Fixed-scope or hourly — and why revision limits decide your margin
Two ways to quote a website:
- Fixed-scope quote — one price for a defined deliverable ("5-page responsive site, CMS, contact form, basic SEO"). Safe only if you cap revisions. "Two rounds of revisions per design stage; further rounds billed at your hourly rate" is the single most important line.
- Hourly / time-and-materials — better for open-ended builds. Quote the rate and an estimated range, and treat it as an estimate, not a fixed promise.
Unlimited revisions is how a fixed-price site becomes a loss. State the number, state what a revision is, and state what happens past the limit.
Quote in milestones, separate the one-off from the recurring
Structure the quote around stages — discovery, design, build, launch — and attach a payment to each. Milestones give both sides protection: the client pays for tangible progress, and you are not 80% through a build on goodwill.
Keep recurring costs out of the build price. Hosting, a maintenance retainer, a CMS licence, and domain renewal are ongoing — quote them as a separate monthly or annual line.
Validity, assets, and scope creep
Put an expiry on the quote — 14 to 30 days.
Name what is included in the handover and write the scope-creep clause: "Pages, features, or integrations not listed above are out of scope and will be quoted separately." When the client adds an e-commerce checkout to a brochure-site quote, that one line turns it into a paid change order.
Acceptance and signatures
A quote usually works as a commercial offer; if the client accepts it and the essential terms are clear, it will usually form the agreed price and scope, subject to local contract and consumer-law rules. Until acceptance, either side can walk away.
An e-signature or typed approval is usually enough for ordinary commercial jobs, provided local law and the contract do not require a specific form, witness, or wet-ink signature. Keep a dated record of the acceptance. On a web project, tie acceptance to the specific milestone schedule and revision limits listed on the quote, so both sides know what was agreed before the first wireframe is drawn.
From accepted quote to invoice
Once the work is done, use the accepted quote as the basis for a separate invoice or tax invoice. For deposits, progress payments, or retainers, issue the required invoice and account for VAT/GST/HST/sales tax under local timing rules. Reference the original quote number on the invoice — it helps the client's accounts team match the bill to what they approved.
The practical switch is small: change the heading from "Quote" to "Invoice", swap "Valid Until" for a payment due date, add a fresh invoice number, and apply your tax treatment. Our free invoice generator produces the matching invoice.
Tax on a quote
A quote can show estimated tax (VAT, GST, HST, or sales tax) so the client sees the likely total, but it is a commercial offer, not a tax invoice or sales-tax document — it does not by itself create a reporting point. If you display tax, mark it as estimated or indicative so it is not mistaken for a tax invoice.
Rates and thresholds differ by country and can change, and deposits or advance payments can affect when tax is due — confirm the treatment that applies to your work with your tax authority or an accountant.