How to Write a Website Design Brief

A good website brief answers eight questions: what the business does, what the site must achieve, who it is for, which pages and features it needs, what content exists, what it should feel like, what the budget and deadline are, and who makes decisions. Answer those clearly and you will get more accurate quotes and fewer surprises during the project.

Why the brief matters

When quotes for the same website vary wildly, a vague brief is usually the reason. Each agency fills the gaps with its own assumptions, so you end up comparing different projects. A clear brief makes quotes comparable and keeps the work on scope once it starts.

The template

Copy the sections below into a document and answer each one. Short, specific answers beat long ones.

1. About the business

• What do you sell, and to whom?
• What makes you different from your main competitors?
• Your current website address, if you have one

2. Goals

• What should the site achieve, such as enquiries, bookings, online sales or recruitment?
• How will you measure success six months after launch?
• What is wrong with the current site, if there is one?

3. Audience

• Who are your main visitors, and what do they need to find?
• Which devices do they mostly use?
• Where are they based?

4. Pages and features

• The pages you expect, such as home, services, about, blog and contact
• Features you need, such as forms, bookings, payments, customer accounts, multiple languages or search
• Systems the site must connect to, such as your CRM, email marketing, booking or inventory software

5. Content

• Who will write the text?
• Do you have photography, video and brand assets, or do they need producing?
• Is there existing content to move across, and roughly how much?

6. Look and feel

• Do you have brand guidelines?
• Three websites you like, and what specifically you like about each one
• Anything you definitely do not want

7. Budget and timeline

• Your budget range
• Your launch date, and whether it is fixed
• Your ongoing budget for hosting, maintenance and content

8. Decisions and maintenance

• Who approves the work, and who gives day-to-day feedback?
• Who will update the site after launch?
• Who should own the domain, hosting and accounts?

Mistakes that make a brief less useful

• Hiding the budget. An agency cannot recommend the right approach without it, and you will get quotes at wildly different levels.
• Listing features without goals. A goal lets the agency suggest a simpler way to reach it.
• Leaving content unassigned. Unwritten copy is the most common cause of a delayed launch.
• Describing design only with adjectives. Words like modern and clean mean different things to everyone; examples are clearer.

Common questions

How long should a brief be?

Two to four pages is usually enough. Clarity matters more than length.

Should I share my budget?

Yes. A range gets you realistic proposals. Our website cost guide can help you set one.

What if I am not sure I need a new site?

Say so in the brief. Our checklist on whether to redesign or rebuild can help you decide first.

Send us your brief

If you are planning a new website, send your answers through our contact page. Our website development proposals respond to each section, so you can see exactly what you are paying for.