Why a brief matters
A good brief is the cheapest improvement you can make to any website project. It helps agencies understand what you actually need, so their proposals become comparable, their questions get sharper and the scope that follows is realistic. It also forces useful decisions early, before they become expensive changes later.
A brief doesn’t need to be long or technical. Clear answers to six questions are usually enough.
1. Start with the goal, not the features
“We need a new website” describes an output. A goal describes the change you want: more qualified enquiries, fewer support emails, online sales in a new market, or a site your team can finally update. Write down the one or two outcomes that would make the project a success.
2. Describe the people you’re serving
Who are your customers, and what do they need to know before they contact you or buy? List your main audiences, the questions they ask most often and anything that makes them hesitate. This shapes the structure and content of the whole website.
3. List what you already have
Note your existing website (and what works on it), brand assets, photography, written content, analytics access and any tools you use, such as a CRM, booking system or newsletter platform. Knowing what can be reused saves time and money.
4. Define what “done” looks like
List the pages or features you believe are essential for launch, and separate them from the nice-to-haves. You don’t need to be certain, an agency should help refine this, but a first draft makes priorities visible.
5. Be open about timing and budget
If there’s a date that matters, such as a product launch or event, say so. If you have a budget range in mind, sharing it helps an agency propose the right approach rather than guessing. If you’re not sure yet, that’s fine, say that too.
6. Note constraints and integrations
Mention anything that limits the options: a platform you must keep, systems the website must connect to, accessibility or legal requirements, languages, or internal approval processes.
A simple brief template
Copy these headings into a document and answer each in a few sentences:
- About us, what we do and who for
- Goals, what success looks like
- Audience, who the website serves and what they need
- What we have, website, brand, content, tools, access
- Must-haves, pages and features needed for launch
- Nice-to-haves, ideas for later
- Timing, any important dates
- Budget, a range, or “not sure yet”
- Constraints, platforms, integrations, requirements
What happens next
With a brief in hand, conversations with agencies become faster and more useful. You can also use our project planner, which walks you through these questions and turns your answers into a brief you can edit before sending.
Prefer to talk it through? Book a short call and we’ll help you shape the brief together.
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