A website brief: what to prepare before hiring a studio
A practical brief covering the task, content, integrations and acceptance. Includes a B2B example and what to do when the budget or requirements are still unknown.
ecomvision editorial team
4 min
Published
Updated
Key takeaways
- 01Describe the problem rather than prescribing a finished layout.
- 02Explain why each reference matters.
- 03Mark unknowns instead of inventing answers.
Describe a useful action
Replace “a modern website” with an intended outcome: a visitor finds a suitable service and sends a useful enquiry. Define the audience, context and concerns.
For an existing site, bring customer questions and observed friction. A target metric is useful only when its measurement and ownership are clear.
Collect the materials
Provide copy, photography, brand assets and catalogue structure. Identify what is ready, needs editing or must be created. Explain the relevant quality of each reference instead of requesting a copy of another site.
- Current site and reasons for change.
- Materials and their owners.
- References with explanations.
- Required pages and actions.
List constraints
Name CRM, ERP, payment, language and user-role requirements. Assign a business owner to each integration. Explain fixed dates and their cause.
If technology is undecided, specify editorial and maintenance needs rather than selecting a framework without an operating plan.
Define acceptance
Agree on delivered pages, working journeys, enquiry delivery, access and documentation. Assign someone to consolidate feedback.
A brief need not be long. It should separate known requirements from open questions and support an estimate. Discovery can resolve unknowns as a separate deliverable.
A practical brief you can fill out in one sitting
Copy the questions below into a shared document and answer in everyday language. For each unknown, note who could help resolve it. You do not need to choose a technology or specify every screen in advance: start with the decision the website should help someone make.
For example, a B2B company might write: “A buyer finds the right category, checks compatibility and requests a quote. The sales manager receives the items and quantities, clarifies the conditions and prepares a proposal.” This is enough to discuss the catalogue, filters and enquiry. It does not automatically imply a basket with online payment.
- Task: what should the visitor do, and what happens afterwards?
- Audience: who decides, what must they verify and which questions do they ask?
- Content: which sections are essential, and who prepares copy, photography and data?
- Systems: what connects to the website, and who provides documentation and test access?
- Constraints: what budget is available, when is the result needed and why?
- Acceptance: who tests journeys, consolidates feedback and accepts each phase?
When the budget or requirements are still unknown
Say so in the brief. Ask for the response to separate known scope, assumptions and discovery questions. Two options help compare proposals: the necessary first launch and later development. Each should have its own outcome and dependencies.
For example, key service pages and a working enquiry flow could launch first, with a complex account area estimated after reviewing the sales process. This is an example sequence, not a universal recommendation: if the service cannot be delivered without the account area, it belongs in the essential scope.
An initial enquiry only needs the existing site URL, a short task description and constraints. Passwords, customer databases and internal documents can follow through an agreed channel once the required access is clear.