01
1. Business and project summary
Write two or three plain sentences describing what the business does, where it operates and why the website project is happening now. Include the current site or profiles and state what is not working.
Avoid positioning language that nobody in the business can explain. A designer needs the commercial reality before refining the public message.
02
2. Audience and primary action
- Who is the priority visitor?
- What situation brings them to the site?
- What do they need to understand before trusting the business?
- What should they do next: call, WhatsApp, book, buy or request a quote?
- How does the business actually respond after that action?
03
3. Scope and content
List the pages you believe are required, but explain the purpose of each. A page called Services is less informative than ‘help prospects compare residential and commercial packages before calling.’
For every page, identify who supplies the copy, photography, logo, credentials and approvals. Mark missing material rather than pretending it will appear during development.
04
4. Features and integrations
Name existing platforms where possible. ‘Add booking’ is not enough if the team has not decided which calendar controls availability or who handles cancellation.
- Contact or qualification form
- Call and WhatsApp actions
- Map and location information
- Booking or calendar
- Payments or ecommerce
- Content management
- Analytics and consent
- Email, CRM or other integrations
05
5. Constraints, ownership and approval
Record launch deadlines that have a real business reason, accessibility or language needs, legal review, brand constraints and the final approver. Distinguish the must-launch scope from future phases.
State that the business expects control of the domain, hosting and agreed website assets after final payment. Confirm revision rounds, handover and third-party costs before production begins.
06
Copy-and-fill brief outline
- Business: [what you do, where and for whom]
- Problem: [what the current presence fails to do]
- Primary visitor: [priority customer]
- Primary action: [call / WhatsApp / book / buy / enquire]
- Required pages: [page + purpose]
- Required features: [feature + business workflow]
- Content owner: [who supplies and approves each asset]
- Must launch with: [non-negotiables]
- Later phase: [useful but not required now]
- Final approver: [one named role or person]
Questions
What business owners usually ask
How long should a website brief be?+
For a small business, one to three focused pages can be enough. Complexity should come from the project, not from a template demanding unnecessary detail.
Should the brief include a budget?+
A realistic range helps the designer recommend an appropriate scope. It is also useful to separate the build budget from domain, hosting, media and ongoing tools.
Do I need to choose the technology?+
Usually no. Describe the requirements, existing systems and ownership needs. The provider should recommend technology and explain the trade-offs.
Can the brief change after the project starts?+
Yes, but a meaningful change to pages, features or direction may affect the quote and schedule. Use a documented change request instead of treating it as an invisible revision.