After years of building websites, I can tell you the projects that go smoothly almost always start the same way: with a clear, one-page brief. It doesn’t need jargon or a 40-page document. It needs answers to ten questions.
Why a brief matters
Without a brief, three studios will quote three different projects — one imagines five pages, another fifty, another an online store. With a brief, every quote is for the same thing, so you can actually compare them. It also becomes the checklist everyone signs off against at the end.
Illustration of typical scope creep on projects started without a written brief. Not survey data.
The ten things to include
- About you. Two or three sentences on what you do and who you serve.
- The goal. What should the site achieve? More calls, online sales, bookings, credibility? Pick one main goal.
- Your audience. Who visits, and what do they need to find within ten seconds?
- Pages. A rough list, e.g. Home, About, Services (×4), Gallery, Contact.
- Features. Booking, online store, quote form, newsletter, member area, multiple languages?
- Content. Who writes the words and supplies photos — you, or do you need help?
- Look and feel. Three websites you like (and why), plus any brand colours, fonts or logo files.
- Tech and access. Existing domain, hosting, platform preference, and anything the site must connect to.
- Budget. A range is fine. It helps a studio recommend the right approach instead of guessing.
- Timeline. Your ideal launch date, and whether it’s fixed (an event, a product launch) or flexible.
A template you can copy
- Business: …
- Main goal: …
- Audience: …
- Pages: …
- Must-have features: …
- Nice-to-have features: …
- Content provided by: …
- Sites we like and why: …
- Domain / hosting / platform: …
- Budget range: …
- Target launch: …
Common mistakes
- “Like Amazon, but smaller.” Name the specific feature you like instead.
- No budget at all. It leads to quotes that are either padded or stripped bare.
- Forgetting content. Writing and photography delay more launches than code does.
Send it our way
Got your brief ready — or half ready? Send it over. We’ll reply within one business day with questions or a fixed quote. And if you’re still working out a budget, start with our guide to how much a website costs in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a website brief be?
One or two pages. Clear answers to the ten questions matter far more than length.
Should I share my budget with agencies?
Yes. A range lets a studio recommend the right approach for your money instead of guessing, and it saves everyone time.
What if I don’t know what features I need?
Describe the outcome instead — “customers should be able to book a time” — and let the studio suggest the right feature.
Wally Made
Tailor Themes Team
Sahar Noori
