We receive website redesign inquiries in very different formats. Some companies send a two-paragraph email. Others send a 40-page RFP with every page, CMS field and animation already specified.
More detail does not always produce a better proposal. From our experience at Cuberto, the most useful RFPs give us enough information to understand the business, the problem and the constraints while leaving room for us to recommend the right solution.
A strong RFP should answer three fundamental questions:
1. Why are you redesigning the website?
2. What should the new website achieve?
3. What constraints do we need to work within?
Everything else helps us make the estimate more accurate.
Do you actually need an RFP?
Not every website redesign needs a formal Request for Proposal. An RFP makes sense when several agencies are participating, multiple stakeholders need to approve the project or the company has a formal procurement process.
For smaller or more flexible projects, a clear brief followed by a call is often enough. We would rather receive a focused five-page document that explains the project clearly than a 30-page specification built around assumptions that may change during discovery.
The purpose of an RFP is to give the agency enough context to propose the right approach.
What to include in a website redesign RFP
1. Give us the context
Before describing pages, features or technical requirements, tell us about the business and why the redesign is happening now.
What does the company do? Who are the primary customers? What role does the website play in sales, marketing, recruitment or product communication?
Then explain what has changed. Maybe the company has entered new markets, launched new services or gone through a rebrand. The website may no longer reflect the scale of the business, explain the product clearly or support the way the marketing team works today.
For example:
"Our company has expanded significantly over the past three years, but the website still reflects our previous positioning and makes it difficult to communicate our full range of services."
This kind of context is much more useful than simply saying: "We need a more modern website."
It also helps to mention what already works well and should be preserved, whether that is strong organic traffic, familiar user journeys, valuable content or parts of the existing brand.
2. Define what success looks like
A redesign needs a goal beyond looking better. Typical goals we see include:
- generating more qualified leads;
- explaining a complex product more clearly;
- supporting new positioning;
- improving conversion;
- creating a stronger digital brand;
- making content easier to manage;
- supporting several products or markets;
- improving performance.
Try to prioritize. If the project has ten equally important goals, it becomes difficult to make decisions when those goals eventually conflict.
When possible, also share how you plan to measure success. Depending on the website, this could include conversions, demo requests, qualified inquiries, organic traffic, engagement with important pages, performance or the time required to publish new content.
3. Describe the content, visual and technical requirements
Content is one of the most common causes of website delays. Explain whether the company will provide final copy, expects the agency to write it or needs a collaborative process. Mention the current state of photography, video, illustrations, 3D assets, case studies and translations.
A useful description might be:
"The company will provide product information and access to subject-matter experts. We expect the agency to help structure the pages, refine the messaging and write key marketing content. Existing case studies can be used as source material but may need to be rewritten."
References are useful when they explain what the company values. You may share examples of websites with strong hierarchy, motion, storytelling or product explanation. Explain why each reference is relevant rather than asking the agency to copy its visual style.
Identify which parts of the current brand must remain and where the agency has creative freedom.
Describe what the system needs to do rather than selecting technology without a clear reason. Relevant requirements may include:
- CMS editing and permissions
- CRM and form integrations
- Multilingual content
- Search and filtering
- Analytics and consent management
- Hosting and deployment
- Security requirements
- Browser and device support
- Accessibility standards
- Performance expectations
Explain whether the existing platform must be retained or whether agencies may recommend another solution.
SEO migration should also be mentioned when URLs, navigation or content will change. The agency may need to protect important landing pages, prepare redirects, migrate metadata and verify indexing after launch.
4. Tell us what already exists
This has a significant impact on scope, timeline and budget. Tell us what you already have and what still needs to be created.
Brand
Are we working with an established identity, evolving it or creating something new?
Content
Will final copy be provided by your team? Do you need help structuring or writing it?
Media
Do you already have photography, video, illustrations, renders and 3D assets?
Technology
Does the current CMS need to remain? Are you open to another solution?
Integrations
Mention CRM systems, forms, analytics, search, payment systems, localization or custom APIs that need to be connected.
The earlier we understand these dependencies, the more accurate our proposal can be.
5. Be open about the budget
One thing we strongly recommend is providing at least an approximate budget range. Hiding the budget does not necessarily produce a better price. It often produces proposals for completely different projects.
One agency may recommend keeping the existing CMS and focusing on UX/UI. Another may propose discovery, a new brand system, custom motion, content production and rebuilding the platform from scratch.
Both proposals can be reasonable, but comparing them becomes almost impossible.
