How Do I Write a Website Brief for a Web Designer?
Write a useful website brief with a reusable structure and worked example covering goals, audience, scope, content, ownership and acceptance checks.
Part of our guide: How to Create a Small Business Website: A Practical Step-by-Step Plan
A useful website brief explains the business problem, the people the site must help, the work included and how the finished result will be judged. It does not need to prescribe every layout or use technical language.
Use the structure below as a starting document. The companion information-for-a-web-designer checklist helps gather the source material; this guide shows how to turn that material into a concise brief.
Begin with the outcome and the evidence
Describe the change you need in practical terms. “We want more suitable enquiries for commercial work” is clearer than “We want a modern website”.
Add what you know: recurring customer questions, an unclear service boundary or a process that currently requires repeated explanation. Mark assumptions so the designer can investigate them rather than treating them as facts.
The first-website planning guide helps when you have not yet settled the purpose.
Thinking about your own rebuild?
Tell us about your business, your current website and what you would like to improve. We will help you work out the next step.
Copy this brief structure
Use short paragraphs under these headings and attach supporting material separately.
| Section | What to record |
|---|---|
| Business and audience | What you offer, who it suits and who it does not |
| Main outcome | The customer action and business need |
| Scope | Required pages, functions and clear exclusions |
| Content | Available material, missing items and responsible people |
| Design direction | Relevant examples and what you find useful |
| Technology and access | Current services, editing needs and account owners |
| Constraints | Budget, deadlines, dependencies and reviewer availability |
| Acceptance | How completion will be tested and approved |
| Handover | Ownership, training, support and recovery expectations |
Do not put passwords, private customer records or payment details into the brief. List access requirements and arrange secure sharing separately.
Use the editable website brief worksheet to collect the answers, compare a fictional completed example and download a blank copy.
A worked example for a service business
The following is fictional and demonstrates the level of specificity to aim for.
Business and audience: A small commercial decorating company serves offices and retail premises within its genuine working area. Domestic work is outside the initial website scope.
Outcome: Help a facilities manager check suitability and request a site visit with enough information for the team to respond.
Scope: Homepage, commercial-services page, project examples, about page, contact page and approved policy content. No online payments or customer accounts.
Content: The owner supplies factual service details and approved project photographs. The designer edits the supplied material for clarity. Two authorised customer quotations are available.
Functions: The enquiry form asks for contact details, premises location and a short description. Messages must reach the agreed inbox and show a clear acknowledgement.
Constraints: The target launch is linked to a planned sales campaign, but content approval is required before a firm date is agreed.
Acceptance: A test visitor can find the service boundary and submit a test enquiry on a phone. The team confirms receipt, checks links and approves the public information.
Handover: The business controls the domain and receives documented access, an editing demonstration and the agreed support arrangement.
Notice that the example describes needs without insisting on a particular visual layout.
Make exclusions explicit
State what is not included now. Examples might be appointment scheduling, multilingual content, copywriting from interviews or migration from another system.
An exclusion is not a permanent rejection. It makes the first phase understandable and allows optional work to be priced separately.
Use the cost worksheet to check that each supplier has interpreted those boundaries in the same way.
Define approval and change control
Name one person who consolidates feedback and one person who authorises launch. Specialist reviewers can still check facts, accessibility or policy content within their remit.
Record how new requirements will be considered once work starts. Ask for their effect on price, schedule and existing approvals before accepting a change.
The agency questions guide provides useful questions for the first conversation.
Keep the brief useful after commissioning
Update decisions when they genuinely change and keep a dated agreed version. Do not silently replace the scope while people are working from it.
Keep the brief as a shared reference as the project develops. You can ask for help before every detail is settled. If you are unsure about the build route, compare DIY and professional delivery and template and bespoke design using the same requirements.
