Most RFPs we see start with mood boards and a wish for “modern.” That is how you hire a pretty brochure and then pay a second firm to make the forms work.
If you are trying to figure out how to choose a web design agency, start with the work you need shipped, not the vibe. Write one sentence for done. Name who owns copy. Say whether you already picked a platform (Wix, Webflow, WordPress, Next.js). Then ask for a quote against that, not against a 40-page RFP nobody will read.
We run web design as a catalog of real jobs (landing pages, brand sites, ecommerce UX), not a single mystery “website package.” Packages exist when the scope is standard. Custom SOWs exist when it is not. Do not let a vendor blur those.
Write “done” in one sentence
Not “better UX.” Not “looks premium.”
Examples that survive a kickoff:
- “Qualified demo requests from US mid-market, with the form hitting HubSpot the same day.”
- “Staff can change service times and sermon audio on Monday without a developer.”
- “Checkout does not drop mobile users on the shipping step.”
If you cannot write that sentence, you are shopping for decoration. Pause the RFP.
Freeze the stack on purpose
Agencies love to “recommend the right platform” after you have already fallen in love with a Figma file. That is backwards.
If you want Wix, say so. We will build on Wix. We will also put in the quote if the brief will outgrow the editor (custom apps, heavy SEO, lots of locales). Same for Squarespace. Webflow and Next.js are better for some briefs. They are not a moral upgrade you owe Google.
Do not pick a stack because a conference talk was exciting. Pick it because whoever publishes content can actually publish.
Name the people who can kill the date
Who signs copy? Who signs design? Who can slip the launch by two weeks?
If that is three people with no shared calendar, the quote should include the delay. A cheap proposal that assumes one approver is a fiction.
Bring proof, not Pinterest
Two or three numbers you can stand behind beat a folder of competitor screenshots. Revenue from organic, demo-request volume, bounce on the pricing page: pick what you actually measure.
If you have no numbers, say that. We would rather start from Search Console than from a fake KPI.
Read the quote like a contract
Look for:
- What is in scope, line by line (templates, locales, integrations)
- What happens when copy is late
- Who owns the CMS after launch
- Redirects, analytics, and a 404 that is not a blank theme page
A low number with “we will figure out SEO later” is not a bargain. You will pay the later.
What we will push back on
Mood boards with twelve directions. “Make it pop.” A CMS the marketing intern cannot log into. Guaranteed rankings.
We will also push back if you insist on Wix for a brief that needs a custom app, or Next.js for a pastor who only wants to edit Sunday hours. The platform should match the operator.
FAQ
Should I hire a specialist (Shopify-only, Wix-only) or a studio that does several stacks?
Hire for the job you have this year. If you are staying on Wix, you want someone who will actually ship Wix, not someone who spends the discovery call talking you off it. If you might leave Wix in 18 months, ask for that migration as a separate line, not a surprise.
If you want this run against your current site, book a call with the sentence for “done” and the URL.