A website brief explains what your business needs from its website, who it is for and what the project should include. It gives your designer a starting point for discussing scope, costs and practical decisions before design work begins.
You do not need to arrive with finished layouts or a technical specification. Clear answers about your business are more useful than a long list of design trends. Use the checklist below to gather the essentials, then copy the website brief template into a document and fill in what you know. Mark anything uncertain as “to discuss”.
For the wider process, my guide to planning a business website explains how content, design and development fit together.
What should a website brief include?
A useful brief covers your audience, objectives, content, essential features, budget, timing and responsibilities. It also explains what works or causes problems on your current website.
Keep requirements separate from possible solutions. “Customers need to find the right service and send an enquiry” describes a need. “We need a full-screen animation” describes one design idea, which may or may not help with that need.
My website design and WordPress development services start with understanding those priorities and agreeing a practical scope.
Gather these details before you write
- A short explanation of your business and the services or products you want to promote.
- Your main audiences, the questions they ask and the action you want them to take.
- Your existing website address and a list of its useful content and current problems.
- Essential pages and features, with optional ideas listed separately.
- Available copy, photography, brand materials and project examples.
- Your budget range, any fixed dates and who will approve the work.
- The people responsible for content, feedback and ongoing website management.
You can share examples of websites you like, but explain what is useful about each one. Clear navigation, readable service pages or straightforward editing are more actionable observations than “make it look like this”.
Copy and complete this website brief template
Copy the sections below into your own document. Short, specific answers are enough for an initial discussion. Do not include passwords or private customer information; access can be arranged separately if it is needed.
1. Business overview
Business name and existing website: [Add details]
What we do and the services or products this project should prioritise: [Add details]
The areas or markets we serve: [Add details]
2. Audience and customer questions
Our main website visitors are: [Describe them]
They need to understand or find: [List their main questions]
The most useful next step for them is: [For example, enquire, book or buy]
3. Project objectives and success measures
The problems we want this project to solve are: [List the priorities]
We will assess progress using: [Relevant evidence, such as completed enquiries, booking completions or feedback on editing]
Our current measurement setup and known gaps are: [Add details or mark to discuss]
4. Existing website
What works and should be retained: [Content, features, useful pages]
What causes problems: [Give specific examples]
Current platform and any known limitations: [Add what you know]
5. Pages and content
Essential pages or content sections: [List them]
Content we can reuse: [Copy, photography, downloads, projects]
Content we need to create or update: [List it]
Who will supply, approve and upload content: [Names or roles]
6. Features and integrations
Essential functionality: [Explain what visitors or staff need to do]
Existing systems the website must connect to: [Name the systems and intended connection]
Optional features for a later phase: [List separately]
7. Design direction
Brand materials available: [Logo, colours, typography or guidelines]
Reference websites and what we like about them: [Links and reasons]
Accessibility or audience needs to discuss: [For example, readable text, keyboard navigation or language requirements]
8. Search visibility and migration
Important existing pages and URLs: [List what you know]
Search topics, services and locations that matter to us: [Add details]
Content or URL changes expected: [Add details or mark to discuss]
9. Budget and ongoing costs
Budget range for the initial project: [Add your range]
What this budget needs to cover: [Design, development, content and other requirements]
Ongoing hosting, maintenance and support requirements: [Add details]
10. Timing and dependencies
Preferred launch date and why it matters: [Add details]
Fixed deadlines, if any: [Distinguish these from preferences]
Content, approvals or external suppliers that could affect progress: [List them]
11. Decisions and communication
Main project contact: [Name or role]
Person responsible for final approval: [Name or role]
How we will gather and consolidate feedback: [Add details]
12. Handover and responsibilities
Who will edit the finished website: [Names or roles]
Training or documentation needed: [Add details]
Who manages domain, hosting and software renewals: [Add details]
Questions we still need to resolve: [List them]
Turn a vague request into a useful requirement
For an illustrative service business, “we need a modern website” might become: “Visitors should be able to compare our three services, see relevant work and send an enquiry that identifies the service they need. Our office manager should be able to update project examples without developer help.”
That statement gives the designer something concrete to plan and test. It does not prescribe a layout or promise a particular result. You can add design preferences once the underlying needs are clear.
Include SEO and support in the conversation
For an existing website, flag useful pages and search visibility before agreeing major content or URL changes. My freelance SEO services explain how technical foundations, content and measurement can support that work. For the earlier decision about how much to change, read website redesign or rebuild.
Describe what you need after launch as well. Hosting, maintenance and help with changes are different responsibilities; my WordPress hosting, maintenance and support services explain the support available. Keep recurring costs separate from the initial build when comparing proposals. The guide to small-business website costs covers that comparison in more detail.
Use your brief to start a discussion
Your first brief does not have to settle every decision. It should make your priorities clear, expose unanswered questions and help everyone understand what needs exploring. Refine it into an agreed scope that records deliverables, responsibilities, exclusions and how changes will be handled.
If you would like help turning your brief into a website project, tell me about your business and what you need. We can discuss the requirements and identify the next steps.