Web design
A good website brief explains your business, your customers, what the site must do, which pages and features you need, who will supply the content, and your budget and timescale. It doesn't need to be long or technical, but it does need to be specific.
By Look North Digital · Published
A website brief is a short document that tells a web designer what you need. It covers your business, your goals and the practical details of the project.
Without one, every designer you approach fills the gaps with their own guesses. That makes quotes hard to compare, because each one prices a different website.
A brief also helps you. Writing it forces you to decide what the site is really for, before money is spent.
Use this table as a template. You don't need to fill in every row perfectly. Notes and bullet points are fine.
| Section | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| About the business | What you do, where, and how long you've been going | A two-person physiotherapy clinic serving one town and nearby villages |
| Customers | Who they are and what they want to know before contacting you | Adults with sports injuries who want to know price and availability |
| Main goal | The one action you most want visitors to take | Book an appointment online |
| Pages | A list of the pages you think you need | Home, five treatment pages, about, prices, contact |
| Features | Anything beyond normal pages | Online booking linked to our current booking system |
| Content | Who will write the words and supply photos | We will write drafts, and need help editing; we have no photos yet |
| Look and feel | Sites you like and dislike, and why | Like a clean, calm style; dislike busy home pages |
| Current site | Address, platform, and pages that bring in visitors | Our services page gets most visits |
| Budget and timing | A budget range and any fixed deadline | Ready before our second clinic opens |
| Ongoing support | Who will update the site and handle hosting | We want someone else to look after updates |
Write as you would explain it to a new member of staff. Say what you do, who you do it for and what makes you different. Leave out slogans.
Then describe your customers. What questions do they ask before they book or buy? What worries them? The answers tell the designer what the pages need to cover.
If you have more than one type of customer, list each one. A dental practice, for example, might serve private patients and nervous patients, and each group needs different reassurance.
Pick one main action you want visitors to take, such as calling, booking or asking for a quote. Then list any secondary actions, such as signing up to a newsletter.
Describe goals as actions, not outcomes nobody can control. "Make it easy to book a first appointment from a phone" is something a designer can build. Be wary of anyone who promises a set number of leads or a top spot on Google. Google itself says that if an SEO promises a first-place ranking, you should find someone else.
List the pages you think you need, even roughly. A good designer will suggest changes, but your list is a useful starting point.
Features matter even more, because they change the cost and time the most. Be as specific as you can, and name any software you already use.
Say clearly whether you will write the text yourself, want help editing it, or want it written for you. The same goes for photos. Many projects stall because the design is ready but the words are not.
Real photos of you, your team and your work help visitors trust you. If you don't have any, ask whether the quote includes photography or whether you need to arrange it.
Also note any legal text you already have, such as a privacy notice. If you sell online, GOV.UK lists information you must give buyers, such as delivery costs and cancellation rights, so mention whether you need help with those pages.
These details are easy to forget, but they save a lot of time later. If you have an existing website, they also help protect the search visibility you already have.
Include a budget, even if it's a rough range. Without one, one designer may quote for a simple site and another for a complex one, and neither quote helps you. A budget doesn't commit you to spending it all, but it helps the designer suggest what is realistic and what could wait for a later phase.
Ask what monthly costs come after launch, such as hosting and support. That way you can compare the full cost of each quote over a year or two, not just the price to build.
Don't hand over full passwords before you've chosen a designer. Google's advice when hiring an SEO is to give read-only access to Search Console at the review stage, not full control. The same caution makes sense with web designers until you've agreed terms.
Google publishes a list of questions to ask before hiring an SEO. Many of them work just as well for web designers.
We build custom-designed small business websites, redesigns of existing sites, online shops and booking websites, including sites built around a booking system you already use. You don't need a polished document to start. Share your notes through our Tell us about your project form and we will ask about anything that's missing.
Hosting, care and support come through our Website Care plan. See our pricing page for current packages.
One or two pages is usually enough for a small business website. Clear, specific notes are more useful than a long document. Cover your business, customers, goals, pages, features, content, budget and timing.
No. Describe what the site needs to do, and let the designer recommend a platform. If you have a strong preference, such as wanting to edit the site yourself, say so in the brief.
Yes. A rough budget range helps designers suggest what's realistic and makes quotes easier to compare. It doesn't commit you to spending it all.
The main goal and the features. Knowing the one action you want visitors to take shapes the whole design. Features such as online booking or links to other software affect the cost and timescale the most.
Yes. Sending the same brief means every designer quotes for the same job, so you can compare price, approach and what's included fairly. Ask each one what ongoing costs come after launch.
List your main services and the questions customers often ask. A good web designer can turn that into a page plan. A separate page for each main service is a sensible starting point for most small businesses.
Yes. Include the address, the platform if you know it, and the pages that bring in the most visitors. This helps the designer plan redirects so you keep as much search visibility as possible.
No, and you should be wary of anyone who says they can. Google states that nobody can promise a number one ranking. A good designer can build a site that follows Google's guidance, but rankings depend on many things outside their control.
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