Your 8-step guide to writing a great website brief

Before you dive into the process of creating your new website; before you look for an agency to build it; before you even have your first brainstorm, you need to lock down one thing: your website brief.

This crucial document lays the groundwork for any creative project, whether it’s a logo design, or a new website for your company. Don’t let a weak website brief leave you with a site that’s fine instead of fantastic!

Get started on the right foot with these 8 steps to writing a great website brief. 

Illustration by Jean Jullien

How to write a killer website design brief

Step 1: Think like an outsider 

You know your organisation inside out. You know all about your brand, its background, and what sets you apart from your competitors. This may all seem very obvious to you, but a good rule of thumb is to assume that whoever is reading your brief knows nothing.

So keep the brief as clear, and concise as possible (after all, it’s called a “brief” for a reason!) Try to avoid any acronyms or industry buzzwords that your web agency might not understand, and cut back on jargon as much as possible. Your web partner will love you for it.

Illustration by Beatrix Papp, AKA fragarixie

Step 2: Describe your target market

Your target market is probably one of the most important things to highlight in your creative brief. After all, the goal of your website is to impress your target audience so that they keep coming back! 

We’re strong advocates for putting your audience at the centre of any project, right from the get-go. So take the time to describe your target market in the brief. Add any insights about them that you may have gained over the years. Describe their current perception of your brand, and whether you’re aware of any pain points they’re currently experiencing. Now is also a good time to think about the brand personality you’d like to present to your audience. Perhaps you think a friendly, informal approach would be best, or maybe you feel your company would be better represented through a no-frills, no-fuss approach. This is important info to include in the brief.

The best way to describe your target market in a brief is through the use of “buyer personas”. A “buyer persona” is a fictional character created to represent a set of users that’ll be using your site. Check out our Marketing Manager’s 10 Step Guide to Website Design for some tips on how to develop buyer personas for your brand.

Illustration from The Odyssey

Step 3: List your main competitors

A little bit of healthy competition never hurt anyone, right? But sometimes it just feels oh-so-sweet to outdo our rivals! And what better way than to blow them out of the water with an amazing website?! 

Include a section in your website brief where you list your main competitors, preferably in order of importance. Include links to their websites to make sure your web agency is up to speed with how your competitors represent themselves online. It’s also helpful to highlight which parts of their sites you think they’ve done well, and what you think could be improved.

Illustration by Rami Niemi

Step 4. Outline the website requirements

The more detail you add to the brief about what your website needs to do, the better. Technical requirements can seem daunting, but just explain as best you can how you think the site should work. It’s then up to your web agency to make suggestions on how to go about it.

Here are some examples of website functionality that you could include in your brief:

• Search

• Tags (for easy searching)

• Newsletter subscription

• Blog (with or without comments)

• Social media feeds

• Interactive map

• Online bookings or payments

• CMS (content management system)

• Contact form

• Event calendar

• File sharing

• Forum

• Image gallery

• Appointment bookings

• Member / User management

• Online chat

• Podcast

• Portfolio / Case studies

• Reviews / Ratings

• Videos

• Ads

Remember to mention any additional requirements, such as whether you need the web agency to source stock photography, or perhaps enlist a professional photographer. Maybe you’d like them to develop the copy for the website, or have them suggest a copywriter to handle it for you. 

By the way, if you’d like to have a crack at the website copy yourself, check out these tips on how to go about it: Website copy, no problem. Here are 5 things you need to know.

Illustration by Lingvistov

Step 5: Highlight the website objectives

Think of your website like your 24/7 salesperson. It has goals that it needs to achieve, and targets it should meet. But you can’t send it out into the world without first defining what those goals are. 

Because we all love a good acrostic (don’t worry if you don’t know what that means... neither did I until a thorough google search a few minutes ago…), I thought I’d use one to describe a simple format for defining your website goals:

SMART goals

• S – Specific: What should the site accomplish?

  • e.g. The site should increase our number of sales by giving customers the option of making purchases through an online store.
    

• M – Measurable: What is a measurable goal for the site? 

  • e.g. The site should help to increase sales by 20% in the first year.
    

• A – Achievable: Based on the evidence is this goal achievable?

  • e.g. Yes. Our main competitors recently introduced an online store to their site, and their sales increased dramatically.
    

• R – Relevant: Does this website goal compliment my business goals?

  • Yes! The more sales we make, the more we can afford to spend on improving our business.
    

• T – Time: What is a realistic deadline?

  • 6 months from now.
    

• Your resulting SMART goal should look something like this:

  • A year from now, we’d like to see a 20% increase in our total number of sales. The additional sales should be made through our online store.

Illustration by I Love Doodle

Step 6. Define the style approach

The style you have in mind may not be what’s best for your target market, but it’s still helpful to give your web agency an idea of what you envision. It’s up to them to let you know whether they think a different approach would better suit your audience. 

Even if your web team disagrees with your overall stylistic approach, there are still elements they can draw on to meet you halfway. Use a section of your brief to list any sites you’ve come across that you like, or even ones that you dislike. Outline exactly what it is about their style (colours, fonts, photography etc) that you think works, and what you think irks. Remember to share links to all the sites you mention.

Check out awwwards.com for some website eye-candy. They post a new, beautiful site every day. It’s where I get my daily dose of website inspiration, whilst sipping on my morning coffee. 

Step 7. Mention the timeline and budget

These are two of the first questions your web agency will ask you. Although they can both be tricky to answer, bear in mind that the following are not very helpful answers to give to your team: “We need it as soon as possible,” and, “We don’t have a budget.” 

Although these answers may seem accurate at first, there is likely some more detail you can provide your web team (even if it’s vague). So take the time to really think about it. Remember, some agencies may add a rush fee for projects that need to be completed in a shorter-than-usual time, so providing a deadline may actually work in your favour. 

You may be concerned that specifying your budget leaves you vulnerable to being overcharged. Maybe I’m an optimist, but I really don’t think most agencies would stoop that low. So select a team you trust, and you won’t have these concerns.

Knowing your budget upfront allows your web agency to suggest the best way to approach the project to suit your means. There are hundreds of ways to tackle a web project, and without a defined budget, the suggested approach could be way off. Estimates for web projects can take weeks to put together, so you’ll also be saving your web team (and thus, yourself) precious time by being open about your budget. 

Not only is defining your budget the best way to get an accurate costing, but in most cases you’ll also get some invaluable advice too.

Illustration by Rami Niemi

Step 8. Get a second pair of eyes on the brief

There’s no better way to refine a website brief than getting a reliable colleague, employee, or employer to vet it. A second (or even third) pair of eyes will ensure that your website goals and requirements have all been described well. 

So before you send the brief out to your web agency, have one or two trusted people give it a once over. They'll be able to spot any inconsistencies, areas in need of clarification, or any other issues that should be addressed.To save your sanity, always remember to get stakeholder sign-off on the brief before hitting “send”. This is a good way to avoid any issues down the road.

Illustration by Rami Niemi

Yoohoo! Website brief complete! 

Congratulations! Your website brief is done and dusted! You’ve completed the first step towards a successful site that works for you, 24/7. 

By following these 8 steps you’ve created a website brief that will ensure you get the best work from your web agency. Now it’s up to them to perform their magic. We can’t wait to see what they come up with!

Once you’ve written a killer website brief, there are other important steps you’ll need to follow to ensure you end up with a great site. Check out our Marketing Manager’s 10 Step Guide to Website Design to learn about the whats, the whys, and the hows.