How to Write a Website Design Brief (With a Free Template)

The quality of a website project is decided long before anyone opens a design tool. It's decided by the brief. A clear brief helps agencies quote accurately, helps designers make the right decisions early, and saves you from paying for revisions that could have been avoided.

You don't need to be technical to write a good brief. You need to answer a handful of questions honestly. This guide walks through each one and ends with a template you can copy.

Why a website brief matters

Without a brief, every agency fills the gaps with their own assumptions. That's why quotes for "a website" can vary so much: each studio is imagining a different project. A brief puts everyone on the same page, so you can compare proposals fairly and start the project with shared expectations.

A good brief also forces useful decisions on your side. Writing down who the site is for and what it needs to achieve often reveals that you need fewer pages, a clearer message or a different priority than you first thought.

1. Your business in a few sentences

Explain what you do, who you do it for and what makes you different. Keep it short and specific. "We help independent dental clinics fill their appointment books" is far more useful than "we provide innovative solutions."

Include any context that affects the project: a recent rebrand, a new product line, a merger, or plans to expand into new markets.

2. The goals of the website

This is the most important section. What should the website achieve for the business? Common goals include:

• Generating enquiries or quote requests
• Selling products online
• Taking bookings
• Building credibility before a sales call
• Recruiting new staff
• Reducing support questions

Pick one primary goal and a few secondary ones. If everything is a priority, nothing is. And if you can, say how you'll judge success, for example "more qualified enquiries each month" or "fewer phone calls asking the same questions."

3. Your audience

Describe the people you want to reach. What do they need to know before contacting you? What worries them? Are they researching on a phone during a commute or comparing suppliers at a desk?

If you have more than one audience, such as customers and job seekers, note which matters most.

4. What's wrong with the current site

If you're replacing an existing website, list what isn't working. Common answers:

• It looks outdated compared to competitors
• It's hard for our team to update
• It's slow or broken on mobile
• Visitors don't understand what we offer
• It doesn't generate enquiries

Also note what does work. If certain pages rank well in search or bring in most of your leads, the new site should protect them.

5. Pages and features

List the pages you think you need. It doesn't have to be final; a good agency will help refine it. Then list any features beyond standard content pages:

• Contact or quote forms
• Online booking or payments
• Blog or resources section
• Portfolio or case studies
• Search or filtering
• Member areas or logins
• Integrations with a CRM, email platform or booking system
• Multiple languages

6. Content: who provides what

Content is the most common cause of delays in website projects. Be clear about what exists and who will create the rest:

• Do you have final copy, or do you need help writing it?
• Do you have good photography, or will you need a shoot or stock images?
• Who will gather case studies, testimonials and team bios?

7. Brand and style

Share your logo, brand guidelines, colors and fonts if you have them. Then list three to five websites you like, not just from your industry, and explain what you like about each one. "I like how clean the layout is" or "the way they explain pricing is clear" is more useful than a list of links.

It's equally helpful to share sites you don't like and why.

8. Competitors

Name two or three competitors and note what they do well and badly online. This helps the designer understand the standard you need to meet and where you can stand out.

9. Budget and timeline

Many people leave this out, worried that sharing a budget means they'll be charged the full amount. In practice, a budget range helps an agency recommend the right approach, rather than guessing and proposing something too basic or too ambitious.

For timeline, share your ideal launch date and whether it's fixed, for example a product launch or trade show, or flexible.

10. After launch

Think about who will look after the site once it's live. Will your team update content? Do you want ongoing support, hosting, maintenance or SEO help? Mentioning this early helps the agency choose the right platform and plan the handover.

A website brief template

Copy these headings into a document and answer each one in a few sentences:

1. About us: what we do, for whom, and what makes us different
2. Goals: the primary goal and secondary goals, and how we'll measure success
3. Audience: who we want to reach and what they need to know
4. Current site: what doesn't work and what does
5. Pages and features: our first draft of the sitemap and required features
6. Content: what we have and what we need help with
7. Brand and style: brand assets, sites we like and why
8. Competitors: who they are, and their strengths and weaknesses
9. Budget and timeline: range, ideal launch date, fixed or flexible
10. After launch: who manages the site and what support we need

Next step

Once your brief is ready, share it with two or three agencies and compare how they respond. The best partners will ask good questions, challenge assumptions and explain their recommendations clearly.

We're happy to be one of them. Send us your brief, or read more about our website design and web development services first. If you're not sure where to start, we can work through these questions with you on a short call.