Free Website Project Plan Template
A website project plan from discovery to launch — design, build, content and SEO.
Part of our free project plan templates.
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1.Project Overview
| Project name | {{Project name}} |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | {{Sponsor / decision-maker}} |
| Project manager | {{Project manager}} |
| Start date | {{Start date}} |
| Target end date | {{Target end date}} |
| Status | {{Not started / On track / At risk}} |
Keep this block on page one so anyone can see the project, its owner, and where it stands at a glance. Name one accountable project manager and one sponsor who can unblock decisions.
2.Objectives & Success Criteria
- Launch {{the new website / redesign}} by {{date}} meeting {{measurable goals — e.g. faster load, higher conversion, mobile-friendly}}
- Migrate content and preserve SEO (redirects in place, no ranking loss)
- Hand over a CMS the team can update without a developer
Write objectives you can measure — “launch the new checkout by Q3 with under 1% error rate”, not “improve checkout”. If you cannot tell whether it is done, rewrite it.
3.Scope
In scope
- Discovery, sitemap, and wireframes
- Visual design and a responsive front-end build
- CMS setup, content migration, and {{key pages / templates}}
- SEO basics, analytics, redirects, and launch
Out of scope
- {{Ongoing content marketing or SEO after launch}}
- {{A separate web app, store, or portal}}
- {{Brand / logo redesign, if not included}}
Naming what is out of scope is what actually prevents scope creep. Be explicit about the work people will assume is included but is not.
4.Milestones & Timeline
| Milestone | Owner | Target date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery & sitemap approved | {{PM}} | {{Date}} | {{Status}} |
| Design approved | {{Designer}} | {{Date}} | {{Status}} |
| Build complete (templates & CMS) | {{Developer}} | {{Date}} | {{Status}} |
| Content loaded & reviewed | {{Content lead}} | {{Date}} | {{Status}} |
| QA & cross-browser testing passed | {{QA}} | {{Date}} | {{Status}} |
| Launch / go-live | {{PM}} | {{Date}} | {{Status}} |
Milestones are checkpoints, not tasks — a handful of dates that prove the project is moving. Each should be a clear “done / not done”, with one owner.
5.Tasks & Work Breakdown
| Task | Owner | Start | Due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{Run discovery and build the sitemap}} | {{Owner}} | {{Start}} | {{Due}} | {{Status}} |
| {{Design key page templates}} | {{Owner}} | {{Start}} | {{Due}} | {{Status}} |
| {{Build templates in the CMS}} | {{Owner}} | {{Start}} | {{Due}} | {{Status}} |
| {{Migrate content and set up redirects}} | {{Owner}} | {{Start}} | {{Due}} | {{Status}} |
| {{QA, fix, and launch}} | {{Owner}} | {{Start}} | {{Due}} | {{Status}} |
Break the work into tasks small enough to track in a week or less. Give each an owner and a due date; a task with no owner will not happen.
6.Roles & Responsibilities
| Role | Name | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Project manager | {{Name}} | Owns scope, schedule, and stakeholder sign-off |
| Designer | {{Name}} | Owns UX and visual design |
| Developer | {{Name}} | Builds the front end and the CMS |
| Content lead | {{Name}} | Writes/migrates content and manages SEO |
Assign responsibilities to roles so the plan survives a team change. Be clear who decides, who does the work, and who needs to be kept informed.
7.Risks & Mitigation
| Risk | Impact | Likelihood | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{Content arrives late and delays launch}} | {{High}} | {{High}} | {{Lock a content deadline; start early}} | {{Owner}} |
| {{SEO/traffic drop after migration}} | {{High}} | {{Med}} | {{Full redirect map; keep URLs where possible}} | {{Owner}} |
| {{Scope creep — extra pages/features}} | {{Med}} | {{High}} | {{Change-request process}} | {{Owner}} |
List the few risks that would actually derail the project, rate impact and likelihood (High/Med/Low), and name the action and the owner. Review this table at every status check.
8.Budget
| Item | Estimate | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| {{Cost item — labor, tools, materials}} | {{Estimate}} | {{Actual}} |
| Contingency | {{Estimate}} | {{Actual}} |
Estimate the main cost lines and add a contingency for the unknowns. If your project has no budget, keep the section and write “N/A” — reviewers expect to see it.
9.Approval
Both sign-offs confirm the plan, scope, and budget are agreed before work starts.
