You know the story. A client asks for “a simple website” and two weeks later, they’re asking for ecommerce, blog migration, third-party integrations, and three rounds of revisions - and suddenly your profit margin is gone.

The root issue? You didn’t scope it clearly.

Scoping a website project isn’t just about writing down what you think the client wants. It’s about defining exactly what’s included, aligning expectations, and giving your team something solid to deliver against.

Let’s walk through how to do website scoping the right way - and how to make it easy.

1. Define Pages and Functions Separately

The first step is simple but critical: break the project into pages and functions.

• Pages = individual views (Homepage, About, Services, Contact)
• Functions = things the site does (Blog CMS, contact forms, animations, integrations)

Many proposals mush this all together and it creates confusion.

Instead, separate them clearly. The client may want five static pages and a blog - or they may want a contact form, booking calendar, and gated content system. Those are not equal projects.

If you don’t define the moving parts clearly, you’ll end up doing more than you scoped - for free.

2. Assign Deliverables to Each Component

Once the core structure is mapped out, get specific.
For each item, define what’s included.

For example:
“Contact Form Setup” might include design, basic spam filtering, and testing - but not integration with a third-party CRM. Spell it out.

This removes ambiguity and protects you when the client “thought” something was included.

3. Give Clients Clear Options

This is where a lot of agencies miss the mark.

You send one flat quote - and when the client wants changes, you scramble. Instead, show them options.

Let them toggle things on or off.
Let them decide if they want the basic blog or the SEO-optimized CMS version.

This doesn’t just make your life easier - it makes you look more professional.

We go deep on this topic in More Choices, More Closes if you want a full breakdown of how optionality improves close rates.

4. Use a Tool That Scopes With You, Not Against You

Most proposal tools (and spreadsheets) aren’t built for real website scoping. You end up duplicating work, tweaking tables, and re-explaining the same scope details over and over.

That’s why we built Smart Pricing Table - so you can create reusable scope components, assign pricing, add notes, and let clients interact with the scope itself.

Want to include an “Advanced Contact Form” option?
Drop it in.
Want to upsell CMS migration or blog setup?
Toggle it on.
Want to reuse this same layout in the next proposal?
Done.

Smart Pricing Table was literally designed to make website scoping fast, clear, and repeatable.

5. Protect Your Time and Your Profit

The more clearly you scope, the easier it is to price.
And the easier it is to price, the more confident you’ll be in your proposals.

You’ll stop undercharging.
You’ll stop getting blindsided.
You’ll close more clients faster - and actually enjoy the process.

For more on clarity, check out The Silent Killer of Sales: Undefined Scope

Ready to Scope Like a Pro?

If website scoping currently feels messy, inconsistent, or like a huge time sink - you’re not alone.

Smart Pricing Table helps agencies streamline every part of the proposal and scoping process. You define your building blocks once, then use them over and over to create fast, flexible, client-friendly proposals.

👉 Learn more or book a no-obligation demo

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