How to Write a Website Brief an Agency Can Quote Clearly

A useful website brief gives an agency enough information to understand the job and explain its price. You can write one in an ordinary document. Start with what your business needs customers to do, then describe the information and steps that support that action.

Write one clear goal

Choose a main reason for the project: getting suitable enquiries, selling a product range, accepting bookings or explaining a new service. Describe what is difficult today. “People call to ask whether we cover their area” gives a team something concrete to address.

Include how you will judge the work. For an enquiry website, that could mean customers can find the right service, check your coverage and send a request that reaches the correct person. Agree on these checks before design starts.

Describe the customer and their questions

Tell the agency who normally buys from you, what prompts them to look for help and what they need to know before contacting you. Use questions from real calls and messages. Customers may ask about availability, delivery areas, minimum order sizes or what happens after they book.

You do not need a detailed audience report. A short description and five common questions give the writer and designer a useful starting point. Mention any audiences with different needs, such as retail customers and trade buyers.

List pages and actions separately

A page list explains the information you need. A feature list explains what someone can do. Keep both in the brief so the proposal covers the whole job.

For example, a hypothetical furniture repair business might need a home page, three service pages, a work gallery and a contact page. Its enquiry form could ask for a postcode, the item type and a photo. The team would review the request and arrange a visit by phone.

That is a different job from a booking system that checks availability and takes payment. Writing down the steps makes the difference visible before either side estimates the work.

Separate launch needs from later ideas

Mark each item as “needed for launch” or “consider later”. Explain any genuine deadline, such as an event or a new branch opening. Include the date your team can supply content and the person available to review drafts.

If time is tight, ask which complete customer journey can be delivered first. A smaller site still needs clear information, a working contact route and someone responsible for the enquiries. Unfinished booking or payment steps should not appear ready to use.

Make responsibilities explicit

Use this checklist when you share the brief:

• Who supplies the logo, photographs, service details and written content?
• Who checks that names, prices, locations and claims are accurate?
• Who gives the final approval when colleagues disagree?
• What can staff update themselves after launch?
• Which existing pages or customer records need to be carried over?
• Who will manage the domain, hosting and ongoing support?

Flag missing material honestly. An agency can allow for writing or photography when it knows that work is needed. It is harder to plan around an assumption that the content is already finished.

Ask for a proposal against the same brief

Share the same version with each provider. Ask them to identify exclusions, recurring costs, review stages and how changes will be priced. Our guide to comparing website costs explains why those details matter when quotes differ.

You can review our website and software services to find the type of help you need. Once the brief is clear, use the project estimator for an initial budget range and ask for a written scope before proceeding.