Price is not the comparison
Two proposals at the same figure routinely describe different projects. One includes content migration, analytics configuration and a redirect map; the other quotes those separately once you have signed. Comparing the numbers tells you nothing until the scopes match.
What should be included as standard
- Discovery — someone asking what the site must accomplish before designing anything.
- Responsive build tested on real devices, not only at desktop width.
- Basic accessibility: semantic markup, keyboard paths, contrast that meets AA.
- Technical SEO foundations — crawlable, renderable, correct canonicals and sitemap.
- Analytics configured and conversion tracking defined before launch.
- For a rebuild: a complete URL redirect map. Its absence is the single largest source of post-launch ranking loss.
- Training or documentation so your team can publish without calling the agency.
- A defined support window after launch, with a response time in writing.
What is commonly excluded, legitimately
These are reasonable to quote separately, provided they are named in the proposal rather than discovered afterwards.
- Content writing and photography.
- Ongoing SEO or paid media.
- Third-party licence fees — platform, plugins, stock imagery.
- New features requested after scope is agreed.
- Maintenance beyond the initial support window.
The question most people forget
Who owns the code, the content and the domain when the engagement ends? Ask before signing. If the answer is anything other than you, understand exactly what leaving would cost — some arrangements make migration a rebuild rather than a move.
A useful request
Ask any supplier to list what they are not including. A proposal with no exclusions section has not been thought about, and the exclusions will arrive as invoices in month three.