Most web design projects use milestone billing: 30% deposit on signing, 30% at design approval, 30% at launch, 10% after a 30-day bug-fix period. Bill discovery, design, development, content migration, and launch as separate line items. Always include hosting, maintenance, and IP transfer language. This guide covers project structure, sample invoices, recurring revenue strategies, and common web design invoicing mistakes.
$5,000-$25,000 for a 5-10 page small business site, including discovery, design, build, and launch.
Milestone billing — almost always. Splitting payment into 3-4 milestones protects you from non-payment if the client disappears mid-project.
Bill it separately as recurring revenue. Hosting bundled into a one-time price is invisible to the client.
Default in most jurisdictions: the client owns the final deliverables once paid in full; you retain rights to underlying tools and reusable code.
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