Notice that pages, templates and collections are separate lines. A site with 6 unique pages and 80 blog posts is a 6-page design job plus a template, not an 86-page one. If you need a single page instead of a site, our landing page brief template covers the narrower scope.
What should a web design SOW explicitly exclude?
A web design SOW should explicitly exclude anything a reasonable person might assume is included but isn't. Silence in an SOW causes more disputes than any written term, because each side fills the gap with what suits them.
- Copywriting, if the client supplies it. Say who writes each page.
- Content migration, such as importing old blog posts, unless it's listed with a count.
- Photography, video and custom illustration beyond what's in the design.
- Brand identity work. A website project uses a brand; it doesn't create one. That's a separate engagement, like a brand design brief leads to.
- Ongoing maintenance and support after a defined post-launch window.
- Third-party costs: hosting, fonts, CMS plans, plugins and paid integrations.
- Paid ads, SEO campaigns and ongoing content.
How do you define revision rounds and approvals?
Define a revision round as one consolidated set of written feedback from the agreed approver, delivered by a set date. Without that definition, a round becomes any message from anyone at any time, and the project stalls.
Name one approver
One person consolidates feedback from the team and has final say at each milestone.
Set the number of rounds per phase
For example, rounds on wireframes or copy, rounds on visual design, then a final build review. Write the number down.
Set feedback windows
Agree how many working days the client has to respond. Delays on either side move the schedule.
Record approval in writing
An email saying approved, or a sign-off in the project tool, closes the phase.
Treat reopening as a change
Changing an approved phase is a change order, not a revision.
These rules protect the client as much as the agency. They keep the project moving and stop late, unconsolidated feedback from derailing the build. For more on handling requests that arrive mid-project, see our guide to change orders and scope creep.
How do change orders work in a website SOW?
A change order is a short written amendment that adds, removes or swaps scope, with its price and schedule impact, signed before work starts. The SOW should say how change orders are priced, for example a per-page price or a day rate, so nobody negotiates from scratch under deadline pressure.
For example, suppose the client asks for two extra pages mid-project
Hypothetical example: halfway through design, the client wants an integrations page and a comparison page. The SOW says extra pages are priced per page. The agency sends a one-paragraph change order: two pages added, the price, and the schedule moving by a stated amount. The client signs, work starts.
With Designify's website package, this is simple because the per-page price is published: $500 per extra page beyond the first six. Without a stated price, the same request often turns into a week of email.
A swap clause also helps: if the client wants a new page instead of one already in scope, and it's similar in complexity, it can be swapped without a change order. That keeps flexibility without letting scope grow quietly.
What does Designify's website scope include?
Designify's website package is $8,000 fixed for up to 6 pages, with $500 per extra page. It covers a multi-page marketing site with custom design, a CMS, animation and a Next.js build. Because the price is fixed and per-page pricing is published, most of the SOW is settled before the first call.
- Website up to 6 pages, custom design, CMS, Next.js
- $8,000
- Per extra page beyond six
- $500
- Trial week before committing
- $1,000
Delivery timelines are scoped on the intro call. Migration work is also scoped on the call, and we include redirects and SEO checks in any migration we take on. If you're comparing a fixed project with ongoing help, our explainer on web design subscriptions covers the monthly model, and our complete guide to website design and development for startups covers the whole process.
