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How to prepare a brief for a website

The first mistake in website development usually doesn’t happen during design or development. It happens much earlier—when the project brief is unclear. If you want to know how to prepare a website brief that saves time, reduces the number of revisions, and results in a solution that genuinely supports the business, it makes sense to start with the right questions rather than colors and appealing examples.

A good brief is not a form you fill out simply so the project can begin. It is a working foundation that tells the contractor what you are building, why you are building it, and how you will know whether the result is successful. In serious projects, the brief determines whether the website will merely look good or whether it will also be useful, fast, secure, and commercially effective.

What a Website Brief Must Actually Accomplish

A brief is not a document created for “a general feeling.” Its purpose is to align expectations between the client and the contractor. This means it must clearly define goals, target audience, content, functionality, technical requirements, and project scope.

Without these elements, a project quickly turns into guesswork. The contractor guesses what you mean by a “modern website.” The client guesses what is included in the price. In the end, both parties lose time on revisions that could have been avoided from the start.

That is why a brief is not bureaucracy. It is the least expensive part of a project that can prevent the most expensive misunderstandings.

How to Prepare a Website Brief Without Vague Descriptions

The worst briefs are full of generic wishes. We want a modern website. We want better sales. We want a better user experience. All of these statements may be true, but they do not provide enough information for a contractor to create the right solution.

It is much more useful to describe the project through its business context. What does the company sell, who does it sell to, how does it currently generate inquiries, what is not working on the existing website, and what should the new website improve? This type of description is far more valuable than ten reference websites without any explanation of what you actually like about them.

For example, if you need a new corporate website, it is essential to know whether its primary purpose is generating inquiries, building trust, supporting the sales team, or informing existing customers. The same visual solution is not necessarily suitable for all of these goals.

Start with the Goal, Not the Layout

First, define what the website must achieve in practice. More phone calls. More submitted forms. More bookings. Easier content management. Better service presentation for the U.S. market. Less manual work due to integration with other systems.

Once the goal is clear, it becomes much easier to make decisions about functionality. If the primary objective is generating inquiries, you will design the site structure, calls to action, and contact points differently than if the primary objective is eCommerce or partner support.

The goal should be as concrete as possible. “Greater brand awareness” is too broad. “Increase the number of qualified inquiries submitted through the contact form” is already actionable.

Describe the Target Audience Specifically

A website is not intended for everyone. If a brief speaks to everyone, it says nothing. It is therefore useful to describe who your ideal visitors are, what they are looking for, how they make decisions, and what prevents them from making a purchase or submitting an inquiry.

A company selling a specialized B2B service requires different messaging than an online store selling to end consumers. The same applies to content structure. Some visitors want to see pricing immediately, others first check references, while others are interested in technical details and integrations.

A good brief therefore describes the audience through behavior, not just age or industry. What is their problem, what do they expect from the website, and what do they need in order to trust you?

What Information Must a Brief Include?

A brief does not need to be long. It needs to be useful. In practice, the following groups of information almost always prove essential.

1. Basic Description of the Company and Its Offering

The contractor must understand what you sell, how your offering is structured, and what differentiates you from competitors. If your advantage is speed, professional specialization, in-house production, support, or integration capabilities, this should be clearly stated.

Without this information, it is common for a website to look professional while failing to communicate the real value of the business.

2. Purpose of the Project

Is this a completely new website, a redesign of an existing one, or an upgrade to a specific section? Do you want to replace an outdated system, improve the design, modernize administration, add multiple languages, improve speed, or prepare the foundation for future growth?

There are no right or wrong answers here. The only important thing is that the purpose is described honestly. If the problem is that the current platform limits development, that is important information. If the main issue is weak content, that should also be stated from the beginning.

3. Scope of the Website and Content

How many pages do you anticipate? What content sections are required? Do you already have copy prepared, or do you expect assistance with content structure and content creation? Do you have professional photography, graphics, technical descriptions, references, and project examples?

This is where companies often underestimate the workload. Development may be carefully planned, yet the project stalls while gathering materials. If the brief realistically reflects the state of the content, it becomes much easier to create a feasible timeline.

4. Functionality

This is the section where you should be as specific as possible. Contact forms, multilingual support, a blog, service catalog, membership area, booking system, calculators, CRM integrations, accounting systems, logistics platforms, or other third-party tools.

When it comes to functionality, there is a simple rule: describe what the website should enable for users and what it should enable for your team. These are often two different things. Users want a simple experience. Your team wants easy content management, automation, and as little manual work as possible.

5. Design Direction

It is not enough to send three websites you like. It is much more useful to explain what you like about them. Is it the clean structure, the premium feel, the way services are presented, the photography, the typography, or the clarity of the mobile version?

It is also important to communicate any limitations to the contractor. If you have an established brand identity, it must be followed. If you do not have one, that is equally important information because it allows for greater creative freedom.

How to Prepare a Website Brief If You Don’t Have All the Answers Yet

This is a common situation and not a problem. A brief is not an exam. No one expects a client to technically define the entire project in advance. What matters is distinguishing between what you know and what is still undecided.

If you are not sure whether you need an online store or a more advanced inquiry-based catalog, write that down. If you do not know whether a single landing page or a broader multi-page structure makes more sense, mention that as well. A good contractor will use such open questions as an opportunity to provide guidance, not as a source of confusion.

This is exactly where the difference between a generic provider and a partner who understands custom development becomes clear. In serious projects, a brief is not a one-way transfer of instructions but the foundation for a strategic discussion.

Most Common Mistakes in a Brief

The first mistake is describing the project too superficially. The second is spending too much energy on visual preferences and too little on business objectives and the user journey.

The third mistake is hiding limitations. If you have a tight deadline, a limited budget, incomplete content, or internal dependencies, it is better to communicate them immediately. This does not weaken the project—it enables realistic planning.

The fourth mistake is expecting a single website without clear priorities to simultaneously serve as a sales channel, showcase catalog, knowledge base, recruitment portal, and internal operational platform. Sometimes this is possible, but more often priorities need to be established for the first phase.

A Good Brief Also Speeds Up the Proposal Process

When the brief is clear, the contractor can more easily prepare a realistic proposal, timeline, and implementation plan. This means fewer changes later, fewer gray areas, and a stronger sense that the project is moving in the right direction.

For more complex projects—especially those involving integrations, administrative requirements, or custom development—the brief becomes even more important. Without it, it is almost impossible to estimate the true scope of work and identify potential risks.

The goal of a brief is therefore not to sound intelligent. The goal is to enable good decision-making—for both the client and the contractor.

If you want to get the most out of your project, prepare the brief the same way you would prepare the foundation for a business investment. After all, a website is not decoration. It is a system that must look good, perform quickly, and clearly support your next stage of growth.