Website Redesign RFP Template (2026)

A website redesign RFP is a structured brief for vendors proposing a rebuild of an existing website. It differs from a new-build RFP in three places — current-site audit, SEO preservation plan, and content migration scope — and these three areas are where redesign projects fail when missed. The 2026 template covers 12 sections including a redirect mapping requirement (every legacy URL needs a destination), an SEO preservation clause (organic traffic floor at +/- 10% of baseline 90 days post-launch), and a content migration plan (CMS export shape, image normalisation, alt text coverage). Download the editable .docx, run a content audit before sending, and disclose budget range up front.

Download .docx template Scoring rubric (PDF)

Best for: Replatforming, brand refresh, performance overhaul, marketing site rebuilds.

What to include in your website redesign RFP

01
Current site audit URL, traffic baseline, Lighthouse score, CMS, top 20 pages by traffic, top 5 pain points.
02
Redesign goals 3-5 measurable outcomes (conversion lift, traffic preservation, brand refresh).
03
Content migration scope Page count, asset count, redirect map shape, image normalisation, alt text coverage.
04
SEO preservation plan Organic traffic floor, redirect 1:1 map, schema markup parity, canonical preservation.
05
Technical stack target Framework, CMS, hosting. Often a chance to migrate off WordPress / Drupal.
06
Performance & accessibility Lighthouse 90+ guarantee, WCAG 2.2 AA, mobile parity.
07
Timeline & milestones Audit, design, build, soft launch, hard launch — typically 12-20 weeks.
08
Budget range Redesigns typically run 1.3-1.7x of equivalent new builds due to migration overhead.
09
Evaluation criteria Weighted score sheet — see rubric below.
10
Submission instructions Format, deadline, single point of contact.
11
Risk allocation Who owns SEO performance for 90 days post-launch? Penalty clause if traffic drops more than 15%.
12
Appendices Sitemap export, GA4 export, brand guidelines, current CMS schema.

Scoring rubric (100 points)

Use this rubric to evaluate vendor responses. Weight each criterion by importance to your project. Total normalises to 100.

Criterion	Weight	What good looks like
Migration experience	15	At least 3 redesigns with similar scope completed in last 24 months.
SEO preservation plan	15	Concrete process for redirect mapping, schema parity, and crawl budget protection.
Performance guarantee	10	Lighthouse score floor written into contract, measured by independent CrUX data.
Content migration cost	10	Itemised per-page or per-asset cost — not "estimated".
Named senior engineer	10	Specific human, not "a team".
Code ownership	10	GitHub repo handover, no proprietary CMS unless explicitly requested.
Post-launch SEO monitoring	10	Minimum 90-day window where vendor monitors and fixes traffic regressions.
References	10	Two clients to call with comparable scope.
Risk register	5	Top 3 risks listed upfront with mitigations.
Communication cadence	5	Weekly demos and async-friendly working style.

Common website redesign RFP mistakes

No redirect map requirement — vendor will deliver the site and you will lose 20-40% of organic traffic.
No baseline traffic disclosure — vendor cannot scope SEO preservation work properly.
Treating redesign as cosmetic — most redesigns require CMS migration, which dominates timeline.
No SEO performance clause — when traffic drops, vendor blames Google algorithm and walks away.
Sending to designers, not engineers — designers underprice the engineering and the project blows budget.
Launch deadline tied to a marketing event — almost always causes soft launches to be skipped.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a website redesign take?

Twelve to twenty weeks for a 50-200 page marketing site. Add 4-8 weeks for e-commerce or large content libraries. Aggressive sub-10-week timelines almost always skip QA and lose organic traffic.

Will a redesign hurt SEO?

Only if redirects, schema markup, and canonical tags are not preserved 1:1. A proper redesign with a complete redirect map and schema parity preserves organic traffic within +/- 10% of baseline in the first 90 days, then grows above baseline.

When should I disclose my current traffic to vendors?

In the RFP itself. Vendors cannot scope SEO preservation work without knowing the baseline. Include GA4 baseline (sessions, top 20 pages, top 20 organic keywords) as an appendix.

Should the redesign RFP include a CMS migration plan?

Yes if you are switching platforms. The CMS migration is the part that breaks redesigns — content shape, image normalisation, and editor workflow changes need explicit scope.

Procurement standards & guidelines

Authority references for website redesign procurement frameworks. Use these when your RFP needs to align with public-sector or industry standards.

Federal Acquisition Regulation, Part 15 — Contracting by Negotiation (acquisition.gov) — the source US-government standard for RFP issue, evaluation, and award.
ISO 20400:2017 — Sustainable procurement guidance (iso.org) — international procurement framework many enterprise buyers reference in their evaluation criteria.
UK Procurement Policy Note 11/24 (gov.uk) — UK public-sector procurement guidance applicable to most agency / supplier RFPs.

Related RFP templates

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