How to write a website brief: a checklist before you contact a studio

The quality of a quote depends on the quality of the question. A clear brief gets you an accurate scope and price, avoids surprises halfway through, and shortens the back-and-forth. It doesn't need to be long or technical: one page is often enough.

Here is what to cover.

1. What you want to build

Say it in one or two sentences: a landing page for a launch, a business website, an online store, a customer portal, a mobile app. If you are not sure which, describe what visitors should be able to do; a studio can suggest the right format. Our guide to choosing between a landing page, a website and a store can help.

2. Who it is for

Describe the people who will use it: customers, partners, your own team. Where are they, which languages do they speak, and what do they need to find or do? A site for local customers and one for international buyers are designed differently.

3. What success looks like

Pick the action that matters most: calls, bookings, sales, sign-ups, applications. This decides what the design puts first.

4. The content you have, and what is missing

Content is the most common cause of delays. List what exists and who will write or supply the rest:

• texts for each page;
• photos, videos, logos and brand colours;
• product lists, prices and descriptions for a store;
• legal pages your business needs.

5. Features

List what the site must do, then what would be nice to have: contact forms, booking, payments, member accounts, several languages, a blog, links to tools you already use. Separating the two lets a studio price a first version and the next step.

6. What already exists

Mention your current website, domain name, hosting and email if you have them, and who has access. Moving an existing site has its own steps.

7. Timing and budget

Give a date if there is a real deadline, such as a launch or an event, and say why. And if you have a budget, share it: it is the fastest way to get a proposal that fits, instead of one you have to cut down.

8. After launch

Decide who will update the site and how often. That tells you whether you need a site you can edit yourself, a monthly maintenance plan, or both.

A good first message covers four things: what you want to build, who it is for, when you need it, and your budget, if you have one.

When you are ready, send us your brief. If some answers are still open, send what you have: working them out together is part of the job.