Ordering a website: what to prepare and how to write a website brief

What is a website brief and why do you need one?

A website brief is a written, agreed description of the website. The developer uses it to calculate the price and plan the work, and when the project is finished it is used to check that what was agreed has been delivered. For a service company's website a 1–3 page document is enough; the brief for an online store or a system with integrations is more detailed.

Without a brief, two developers can read the same request – ‘we need a company website’ – in completely different ways: one will picture a 5-page site on an adapted template, the other a custom design, two languages and a catalogue. When a web studio builds your website, the brief usually becomes an annex to the contract. It helps you:

• compare quotes from several developers for the same scope;
• avoid unexpected extra work and price changes halfway through the project;
• set out clearly what is included in the price and what isn't;
• sign off the work against a checklist rather than a general impression.

What should you prepare before ordering a website?

Before approaching a developer, it's enough to answer a few questions: what the website has to do, who it's for, which pages and features you need, who will prepare the text and photos, when it has to go live and what budget you have. Everything else can be clarified during the first consultation.

Checklist before the first call:

• A short description of your company: what you sell, to whom and how you differ from competitors.
• The main goal of the website: enquiries, calls, sign-ups, sales or information for existing customers.
• Links to 3–5 websites you like, with a few words on what exactly you like about them.
• Your logo in vector format (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF) and brand colours, if you have them.
• A list of pages – even a rough one.
• Text, photos and documents – or a decision on who will prepare them.
• Domain and hosting logins, if you already have a website.
• Your preferred launch date and budget range.
• The person who will make decisions and approve the design.

How should a website brief be structured?

A website brief is easiest to split into 12 sections, from describing the company and its goal to the acceptance criteria. Not every section needs a detailed answer – what matters is that the developer understands the goal, the scope and the constraints. Below is a template with examples that you can copy and fill in.

How do you describe the website's purpose and audience?

Describe the purpose in one sentence, naming the action a visitor should take: ‘so that a customer submits a repair request’, ‘so that a partner downloads the catalogue’. Describe the audience with a few facts: who these people are, what device they browse on and what questions they ask before they buy.

These two sections drive most of the other decisions. If most customers call from a phone, the most important element is a clearly visible call button. If your customers are companies comparing suppliers, the pages on prices, turnaround times and completed projects matter more. Avoid vague goals such as ‘a modern, attractive website’: there's no way to check them.

How do you describe the structure and features?

Present the structure as a list or tree of pages, and the features as a separate list, stating for each one what it has to do and who receives the result. For example, not ‘we need a form’, but ‘an enquiry form with name, phone, message and photo; the enquiry is sent by email and logged in the CRM’.

Features worth discussing in advance:

• enquiry or sign-up forms, and where their data goes;
• a catalogue of services or products, filters and search;
• a booking calendar or price calculator;
• news or a blog;
• several language versions;
• a connection with a CRM, accounting software or another system;
• analytics (Google Analytics 4) and a cookie consent banner.

If you need a basket and online payments, that's an online store – and its brief is written differently: you describe product categories and fields, payment and delivery methods. More on this in our article ‘How to create an online store’.

Which technical requirements should you include?

In the technical section, just state what you already know: whether you have a domain and hosting, which content management system (CMS) you use, which systems the website has to exchange data with and who will maintain it after launch. If you don't know, write ‘awaiting recommendation’ – that's an answer too.

• Domain and hosting. The domain should be registered in your company's name; say where it is registered now.
• CMS. If you want to edit text, prices and photos yourself, list that as a requirement.
• Email. Whether your mailboxes stay with your current provider or move together with the website.
• Integrations. CRM, accounting software, newsletter or booking system.
• Analytics and privacy. GA4, Google Tag Manager, a cookie consent banner, a privacy policy.
• Ownership. State that once the project is finished and paid for, you'll receive the admin logins, the website files and the database.

How do you state the budget and deadline?

It's best to give the budget as a range, e.g. ‘up to €1,500’, and the deadline as a specific date with a reason, e.g. ‘by the trade fair on 1 March’. The developer can then propose a scope that fits those limits and tell you straight away what is worth leaving for a second phase.

Hiding your budget rarely pays off: you'll get quotes covering very different amounts of work, and they'll be hard to compare. You'll find indicative prices by website type on our page ‘How much does a website cost?’. When planning the deadline, allow for your own time too: approving the design, preparing text and giving feedback often take longer than the development itself.

What mistakes should you avoid when writing a brief?

The most common mistakes are requirements so vague they can't be checked, features with no explanation of what they should do, and content nobody has discussed. Nor is it worth copying another company's brief: it describes their process, not yours.

• ‘Like our competitor's website’ – without explaining what exactly fits: the structure, the design or the features.
• ‘We want to be number one in search’ – no developer can guarantee rankings in Google search; it's better to state which search terms each page targets.
• It's unclear who is preparing the text – one of the most common reasons projects run late.
• No acceptance criteria – it's hard to agree when the work is finished.
• Everything in one phase – on a limited budget, it's better to launch the core and add features later.

Can you write the brief together with the developer?

Yes, and it's a common approach. The client provides the goal, a list of services and examples, and during a consultation the developer drafts the page list and a description of the features, which is attached to the contract. What matters is that you read the final version and approve it in writing.

That's how we work at Saitai.lt too: after a free consultation we draw up the structure and a description of the features, state what is not included in the price, and put the price and deadline in the contract. We start work once we receive a 50% deposit.

How do you check that the brief has been delivered?

Write down the acceptance criteria before work starts: which pages and features must work, which devices the website is tested on and what you receive at handover. You can then sign off the work against the list and see straight away what is still outstanding.

1. Every page in the structure has been created and filled with content.
2. The forms work: a test enquiry reaches the specified email address or CRM.
3. The website displays properly on a phone, tablet and computer.
4. Old URLs redirect to the new ones, if an existing website is being replaced.
5. Analytics and a cookie consent banner are installed; the privacy and cookie policies are published.
6. Admin logins and instructions have been handed over and the warranty has been discussed.

The websites we build come with a 12-month warranty: during that time we fix bugs free of charge.

Have a draft brief, or just an idea? Send it to us via the enquiry form – within 1 working day we'll tell you what's missing, how much the website would cost and how long it would take to build.