Knowing the available investment allows us to recommend the best use of that budget.
For example:
"Our expected budget for strategy, design and development is $40,000–$60,000. We are open to recommendations on how the scope should be prioritized within this range."
If you are not sure what website redesigns typically cost, we cover our typical project ranges in our How Much Does a Website Redesign Cost in 2026 article?
6. Give us a realistic timeline
Tell us when you would like the website to launch and whether that date is actually fixed.
There is a major difference between: "We'd ideally like to launch in October" and "The website must launch before our annual conference on October 12."
If your timeline is tied to a product launch, event, fundraising round or marketing campaign, it is helpful to mention this early so the project can be planned around that date.
The overall schedule should also allow time for content preparation, internal reviews, legal approvals and stakeholder feedback. Planning these steps from the beginning helps keep the project moving smoothly and reduces the risk of delays later on.
What we want to see in an RFP
If you are preparing an RFP for Cuberto, this is enough:
1. Company
Who are you and what does the business do?
2. Current website
What role does it play today?
3. Problem
Why are you considering a redesign?
4. Goals
What should be different after launch?
5. Audience
Who are the primary users and what should they be able to do?
6. Scope
What do you believe the project may include?
7. Content and brand
What already exists and what needs to be created?
8. Technical requirements
CMS, integrations, localization, analytics, SEO, hosting or other constraints.
9. References
What do you like or dislike and why?
10. Budget
An approximate range is enough.
11. Timeline
Target start and launch dates, especially any hard deadlines.
12. Decision process
Who is involved, when proposals are due and when you expect to select a partner.
That's it. You do not need to tell us where every button should be placed. That is part of the job you are hiring the agency to do.
How to choose the right website agency
Choosing an agency is not only about comparing portfolios and prices. The more important question is whether the team can actually understand the problem, propose the right solution and deliver it with people who have relevant experience.
1) Do they understand the actual problem?
A strong agency should be able to explain what they believe the real challenge is, not simply repeat the brief back to you. Pay attention to the questions they ask about the business, audience, product and existing website before discussing visual ideas.
2) How experienced is the team, and what have they actually built?
This has become especially important with the rapid growth of AI tools. It is now relatively easy to create convincing presentations, polished concepts and impressive descriptions without having much real project experience behind them. Review completed work, not just pitch materials. Look at the complexity of previous projects, the role the agency played and whether those projects were actually launched.
3) Are design and development handled in-house?
It is worth understanding who will actually work on the project. Some agencies have their own designers and developers, while others rely heavily on external contractors. Neither model is automatically wrong, but you should know how the team is structured, who owns the final result and how closely design and development work together.
4) How does the team plan to solve the problem technically?
A proposal may sound convincing, but the underlying technical approach matters just as much. Ask what technology stack the agency recommends, why it fits the project and how the website will be maintained after launch. You should understand whether your internal team will be able to update content, create new pages and manage the platform without depending on the agency for every small change.
5) Do they work on a fixed-price or Time & Materials basis?
Both models can work well, but they suit different types of projects. Fixed-price projects provide more budget predictability when the scope is clearly defined. Time & Materials is often more appropriate when requirements are likely to evolve during discovery, design or development. The important thing is to understand what is included, how changes are handled and what happens if the scope grows.
Relevant experience does not necessarily mean finding an agency that has redesigned a website in exactly the same industry.
A team that understands complex products, enterprise stakeholders, large content structures or interactive digital experiences may be more relevant than an agency with ten visually similar projects in your sector.
Also pay attention to the questions the agency asks. If most of the conversation is about colors, references and visual preferences before anyone asks about the business, audience or problem, that tells you a lot about how the project is likely to be approached.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a website redesign RFP be?
For most projects, five to ten focused pages are enough. The goal is to communicate the problem and constraints clearly, not document every possible implementation detail.
Should we include a budget?
Yes. Even an approximate range helps agencies recommend an appropriate scope and prevents both sides from spending time on proposals that are financially incompatible.
How many agencies should receive the RFP?
In most cases, a shortlist is better than sending the RFP to a large number of agencies. You want enough options to compare approaches without turning the process into a mass tender.
Should we ask agencies to design something before choosing them?
Usually no. Relevant case studies, the proposed team, process and the quality of the agency's questions tell you much more than speculative design created without discovery.
What's the difference between an RFP and a brief?
A brief explains the project and can start a conversation. An RFP is usually more formal and includes proposal requirements, deadlines, evaluation criteria and a defined selection process.
