Website quotation checklist for Sri Lanka
Editorial review: 26 August 2026 · By: Alston Antony
Send this 16-point checklist to every website designer or agency you shortlist in Sri Lanka. A quote that answers every point in writing is one you can compare like-for-like against another; a quote that answers half is a quote that will grow LKR 50,000 to 200,000 during the project. Copy the list below into your own note or an email, ask for a response inline, and refuse any quote that skips a point.
The 16-point checklist
Every point below is a lever that changes the quote or the outcome. Ask for a written answer, not a verbal commitment.
- Scope. What is the deliverable in one paragraph - a WordPress brochure site, a WooCommerce store, a landing page, a rebuild of an existing site. If the designer cannot summarise it, they have not understood the brief.
- Page count and names. A list of every page they will build. "Approximately eight pages" is not a page count; "Home, About, Services (3), Contact, Blog list, Blog post template, Privacy, Terms" is.
- Design. Custom design or template-based. If template-based, the template name (e.g. Astra Blocksy, GeneratePress, a specific ThemeForest theme) plus what the designer changes on top.
- CMS / platform. WordPress self-hosted, WordPress.com managed, Shopify, Wix, Webflow, custom code. This decides who can update the site later and at what cost.
- Hosting ownership. Whose account is the hosting in - the client's, or the designer's? A designer-owned hosting account means the client cannot leave without a migration. Insist on client-owned hosting from day one.
- Domain ownership. Same test as hosting. The
.lkor.comshould be registered in the client's name, not the designer's, at the LK Domain Registry or a global registrar under the client's account. - Backups. Daily or weekly, kept for how long, restored from where and by whom, and at what cost. "Backups included" is not an answer; "UpdraftPlus daily to Google Drive, 30-day retention, restore included" is.
- Security. SSL certificate provider (Let's Encrypt is fine), WordPress security plugin used, admin-account setup (individual accounts, not a shared login), 2FA on the admin, and update responsibility - designer or client.
- Analytics. Google Analytics 4 property set up in the client's account (not the designer's), Google Tag Manager if used, Search Console verified. Ask for the property IDs after handover.
- SEO basics. Title tags and meta descriptions per page, XML sitemap submitted to Search Console, one H1 per page, image ALT tags on every image, structured data for the business (LocalBusiness or Organization).
- Content. Who writes it - the client, the designer, or a third-party copywriter. If the designer writes it, ask for a sample they wrote previously; a lot of Sri Lankan quotes assume "client provides content" and then charge extra when the client does not.
- Revisions. Exact number of design revision rounds and content revision rounds included. What counts as "one revision". What each additional revision costs. Most overruns come from unclear revision limits.
- Maintenance. After launch: who updates WordPress core, plugins, themes, PHP versions? What is the ongoing monthly fee, and what does it include (uptime monitoring, security scans, weekly plugin updates)? Get this in writing before launch.
- Handover. A written handover document at project close listing admin credentials, hosting login, DNS registrar login, email logins, Analytics property IDs, backup restore instructions, and how to add a new blog post. Not a phone call.
- Source files. Who owns the design files (Figma, Photoshop, XD), the theme child-theme customisations, and any custom code. Ask for a Git repository or a zipped handover of every custom file.
- Payment terms. The deposit percentage, the milestone schedule (e.g. 30% deposit, 40% at design approval, 30% at launch), the acceptable payment methods, whether LKR is billed direct or converted from USD, and the refund terms if the project is cancelled.
- Timeline. A written start date, milestone dates, and go-live date. Late delivery clauses are rare in Sri Lanka but worth asking for on projects over LKR 200,000.
How to send this to a designer
Copy the list above into a shared document (Google Docs works). Add a second column labelled "Designer response" and email the link to each shortlisted designer with a brief note: "Please answer each row of column two before Friday. I am comparing three quotes and this is my standard question sheet." Any designer who refuses or delays past the deadline is telling you how they will behave during the project - proceed accordingly.
Red flags in the reply
- "Trust me on the scope, we will handle it during the project." The scope is the quote. Insist on writing.
- "You do not need to own the hosting, we will manage it for you." Client-owned hosting is not negotiable.
- "Revisions are unlimited." A quote that costs the same regardless of revisions is one where the designer's incentive is to end the project fast, not to iterate.
- "We will send credentials at the end." The client should have admin access from the first day WordPress is installed, so the client can verify the setup as it happens.
- Verbal quotes only. If the designer will not put the quote in an email, they will not honour it in a dispute.