A worked example for a B2B company’s marketing-website redesign.
1.Project Overview
| Project name | Northwind.com Redesign |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | VP Marketing |
| Project manager | Sara Ito (PM) |
| Start date | July 1, 2026 |
| Target end date | October 15, 2026 |
| Status | On track |
2.Objectives & Success Criteria
- Launch the redesigned marketing site by Oct 15 with a 30% faster load and a clearer path to demo
- Migrate all 80 pages and blog posts with redirects and no organic-traffic loss
- Give Marketing a CMS they can edit without engineering
3.Scope
In scope
- Discovery, new sitemap, and wireframes for key templates
- Visual design and a responsive build on the new CMS
- Migration of 80 pages and the blog, plus SEO and analytics setup
- Redirect map, QA, and launch
Out of scope
- The logged-in customer portal (separate project)
- A logo or brand refresh (already done this year)
- Ongoing content production after launch
4.Milestones & Timeline
| Milestone | Owner | Target date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery & sitemap approved | Sara Ito | Jul 18 | Done |
| Design approved (home + 5 templates) | Designer (Mei) | Aug 8 | In progress |
| Build complete on the CMS | Dev (Owen) | Sep 12 | Not started |
| Content migrated & reviewed | Content lead (Jo) | Sep 26 | Not started |
| QA & cross-browser passed | QA (Sam) | Oct 8 | Not started |
| Launch | Sara Ito | Oct 15 | Not started |
5.Tasks & Work Breakdown
| Task | Owner | Start | Due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder interviews, analytics audit, and sitemap | Sara Ito | Jul 1 | Jul 18 | Done |
| Wireframes and visual design for the core templates | Mei Chen | Jul 21 | Aug 8 | In progress |
| Build templates and components in the CMS | Owen Reed | Aug 11 | Sep 12 | Not started |
| Migrate 80 pages + blog and build the redirect map | Jo Banks | Sep 1 | Sep 26 | Not started |
| QA, accessibility and cross-browser fixes, then launch | Sam Park | Sep 29 | Oct 15 | Not started |
6.Roles & Responsibilities
| Role | Name | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Project manager | Sara Ito | Owns scope, schedule, and stakeholder sign-off |
| Designer | Mei Chen | Owns UX and the visual design system |
| Developer | Owen Reed | Builds templates and the CMS, sets up redirects |
| Content lead | Jo Banks | Migrates content and protects SEO |
7.Risks & Mitigation
| Risk | Impact | Likelihood | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content rewrite runs late and pushes launch | High | High | Lock a content-freeze date of Sep 19; start writing now | Jo Banks |
| Organic traffic drops after migration | High | Med | Map every redirect, keep URLs where possible, monitor GSC post-launch | Jo Banks |
| Stakeholders request extra pages mid-build | Med | High | Change-request log; defer non-launch pages to phase 2 | Sara Ito |
8.Budget
| Item | Estimate | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Design & development (agency + internal) | $48,000 | — |
| CMS license and hosting (year 1) | $6,000 | — |
| Contingency | $5,000 | — |
9.Approval
How it works
- Preview the website project plan — objectives, scope, milestones, tasks, roles and risks.
- Download Word/PDF, or copy the text to paste into Google Docs or a sheet.
- Fill in your discovery, design, build and content milestones with owners, then share it for sign-off.
Frequently asked questions
What should a website project plan include?
A website project plan should set the launch goal and success metrics, the scope (design, build, content, CMS, SEO) and what is out, milestones from discovery and design approval through build, content, QA and launch, a task breakdown with owners and dates, the team roles, and the key risks. This template lays out those sections with a worked redesign example.
What are the phases of a website project?
Most website projects move through discovery and sitemap, wireframes and visual design, build (templates and CMS), content migration, QA and cross-browser testing, and launch. The template’s milestone table follows that sequence so you can put a date and an owner on each gate.
How do you avoid losing SEO when you redesign a website?
Keep URLs where you can, build a complete redirect map from every old URL to its new one, preserve titles and key content, and submit the new sitemap. Plan the redirects as a task in the plan and monitor Google Search Console after launch. The template flags SEO/traffic loss as a risk to mitigate.
How long does a website project take?
A simple marketing-site refresh can take 6–8 weeks; a full redesign with new design, a CMS, and content migration often runs three to four months. The biggest variable is content — it is the most common cause of delay, so the template treats a content deadline as a milestone and a risk.