A web design consultation template that brings briefs, not just bookings
Consultation page copy, pre-call questions on the current site, goals, pages, budget range, deadline and content readiness, plus a confirmation, a call agenda and a proposal follow-up, all with [placeholders].
This free web design consultation template is for freelance designers, small studios and web developers who take enquiries for new sites and redesigns. It gives you a consultation page, seven pre-call questions, a confirmation message, a 30-minute call agenda and the follow-up email that carries your proposal.
Most web design enquiries start vague: 'we need a new website'. The consultation is where you find out whether that means a five-page brochure site with copy ready to go, or a 60-page rebuild with no content and a launch date in three weeks. Good pre-call questions answer most of that before you speak. Copy each section, replace the [placeholders] and publish. For a more general version, see our consultation booking page template.
The template: copy, paste and fill in the brackets
Replace everything in [square brackets]. Keep the tone plain and confident; clients hiring a designer judge the page itself as a sample of your work.
1. Headline
'[Studio name]: [websites / Shopify stores / WordPress sites] for [type of business] in [city or region].'
2. Consultation description
'A free [30]-minute [video] call to talk about your [new site / redesign], what you want it to achieve and whether we are the right fit. You will come away with [a rough scope and price range / a clear next step], with no obligation.'
3. Pre-call questions
- 'Your name and business name' [Short text]
- 'Current website address, if you have one' [Short text]
- 'What should the new site do for your business?' [Choice: generate enquiries / sell online / take bookings / look more credible / other]
- 'Roughly how many pages?' [Choice: 1 to 5 / 6 to 15 / 16 to 40 / more than 40 / not sure]
- 'Budget range' [Choice: [range 1] / [range 2] / [range 3] / prefer to discuss on the call]
- 'Is there a deadline?' [Choice: within a month / one to three months / no fixed date] plus [Optional, short text] for the reason
- 'How ready is your content?' [Choice: copy and images ready / some ready / need help with copy and images]
4. Confirmation message
'Hi [first name], thanks for booking a web design consultation with [studio name]. We are speaking on [day, date] at [time] [time zone] on [video link]. Before the call I will look through [current site URL]. If you have two or three websites you like, please send the links. Need to change the time? [Use your booking link / reply to this email].'
5. Call agenda (30 minutes)
- [5 min] Introductions and what prompted the project now.
- [10 min] Goals, audience and what is not working on the current site.
- [5 min] Pages, features, integrations and content readiness.
- [5 min] Budget, deadline and decision-makers.
- [5 min] How you work, the next step and when the proposal will arrive.
6. Follow-up and proposal email
'Hi [first name], thanks for the time today. Here is what I heard: [one-sentence goal], about [number] pages, launch by [date], with [copy ready / help needed on copy]. Attached is a proposal for [option A] at [price] and [option B] at [price]. To book a start date of [date] we need [signed agreement and deposit] by [date]. Happy to talk through any of it.'
Our guide to writing an appointment confirmation email explains why the time zone and the 'change your time' line matter.
Why web designers should qualify before the call
Web design has a scoping problem. The same phrase, 'a new website', covers jobs from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands. Without some information up front, consultations become long, polite conversations that end with you discovering the budget is a tenth of what the job needs. A handful of booking questions fixes that without feeling like a gate.
Content readiness is the question most designers skip and later regret. Projects stall when copy and images are not ready, not when the design is late. Asking early lets you price copywriting or photography in, or set a realistic launch date, before anyone signs.
The current site URL earns its place too. Five minutes on the existing site before the call tells you the platform, the page count, the obvious problems and something about the business. You arrive with observations rather than questions, and clients notice. For the wider first-call process, our discovery call scheduling guide is a good companion.
Finally, the follow-up. Proposals sent the same day or the next morning, recapping the client's own words, win more often than generic PDFs a week later. Saving the follow-up wording means you only personalise the specifics. Our piece on automated follow-up emails covers when to automate and when to write by hand.
What the template does for your studio
Fewer mismatched calls: budget range and page count arrive before you speak.
Sharper first impressions: you review the current site in advance and open with observations.
Realistic timelines: content readiness and deadline answers flag risk before you quote.
