Start with the change you need.
The strongest briefs do not begin with page counts, design styles or a chosen technology. They explain why the current position is no longer good enough and what should become different for the organisation and its audiences.
Your first paragraph should make the commercial or organisational case: perhaps the site no longer reflects the brand, prospects struggle to understand the offer, editors cannot manage content, organic visibility is declining or important journeys create friction.
Brief the problem, the people and the required outcome. Give the agency room to shape the solution.
1. Introduce the organisation.
Explain what the organisation does, how it creates value, where it operates and what makes it different. Include the services or products that matter most, the markets served and any planned change the website must support.
2. Explain the reason for the project.
- What is wrong or limited about the current website?
- Why does the project need to happen now?
- Which business or organisational priorities does it support?
- What happens if nothing changes?
3. Define the audiences.
List the priority audiences and what each needs to understand or accomplish. Include the questions they arrive with, the evidence they require and anything that may prevent them taking the next step.
Prioritise honestly. Designing equally for everyone usually produces an experience that feels clear to no one.
4. Set objectives and measures.
5. Describe content and approximate scale.
List the main content types rather than guessing an exact sitemap: services, sectors, case studies, insights, people, locations, products, resources or events. Note the approximate number of existing pages and what may need rewriting, combining, migrating or removing.
Clarify who will write and approve copy, and whether new photography, video, illustration or downloadable material is required.
6. Explain functionality and integrations.
- Forms, enquiries, bookings, payments or applications.
- Search, filters, directories, maps or gated resources.
- CRM, email marketing, analytics and marketing automation.
- Product, stock, membership or account systems.
- Languages, regions, accessibility and editorial permissions.
- Security, privacy, consent and regulatory requirements.
Describe what each function must help a user or team member do. Avoid prescribing a particular technical solution unless there is a genuine organisational constraint.
7. Share practical constraints.
Include the target launch window, known approvals, internal resources, procurement steps, dependencies and any immovable campaign or event dates. Mention existing domains, hosting, technology or supplier arrangements that could affect the project.
8. Include a realistic budget range.
A budget helps an agency decide what is achievable and where phasing may be sensible. It does not weaken your negotiating position. Without it, suppliers may propose fundamentally different levels of research, content, design and development that are impossible to compare fairly.
If the figure is not fixed, explain the approved range, expected business case or the options decision-makers need to consider.
9. Explain how you will choose an agency.
State the decision process, deadline, required response format and evaluation criteria. Useful criteria include relevant thinking, team experience, process, technical approach, cultural fit, value and evidence of outcomes.
The agency should use discovery to test the assumptions, resolve uncertainty and turn the brief into a focused scope. A proposal that simply repeats your requested features may not be solving the real problem.
Share your website brief ↗Copy-and-paste brief structure.
- About the organisation and its priorities.
- Why the website needs to change.
- Priority audiences and their needs.
- Objectives and measures of success.
- Content types, scale and responsibilities.
- Functionality, integrations and compliance.
- Timing, approvals and dependencies.
- Budget range and possible phasing.
- Agency selection process and response requirements.
Frequently asked questions.
How long should a website brief be?
A useful brief can often fit within three to six pages. It should be detailed enough to explain the organisation, challenge, audiences, requirements and constraints without attempting to design the solution.
Should a website brief include a budget?
Yes. A budget range helps an agency propose an appropriate scope and prevents time being spent on an approach that is not commercially realistic.
Do I need to list every page?
Not necessarily. Include known content areas and approximate scale, but allow discovery and information architecture work to test the final structure.
Should the agency help develop the brief?
Yes. An experienced agency should clarify priorities, challenge assumptions and turn the initial brief into a more precise project scope.
Make the choice
with confidence.
Tell us what you need the website or marketing programme to achieve. We will give you a straightforward view of the options and likely investment.
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