How to Write a Website Brief: A Practical Guide

A website brief is a short document that explains what you need, why you need it and what success looks like. It doesn't have to be long or formal. A good brief gets you accurate quotes, filters out the wrong agencies and gives the developer everything they need to build something useful.

Writing one forces you to think through the detail before you spend anything. It also saves time later because questions get answered up front.

What to include in your website brief

Start with context. Explain what your business does, who you sell to and what problem the website needs to solve. Are you launching a new service? Replacing an outdated site? Generating more leads? A couple of paragraphs is enough.

Then list the pages and features you need. A five-page brochure site is very different from a membership platform or a booking system. Be specific. If you need a contact form, say so. If you want online payment or a customer portal, include it. If you're not sure whether something is standard or custom, list it anyway and let the developer clarify.

Include any design preferences or constraints. You don't need a mood board, but if you have a brand guideline, a logo or examples of sites you like, mention them. If there are colours, fonts or styles to avoid, say that too.

Set out who will provide the content. Will you write the copy and supply images, or do you need help with that? Content is one of the biggest causes of delay, so be honest about what you can realistically deliver and when.

State your budget range. You don't have to give an exact figure, but a rough idea helps developers propose the right solution. A £2,000 budget and a £20,000 budget lead to very different approaches.

Finally, include your timeline. When do you want to launch? Are there any fixed dates, such as a product release or event? If the deadline is flexible, say so.

How to structure the brief

Keep it simple. A few headings and bullet points work better than long paragraphs. You might structure it like this:

• About the business: what you do, your audience, your goals.
• Project goals: what the website needs to achieve.
• Pages and features: a list of what you need.
• Design notes: brand assets, examples, preferences.
• Content: who's responsible for writing and images.
• Budget and timeline: rough figures and any key dates.
• Technical requirements: hosting, domain, integrations, CMS preferences.

You don't need to answer every question perfectly. If you're unsure about something, say so. A good developer will ask follow-up questions and suggest options.

Common things people leave out

Many briefs miss the technical details. If you already have a domain and hosting, mention it. If you need the site to integrate with your CRM, booking system or payment gateway, include that. If you want to update the site yourself, say whether you have a preference for WordPress, a headless CMS or something else.

Another gap is ongoing support. Will you need someone to maintain the site, monitor uptime or handle updates? If you're not sure, ask the developer what they recommend and what it costs.

Don't forget about SEO and analytics. If you want the site to rank on Google or track visitor behaviour, say so. These aren't always included by default, and adding them later can be more expensive.

Also be clear about who will make decisions on your side. If the website needs sign-off from a board or multiple stakeholders, let the developer know. It affects the timeline and how they present work in progress.

What happens after you send the brief

A good agency or developer will read the brief, ask clarifying questions and send a proposal that matches what you've described. If the brief is clear, the proposal will be too.

If you get a quote that's much higher or lower than expected, it's often because the developer has interpreted something differently. That's normal. Use it as a chance to discuss assumptions and refine the scope.

You might send the brief to several developers. That's fine, but make sure you're comparing like with like. One might include hosting and content writing, another might not. One might propose a custom build, another a faster templated approach. The brief helps you see those differences.

Ready to start?

If you're planning a new website or rebuilding an existing one, a brief is the simplest way to get the process moving. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be clear enough for a developer to understand what you need and give you an honest answer about whether they can deliver it.

We work with UK businesses on custom websites, web apps and AI tools. If you'd like to talk through your project or get a quote based on a brief, get in touch and we'll take it from there.