How to Write a Website Design Brief (Simple Outline)

A good website brief is the fastest way to get an accurate quote and a site that fits your business. Here is what I look for in every brief I read, and the questions I ask when something is missing.

Short answer: a useful website design brief fits on one page. It says what your business does, who the site is for, what a visitor should do, which pages you need, what content you already have, which sites you like and why, your budget range and your deadline. With that, a designer can give you a fixed price and a real date instead of a guess.

What is a website design brief?

A brief is a short document that tells a designer what the site has to do for your business. It is not a design. You don't need to pick colors, fonts or layouts. That part is my job, and I'd rather you spend your time on the things only you know: your customers, your work and what is not working today.

The brief is also what a quote is built on. When I get a vague one, I can only give a vague range. When I get a clear one, I can give a fixed price before any work starts, which is how I like to work.

Why does the brief matter so much?

Because almost every problem I see in a web project starts before the design. The page count changes halfway through. The content isn't ready. Nobody agreed on what the site is supposed to get people to do. A clear brief catches those things on day one, when they cost nothing to fix.

It also saves you time. I work mostly async, so a written brief means you answer once, when it suits you, instead of repeating the same story on three calls.

What should a website design brief include?

These are the eight things I need to scope a project. Each one can be a short paragraph.

1. What your business does, in plain words

One or two sentences, the way you'd explain it to a friend. Who you serve, what you sell and where. Skip the mission statement.

2. The problem with your current site

This is the most useful part of any brief. Be specific about what is wrong, not just that it "looks old".

A good real example is Antique Woods of Louisiana, a company that has milled and finished timber since 1985. Their problem was clear: the work was extraordinary, the old site did not show it, and every enquiry landed in an inbox where it was easy to lose. That told me exactly what to solve: a site that sells to architects and designers, and a way to run the business behind it. You can see how that turned out in the Antique Woods project.

3. Who the site is for

Your best customer, not everyone. A homeowner comparing contractors reads a site differently from a property manager or an architect. If you have two very different audiences, say so, because that changes the structure.

4. The one action you want visitors to take

Book an appointment, request a quote, call, buy. Pick the main one. Every page will be designed to lead there. If booking is the goal, I wrote a separate guide on building an appointment booking website.

5. The pages you think you need

A simple list is enough: Home, Services, one page per service, About, Work or Case studies, Blog, Contact. It doesn't have to be final. I'll suggest changes, but the list tells me the size of the project, and size is what moves the price most.

6. What content you already have

Say what exists and what doesn't: the copy, real photos of your work and team, a logo, reviews, case studies. Missing content is the most common reason a project slips. In my experience the slowest part of a build is almost always waiting on content, not the design or the build itself.

If you have a current site with posts or pages you want to keep, mention it. Moving content and keeping your old URLs is its own piece of work, and it protects the search traffic you already earned.

7. Sites you like, and why

Two or three links are plenty. The "why" matters more than the link: "I like how this one shows prices up front" is far more useful than "I like this one". Sites you don't like help too.

8. Budget range and deadline

I know it feels like giving away your hand, but a range lets me tell you what fits inside it, instead of quoting something you can't use. For reference, a full build with me starts at $3,200 in Framer and $5,000 in custom code, and building from a design you already have starts at $2,500 in Framer. I broke down real quotes in how much a Framer website costs, and you can test numbers in the website cost calculator.

For the deadline, tell me the date and whether it is fixed (a launch, an event, a season) or just a wish. A full build usually takes 10 to 25 days with me.

What can I leave out of a brief?

• Design decisions. Colors, fonts and layouts come out of the work, not the brief. If you have brand guidelines, attach them and that's it.
• Platform choice, if you're not sure. If you don't know whether you need Framer, WordPress or custom code, say what the site needs to do and let the designer recommend. I compared the two most common options in Framer vs WordPress for a service business.
• A long company history. One line on how long you've been around is enough.
• Every feature you might want one day. Split it into must have now and maybe later. Later is usually a cheaper second phase.

A simple brief outline you can copy

If you want a starting point, answer these in a doc or an email:

1. What does your business do, and for whom?
2. What is not working with your current site (or why do you need one now)?
3. Who is your best customer?
4. What is the one thing a visitor should do on the site?
5. Which pages do you think you need?
6. What content do you have ready: copy, photos, logo, reviews?
7. Which two or three sites do you like, and what exactly do you like about them?
8. What is your budget range, and is your deadline fixed?
9. Who on your team approves the work, and who will edit the site after launch?

That last question saves more time than it looks. Knowing who signs off, and who will be editing text and posts later, changes how I set up the site and the CMS.

What a designer should do with your brief

A good designer reads the brief and comes back with questions, a scope and a price, not a sales call. From me you get a fixed price and a timeline before any work starts, and the first step of every project is deciding what the site says and in what order, before any design. You can see how the weeks break down on my process page, and what's included in a full build.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a website brief be?

One or two pages is ideal. Short answers to the questions above are enough for a designer to scope the project and send a price. A longer brief isn't better if it buries the important parts, like the main goal, the page list and the budget range.

Do I need to know what platform I want?

No. Tell the designer what the site needs to do, who will edit it and what you need it to connect to, like booking, forms or a store. A good designer will recommend the platform and explain why, including when the cheaper option is the right one.

Should I include my budget in the brief?

Yes, even as a rough range. Without it, a designer has to guess what level of work fits, and you end up with quotes that are hard to compare. A range lets them tell you honestly what fits inside it and what would be a later phase.

What if I don't have any content yet?

Say so in the brief. It changes the timeline and sometimes the scope, because someone has to write the copy and find or shoot the photos. Knowing it up front means the plan accounts for it, instead of the project stalling halfway through.

Can I just fill in a form instead of writing a brief?

Yes. That is why my contact page is a short brief form instead of an empty message box. It asks the questions that matter for a quote, and I personally read and reply to every one, usually the same day.

Ready to send yours?

If you have a rough brief, even a messy one, send it over. I'll reply with the questions I still have, a scope and a fixed price. You can write your brief here, or look at my work first.