What is actually in a web design package (and what to watch for)

TL;DR

A real web design package names all 10 line items in writing: design, build, payments, shipping, content loading, search setup, structured data, speed work, training and a support window after launch. A quote silent on any of those is either a change order later or work that never happens.

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Why this guide exists

We take a call every other week from somebody who paid for a website and has just been asked for more money to launch it. The cause is almost always the same. The original quote was one line with no scope, so the work nobody named did not get done.

This isn’t always malicious. Sometimes the agency genuinely didn’t think about what’s included. But you’re the one writing the cheque, so you’re the one who needs the checklist. Here it is.

The 10 line items every quote should specify

If you take one thing from this page, take this list and ask your studio to confirm each item in writing before you sign anything. Every line below is work that has to happen on any real website, so a quote that does not name it has either hidden it or dropped it.

1. Design source and revision rounds

Is the design custom or a customized theme? How many revision rounds are included? After how many rounds do extra revisions become billable, and at what rate?

“Custom design” should mean wireframes or Figma files you can review and comment on, not the developer Frankenstein-ing a theme and showing you the live result.

2. Number of pages or templates

“A website” doesn’t have a fixed page count. A Shopify build with 4 templates (home, product, collection, content) is very different from one with 12 templates (home, 3 product variants, 4 collection variants, blog, about, contact, FAQ, policies).

For a content site: name the pages. Home, About, Services (one or many?), Contact, Privacy, Terms, Blog hub, Blog post template. That’s 8 templates. Get that in the quote.

3. Number of products and content upload

“We’ll set up your Shopify store” — for how many products? Is product copy provided by you or written by the agency? Are images optimized, or uploaded as-is from your phone?

A typical Shopify Launch project assumes you provide product titles, descriptions, prices, and one image per product. Anything more (variant images, lifestyle photography, copywriting) is usually a separate line item.

4. Payment, shipping, and tax configuration

For a Canadian store: GST/HST/PST setup based on province of sale, Shopify Payments or Stripe activation, Canada Post real-time rates or flat-rate zones, free-shipping threshold logic, refund policy linked from checkout.

None of this is hard. All of it is easy to forget to quote.

5. App installs and configuration

Shopify apps: reviews, email, wishlist, bundles, popups, analytics. WordPress plugins: forms, SEO, caching, security, backups. Each one has a free tier and a paid tier. The quote should list which apps are in scope, who pays the monthly fees, and whether configuration is included.

6. SEO setup

Bare minimum: unique title tag and meta description on every page, image alt text, clean URL slugs, a generated sitemap submitted to Google Search Console, and Search Console + Google Analytics 4 (or Shopify analytics) verified and linked.

“SEO” without specifics is meaningless. An honest quote names what’s included.

7. Structured data (schema markup)

This is the line that separates a 2026 quote from a 2018 quote. Product schema, Organization schema, LocalBusiness schema, FAQPage schema, Article schema for blog posts. These are what make Google show rich results — review stars, product price, FAQ accordions in search.

If a quote doesn’t mention structured data, your site is going to look generic in search results next to competitors who have it.

8. Performance tuning

Image compression, lazy-loading, font subsetting, deferred third-party scripts, Core Web Vitals targets. The goal is LCP under 2.5s on mobile and CLS under 0.1. Anything else is a slow site.

Ask: “What’s the Core Web Vitals target on the launch day audit?” If there’s no target, performance isn’t actually in scope.

9. Training

You’ll have to update content, change prices, add products. The training session — 60-90 minutes, recorded so you can rewatch it, on the actual site not a generic Shopify tutorial — is the difference between owning your site and being held hostage by it.

10. Post-launch support window

How many days after launch can you call with bugs without being billed? 7 days is light. 30 days is standard. 60-90 days is generous. After that, you’re either on a care plan or you pay hourly.

Get this number in writing. “We’ll be there if you need us” is not a number.

What “$999 for a website” usually leaves out

A cheap quote is not a dishonest quote, it is a narrow one, and the narrowness is the thing to understand before you accept it. At the entry bracket some work is genuinely included and some is genuinely not. The list below is what usually sits outside that number.

• A theme installed and lightly customized (colors and logo swap)
• Up to 5 pages with placeholder or client-provided content
• No structured data, no performance tuning, minimal SEO
• No training
• Email and phone setup support, then you’re on your own

For some people that’s the right product. A solo consultant who needs a presence online and isn’t trying to rank doesn’t need the $5,000 stack. Our Starter tier at $999 CAD is exactly this — and we name what it does and doesn’t include up front.

The problem is when a $999 quote is sold as a $4,000 deliverable. That’s where the change orders come from.

To see where a quote sits against the whole market rather than one studio, what a website costs in Canada puts DIY, freelancer and agency brackets side by side.

Red flags in a web design quote

Some wording in a quote reliably turns into a bill later, and it is worth recognising before rather than after. One line with no breakdown, revisions left undefined, and search work sold as an add on all belong here. Each pattern below is one we have seen turn into a dispute.