A structured call: the agenda keeps consultations to 30 minutes and ends with a next step.
Faster proposals: the follow-up email is drafted, so you only add the specifics.
A consistent process: every enquiry goes through the same steps, whoever on the team takes it.
Turn the template into a live page in 5 steps
Choose length and format — Thirty minutes by video suits most enquiries. Offer a longer paid strategy session separately if you run workshops.
Paste in the questions — Add the seven pre-call questions as custom booking questions and set budget ranges that match your pricing.
Connect your calendar and video — Connect Google Calendar or Outlook so client work blocks consultation times, and Zoom or Microsoft Teams where enabled. For Google Meet, add a fixed meeting link to the location.
Save the confirmation and follow-up — Paste the confirmation into the event, and keep the follow-up email ready to personalise within a day of each call.
Put the link where clients look — Add a 'Book a consultation' button to your site, portfolio pages, email signature and proposals you send to referrals.
Matching the consultation to the type of web project
| Feature | Key pre-call question | Call focus | Likely next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brochure site for a small business | Content readiness | Pages and enquiries | Fixed-price proposal |
| Redesign of an existing site | Current site URL | What is not working | Audit and proposal |
| E-commerce store | Product count and platform | Payments, shipping, stock | Scoping session |
| Booking or membership site | Tools already in use | Integrations and logins | Technical scoping |
| Landing page for a campaign | Deadline | Launch date and tracking | Quick quote |
| Agency or white-label work | End client and brand rules | Process and handover | Partner terms |
Tips for web design consultation pages
Show two or three recent projects on the page, with a line on the result for each.
Ask for a budget range, not a number, and keep 'prefer to discuss on the call'.
Review the current site and any examples the client sends before every call.
End each consultation by saying when the proposal will arrive, then meet that date.
Keep the free consultation to 30 minutes; offer paid strategy or audit sessions separately.
State your time zone and show the client theirs, especially for overseas enquiries.
Do not ask for logins, hosting passwords or admin access on the booking form.
Mistakes web designers make with consultations
Taking every enquiry to a call without knowing the budget range or page count.
Skipping the content question, then discovering at build stage that no copy exists.
Letting the free consultation turn into a free strategy workshop.
Sending the proposal a week later, after the client has signed elsewhere.
Using a booking page that looks dated, which undermines a design pitch.
Asking ten questions when six would do, so fewer people book.
Example: a two-person studio in Adelaide, filled in
Take a fictional web studio in Adelaide run by a designer and a developer, building WordPress and Shopify sites for South Australian trades, hospitality and professional services. Here is their template.
- Headline: 'Saltbush Studio: WordPress and Shopify sites for Adelaide businesses that want more enquiries.'
- Consultation: 'A free 30-minute video call about your new site or redesign. You will leave with a rough scope and price range, with no obligation.'
- Questions: 'Name and business. Current site. Main goal. Pages: 1 to 5, 6 to 15, 16 to 40, more than 40. Budget: under A$5,000, A$5,000 to A$12,000, over A$12,000, prefer to discuss. Deadline. Content readiness.'
- Confirmation: 'Hi Priya, we are speaking on Thursday 22 October at 10am ACDT on Zoom. I will look through your current site beforehand. Please send two or three sites you like.'
- Follow-up: 'Here is what I heard: more online bookings for your physio clinic, about 10 pages, launch by early February, copy help needed. Two options attached. A 30 per cent deposit by Friday 6 November secures a Monday 16 November start.'
The studio uses the Individual plan for separate consultation and paid audit event types, their own branding and a custom domain for the booking page. Both partners connect Google Calendar. The 'Book a consultation' button sits on every portfolio page, following the approach in our guide to adding a booking button to your website, and a discovery call booking page template covers their referral partners' intro calls.
The illustrative maths: if the pre-call questions stop three mismatched consultations a month, that is 90 minutes of call time plus preparation saved. If faster proposals win one extra A$8,000 project a quarter, that is A$32,000 a year.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
For web designers and studios
Turn this template into your consultation page
Start free with one consultation type and email confirmations. Add paid audits, more event types and your own branding on Individual when you are ready. No card needed.