Website brief template: what to fill in before you order a site
A PDF to fill in before you order a website: visitors, main action, pages, content, functions, deadline, budget and who approves the work.
This is a brief you fill in by hand or on screen before you ask a studio or a freelancer to quote a website, or before you start building one yourself. It is written for the person who runs the business, not for a designer or a developer. It asks twelve questions in the order a contractor needs the answers, then shows what to prepare for each type of page and what to hand over at the start. Use it when you are about to request several quotes, when a project has stalled because nobody wrote down what was agreed, or when you are replacing an old site.
What is inside
- Twelve fields with lines to write on: the business, visitors, main action, pages, content, examples, functions, updates, deadline, budget, measure of success and approvals
- A table of eight page types: what to prepare for each and what is often forgotten
- A handover checklist: logo files, texts, photos, access to the domain and hosting, analytics
- A filled-in example for a fictional small business
- A note on three common mistakes and how to avoid them
How to use it
- Print the PDF or open it on screen and answer every field in plain words. Where nothing is decided yet, write “not decided” instead of leaving the line empty.
- Fill in the main action first. If you cannot choose one, the site has two jobs, and the contractor needs to know which comes first.
- Go through the page table and mark what already exists. Everything left unmarked is work that somebody has to do and somebody has to pay for.
- Send the same filled-in brief to every contractor you ask for a quote, and ask each one to list what is included and what is not.
- Talk the brief through with the contractor you choose, correct it together and keep the final version with the contract.
How a brief changes the quotes you get
Without a brief, each contractor prices a different job. One assumes five pages and your own texts. Another assumes fifteen pages, copywriting and a photo shoot. The totals come out far apart and you cannot tell whether the difference is in the price or in the scope.
When everyone receives the same written answers, the quotes can be compared line by line: who included the texts, who counted the booking form, who allowed for two languages. The questions a contractor asks back tell you something too: a careful one will point at the gaps in your brief. Ask each of them to state in the quote:
- What is included, page by page and function by function
- What is not included: texts, photos, domain, hosting, support after launch
- How many revision rounds are in the price and what an extra round costs
- What the deadline depends on from your side
What a brief cannot do
A brief does not replace talking to the contractor. It is your view of the job, written before anyone with experience has questioned it. A good professional will challenge some of the answers: the page list may be longer than you need, the main action may not be the one your customers are looking for, and the deadline may not fit the content that still has to be produced.
It is also not a contract and not a technical specification. It does not fix a price, does not describe how the site is built, and does not protect you if the terms are missing from the agreement you sign. Treat it as the starting document: the proposal and the contract are written after it and should reflect what you agreed when you discussed it.
If you build the site yourself
Fill it in anyway. A site builder asks you to pick a template on the first screen, and from then on the template decides which pages you have. With the brief in front of you, you pick a template that fits the page list and the main action, not the other way round. The budget field becomes a list of what you pay for yourself: the builder's plan, the domain, the photos and your own hours.
Questions
How long should a website brief be?
Two to three pages are enough for a small business site. If an answer does not fit on the lines provided, it is usually two answers: split it, or attach the catalogue or the price list on a separate sheet.
Should I state my budget in the brief?
A range lets the contractor propose a scope that fits inside it instead of guessing. If you prefer not to name a figure, say what must be in the first version and what can wait; the quote will then show what each part costs.
Can I send the same brief to several contractors?
Yes, that is what it is for. Send everyone the same version and compare what each one includes. Do not attach logins or passwords: access is handed over once you have chosen the contractor.
What if I cannot answer some of the questions?
Write “not decided” and say who will decide and by when. A gap you admit is more useful to a contractor than a guess, and it becomes a point to discuss at the first meeting.