How to Write a Website Brief for Your Web Designer

A good website brief tells your web designer what the site has to do, who it’s for, what people type into Google to find you, and roughly what you can spend. Two pages is plenty. There’s a template near the end you can copy.

We’ve been building websites since 2015, and the brief is still the best early sign of how a project will go. A clear one usually means a calm build. A vague one usually means three rounds of “can we try something different” and a launch date that keeps sliding.

Start with what the site has to do

Most briefs we receive start with how the site should look. “Clean and modern” is the favourite. Nobody has ever asked us for cluttered and dated, so it doesn’t tell us much.

Good web design starts with the job instead. More enquiries from businesses rather than individuals. Online bookings so you stop taking them by WhatsApp. Fewer phone calls asking the same five questions. Pick one main goal, and maybe one secondary one. If everything is a priority, the homepage tries to do six things and does none of them properly.

A useful goal is something you could check six months after launch. “More quote requests from the Western Cape” is a goal. “A better online presence” isn’t.

Describe the people who will use it

Tell us who your customers are and what they need to know before they pick up the phone. A retired couple choosing a holiday cottage and a buyer comparing industrial suppliers read websites very differently. One wants photos and reassurance. The other wants specs, certifications and a contact number, fast.

If you have more than one kind of customer, say so, and say which one matters most to the business. That single decision shapes the menu, the homepage and the wording on every button.

Write down what people search for

This is the part almost everyone leaves out, and it’s the part we care about most. We build for Google first, because a lovely site nobody finds is an expensive brochure. It’s the reason we take an SEO-first approach to building websites rather than adding search as an afterthought.

You don’t need to do keyword research. Just list the phrases you think a customer would type when they need you. “Accountant Claremont.” “Wedding venue near Stellenbosch.” “Same day courier Joburg.” Ask a few customers how they found you, because they often use different words from you. Google’s SEO starter guide makes the same point with a nice example: some people search for “charcuterie” and others for “cheese board”.

We’ll check those phrases against real search data and plan the pages around them.

List the pages you think you need

A rough page list saves a surprising amount of time. Home, About, Services, Contact. Maybe a blog, a shop, case studies or a booking page. It gives us a sense of size, because eight pages and forty pages are very different quotes.

If you’re replacing an existing site, tell us which pages bring in enquiries now and which ones nobody visits. A website redesign that throws away pages Google already ranks is one of the easiest ways to lose traffic overnight. We see it far too often when a site is rebuilt without a plan for the old addresses.

Send examples you like, and say why

Share three to five websites you like. They can be from any industry. Then write one line about each one saying what you like about it. “The menu is simple.” “Prices are right there on the page.” “The photos make me want to go.”

Without the why, we’re guessing. A link on its own could mean you like the colours, the layout, the fonts, or simply that it belongs to a competitor you admire.

Sites you dislike are just as useful. Sometimes more.

Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves

Must-haves are things the site can’t launch without. Online payments, a booking system that talks to your calendar, a client login area, a link to your accounting or CRM software, a second language. Nice-to-haves can wait for phase two.

Be honest here, because this is where quotes swing the most. A shop adds real development time. So does a booking system. If a feature is only a maybe, call it a maybe and ask for it to be priced separately so you can decide later.

Mention accessibility too. A site that works with a keyboard and a screen reader is a better site for everyone. The W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the usual reference if you want to read more.

Say who is writing the content

The question that decides most launch dates is a dull one. Who is writing the words, and who is supplying the photos?

If it’s you, put a realistic date next to it. The most common delay we see is content arriving late, usually because the person writing it is also running the business. If you’d rather not write it, say so in the brief and ask for copywriting to be included in the quote.

Name one person who signs off, too. Comments from five people in five separate emails slow a project down more than any technical problem we’ve had.

Give a deadline and a budget range

A real deadline with a reason is useful. “Live before our expo in March” helps us plan. “ASAP” doesn’t, because everyone wants it ASAP.

Then give a budget range. People often hold this back in case the designer quotes to the top of it. But without a range, a designer has to guess whether you want a tidy five-page site on a good template or a custom build with a shop and integrations, and those are very different projects. A range lets us tell you what’s realistic, or tell you honestly that a simpler approach fits better. We give a fixed quote before any work starts, so you know the cost up front.

A website brief template you can copy

Paste this into a document and answer each line in a sentence or two. You’ll end up with a better website brief than most of the ones we receive.

1. Your business in two sentences, and what makes you different.
2. The main goal of the website, and how you’ll know it’s working.
3. Who your customers are, and which group matters most.
4. Five to ten phrases people would type into Google to find you.
5. The pages you think you need, and which current pages must stay.
6. Three to five websites you like with a line on why, plus one you don’t.
7. Must-have features, and nice-to-haves you’d like priced separately.
8. Who supplies the words and photos, and by when.
9. Who gives feedback and signs off.
10. Your deadline, the reason for it, and your budget range.

What to do once it’s written

Send the same brief to everyone you’re getting quotes from. Then every quote is answering the same question and you can compare them properly. Our guide on how to choose a web developer covers what to ask next.

Watch the questions that come back. A good designer will poke holes in your brief or tell you a feature isn’t worth paying for yet. Someone who agrees with everything and sends a quote an hour later probably hasn’t read it closely.

Frequently asked questions

What should a website brief include?

The goal of the site, who it’s for, the phrases customers search for, the pages you need, examples you like and why, must-have features, who supplies the content, who signs off, your deadline and a budget range.

How long should a website brief be?

One to two pages is enough for most small business websites. Clear answers matter more than length, and a good designer will come back with follow-up questions.

Should I tell a web designer my budget?

Yes. A budget range lets the designer suggest an approach that fits instead of guessing, and it saves time on both sides. You’ll still get a quote based on the actual scope.