• One line, no breakdown. “Design and develop new website — $3,500.” This is a future change-order machine.
• No revision rounds specified. Revisions are where projects bleed time. If “unlimited revisions” is in the quote, the price will reflect that or the agency will get exhausted and ghost you.
• No timeline. Open-ended timelines mean nobody’s accountable.
• No mention of who provides content. Half the projects that go over budget go over because content showed up six weeks late.
• “SEO included” with no specifics. Meaningless.
• “Mobile responsive” listed as a feature. It’s been the default for a decade. If this is a selling point, you’re talking to someone behind the times.
• No hosting clarity. Where does the site live? Who pays? Who has the login?
• Domain owned by the agency. The domain should be in your account, not theirs. This is a hostage situation waiting to happen.

How our tiers break down (honestly)

For comparison, here is what each of our own tiers actually includes, written the way we would say it on the phone rather than the way a brochure would. Read it against whatever quote you are holding, line by line, and ask the other studio about anything that is missing.

Launch — $2,400 CAD

• Theme-based Shopify or WordPress build, lightly customized to brand
• Up to 5-7 pages or 50 products
• Payment, shipping, tax, and basic app setup
• Title tags, meta descriptions, alt text on all pages
• Sitemap + Search Console + GA4 verified
• Organization + LocalBusiness schema
• Core Web Vitals pass on launch day
• One 60-minute training session, recorded
• 14 days post-launch support
• 3-5 week timeline

Growth — $4,900 CAD

• Custom design in Figma, 2 revision rounds
• Shopify or WordPress build, up to 12 templates or 300 products
• Full payment, shipping, tax setup including Canada Post live rates
• 5-7 apps installed and configured
• Full on-page SEO + structured data (Product, FAQ, Article, Organization)
• Performance pass to LCP under 2.5s mobile
• Migration of existing content (if applicable, with 301 redirect map)
• Two training sessions, recorded
• 30 days post-launch support
• 5-10 week timeline

Signature — $9,900+ CAD

• Custom design, 3 revision rounds, brand mini-system (color, type, logo refresh if needed)
• Custom theme development, no theme starter
• Up to 25 templates or 1,500 products
• Multi-currency or multi-language if needed
• Custom integrations (ERP, subscription apps, ReCharge, etc.)
• Full SEO + schema + content brief for 5-10 supporting blog posts
• Performance pass to LCP under 2.0s mobile
• 3 training sessions, full SOP document
• 60 days post-launch support
• 8-14 week timeline

Care plans (what happens after launch)

A website is not finished at launch. Updates, security patches, backups, plugin and app versions, broken links and expiring certificates all need somebody watching, and if nobody is named that somebody is you. What we cover and what it costs is set out below.

• Essential — $129/mo — backups, security, uptime monitoring, monthly performance check
• Growth — $299/mo — all of Essential plus 1 hour/month of content or design updates, monthly SEO check-in
• Pro — $599/mo — all of Growth plus 3 hours/month, quarterly strategy call, priority support

If you’re not on a care plan, you’re either doing this yourself or paying hourly when something breaks at 11pm on a Friday.

Frequently asked questions

These are the questions owners ask while comparing two quotes that look nothing like each other, answered from calls we have actually taken. The short version is to compare the scope rather than the total, because the cheaper number is almost always the smaller job.

Use the 10-item checklist above. Ask each agency to confirm yes or no on each item. The cheaper quote is almost always cheaper because it’s quietly missing 3-4 items.

Is a $1,000 website ever a good idea?

Yes — for a small business that needs a presence, not traffic. If you’re not trying to rank in Google or run paid ads to the site, a $1,000 build can work. If you’re trying to grow, it won’t.

What if I just need a quick landing page?

A single landing page on Webflow, Framer, or a Shopify theme runs $400-$1,200 done well. That’s a different product from a full site.

Should I pay extra for “custom design”?

Depends. A premium Shopify theme like Impact, Dawn (customized), or Symmetry will get you 80% of the visual impact of a fully custom design at 20% of the cost. Custom design is worth it when your brand needs to look unmistakably different from competitors using the same themes.

What’s the deal with “free hosting” offers?

It’s usually the agency hosting your site on their reseller account. Fine until you want to leave, at which point they own the leverage. Always own your hosting account.

How much should content writing cost?

$80-$200 per page for product descriptions or service pages. $300-$800 for a quality blog post. If “content included” is in the quote, ask whether it means writing or just placing your provided text.

Do I really need structured data?

If you want Google to show rich results for your products (price, stars, availability) or your FAQ answers in search — yes. Sites without schema look generic in 2026 search results.

What’s a fair hourly rate for post-launch changes?

Canadian agency rates run $90-$175/hour. Freelancers $50-$120/hour. Care plans usually price hours at the low end of the agency range.

What to do next

Take whatever quote you are holding right now and check it against the list above, item by item. If most of the items are not named in it, that is the conversation to have with the studio before you sign, not the one to have with them after launch.

If you’d like a second pair of eyes on a quote you’ve received, or want to see what our scope looks like written out, book a free discovery call or compare the tiers on our pricing page. We’ll be honest about whether you need our Growth tier or whether a Starter build is the right call.