A good website brief helps an agency understand the business, the people using the site and the work that needs doing. It does not need to be a lengthy document or a list of technical instructions. It needs enough clarity for a supplier to ask sensible questions and produce a proposal you can compare.
Start with what you want to improve. “We need a modern website” describes a preference. “Customers cannot tell which service they need, so our team spends time redirecting enquiries” describes a problem that a website project can address.
Explain the business in plain English
Write a short introduction: what you sell, who buys it, where you operate and what makes your approach useful. Include the correct business name and domain. If there are separate brands, trade customers or different service areas, explain the relationship rather than assuming someone outside the business will understand it.
Be specific about genuine differentiators. A clear booking process, a particular product range or direct access to the people doing the work can shape a website. “Excellent customer service” needs an explanation of what that means in practice. Do not feel obliged to invent a dramatic difference where a straightforward offer would be more convincing.
Choose a main goal and a way to judge it
Decide which result matters most. You might want better-qualified enquiries, easier product ordering, fewer repetitive calls or a simpler publishing process. Several goals can coexist, but it helps to rank them so design decisions have a direction.
For example: “Our main goal is to help commercial customers request the correct service. We will review the quality of enquiries and how often staff need to request missing information.” That is more actionable than a general target to increase traffic, particularly if the business cannot serve a much larger volume of enquiries.
Describe your current evidence where available: common customer questions, existing analytics and feedback from staff. Clearly label estimates. A supplier can help plan measurement, but an unverified figure should not become the starting point for a promised improvement.
Describe the people and journeys
List the main audiences and what each needs to do. A trade buyer looking for a product code has a different journey from a homeowner researching options. An existing customer may need support information, while a new customer needs to understand whether you are a suitable provider.
Our web design process works better with a few real scenarios than a broad label such as “everyone aged 18 to 65”. Describe the question that brings someone to the website and the action they should be able to take afterwards.
- “A facilities manager needs to check whether we cover their site before requesting a visit.”
- “A returning buyer needs to reorder an item without searching the whole catalogue.”
- “A customer on a phone needs directions and a working telephone link.”
Separate required features from later ideas
Write three lists: essential for launch, useful if the budget allows and possible future development. Explain the purpose of each feature. “A customer portal” is a heading, rather than a complete requirement. What should someone see, edit, upload or pay for inside it?
For integrations, name the current systems and explain the information that needs to pass between them. Does a website enquiry create a CRM lead? Does stock come from an inventory platform? Who owns the data if the systems disagree? You do not need to solve the technical design, but the agency needs to know the business rule.
Our development team can help turn those rules into a buildable specification. If you need a shop, include the catalogue, variations, delivery and payment requirements in the e-commerce scope from the start.
Make a content and asset inventory
List what already exists: logo files, brand guidance, photographs, product data, brochures, staff details and useful copy. Note who owns each asset and whether it can be used on the new site. A photograph found online is not automatically yours to publish.
Decide who writes and approves the words. If you need copywriting, say so. If your team will supply content, choose a responsible person and a realistic delivery point. Missing content is easier to plan around when it is visible in the brief.
For a replacement site, highlight pages that already attract useful visits or enquiries. Do not assume every existing page should be removed because the navigation is changing. Include search visibility and migration in the brief so they can be considered alongside the new structure.
Include accessibility and practical constraints early
Tell the agency about known user needs, language requirements and any standards the organisation must work to. Accessibility belongs in planning, design, content and development, rather than a final automated score. The W3C accessibility planning guidance provides a useful framework for making it part of the project.
Also explain who will edit the site, how often it changes and which internal systems it must work with. A website that your team cannot maintain is an operational problem even if the launch presentation looks impressive.
Be open about budget, timing and decisions
A budget range helps an agency propose a proportionate solution. It is not an invitation to spend every pound without justification. Ask for a defined scope, optional items and separate ongoing charges. If the budget is fixed, say which result matters most so other features can be prioritised around it.
Distinguish a preferred launch date from a fixed external deadline. Explain the reason: an event, campaign or contract requirement. Name the person who approves content and design, and agree how conflicting feedback will be resolved. One coordinated response is easier to act on than several contradictory messages.
A short brief you can adapt
“We are a Wigan service business replacing an older website. Our priority is to explain three services clearly and improve the information supplied with enquiries. Most new customers contact us from a phone. We have a logo and real project photographs, but need help with copy. A CRM connection would be useful later; the first release needs clear service pages and a dependable enquiry route. Our budget range is stated below, with ongoing costs shown separately. One director will approve the work.”
That is enough to start a productive conversation. Add the specific services, links, budget and constraints, then let the agency identify the questions that need resolving.
For Web Design Wigan, a useful brief can begin with rough notes. Send us the business goal and essentials, and we can help shape the page structure and project scope around them.