You’ve decided it’s time for a new website and booked a chat with a designer. Then comes the question: what do you actually want? A short website brief makes that conversation much easier, even if you’ve never been through a build before.
It doesn’t need to be long or technical. It just needs to tell your designer enough about your business that they can plan the right site, quote it properly and avoid surprises later.
Why a website brief saves time and money
Most delays in a website project come from things nobody talked about at the start. A page that wasn’t in the quote. A booking system that turned up halfway through. Photos that don’t exist yet.
When you write things down first, your designer can give you a clearer quote and a realistic timeline. You also get a document to check against while the site is being built, so nothing important falls through the cracks.
Think of it as a conversation starter rather than a contract. A good designer will ask questions, suggest ideas and point out things you hadn’t considered. The brief just gives that conversation a head start.
Start with your business and your goals
Before you think about colours or layouts, write a few lines about the business itself:
- What you do, in plain words, as you’d explain it to a new customer
- Where you work, for example Lismore and surrounds, or the whole Gold Coast
- How long you’ve been operating and what makes you different
- What you want the website to do for you
That last point matters most. “Look professional” is a fair goal, but try to go one step further. Do you want more phone calls, online bookings, or fewer people ringing to ask your opening hours? A clear goal shapes almost every decision your designer makes.
Then describe your customers
Your website is for your customers, not for you, so tell your designer who they are. A few short notes are plenty:
- Who usually buys from you, such as homeowners, local families, other businesses or tourists
- What they’re trying to find out when they land on your site
- The questions they ask most often on the phone
- What makes them choose you over someone else
Those common phone questions are gold. If people keep asking whether you service Ballina, or whether you offer weekend appointments, that’s content your site should answer up front.
List the pages and features you need
You don’t have to plan the menu yourself, but a rough list helps. Most small business sites start with something like this:
- Home
- About
- A page for each main service
- Contact, with a form, phone number and map
- Privacy Policy
Then note any features beyond the basics. Online bookings, an online shop, a gallery of past jobs, a members area or a newsletter sign-up all affect the quote, so mention them early. If you’re not sure whether you need something, write it down with a question mark. That’s what the consultation is for.
If you’re wondering what a standard build covers, our article on what a $1,595 website includes walks through it.
Share what you like, what you don’t and what you have
Design is hard to describe in words, so examples help a lot. Jot down two or three websites you like and say why. Maybe it’s the layout, the photos or how easy it is to find the phone number. They don’t need to be in your industry.
Sites you dislike are just as useful. “Too busy”, “hard to read on my phone” or “feels corporate” tells your designer plenty.
Also list what you already have:
- A logo, and whether you’re happy with it
- Brand colours or fonts
- Photos of your team, premises or work
- Your current website and domain name, if you have them
If you built your current site yourself, note what worked and what frustrated you. That experience is useful, and it helps your designer understand what you’ll want to update on your own later.
If your logo needs work, now is a good time to say so. It’s easier to sort out branding and logo design before the website than to retrofit it afterwards.
Be upfront about budget, timing and content
Many people feel awkward sharing a budget, worried they’ll be charged up to it. A range is fine. It helps your designer suggest the right approach rather than quoting for something you’d never spend. For reference, our custom WordPress websites start from $1,595 + GST and eCommerce sites from $2,950 + GST, and you’ll get a clear written quote before any work starts.
Timing is worth mentioning too, especially if there’s a launch date, a busy season or an event you’re working towards. A standard build typically takes 21 business days once we have the content.
Content is the part that catches people out. Words, photos and service details have to come from somewhere. Say who will write the content and whether you need help with photos, so it can be planned instead of becoming a hold-up.
A simple website brief template
If you’d like a starting point, copy these headings into a document and write a few lines under each:
- About us: what we do, where we work and what makes us different
- Goal: what we want the website to achieve
- Customers: who they are and what they ask us most
- Pages: the pages we think we need
- Features: bookings, shop, forms, gallery or anything else
- Look and feel: sites we like and don’t like, and why
- What we have: logo, colours, photos, domain and current site
- Budget and timing: a rough range and any key dates
- Content: who is writing it and what help we need
Half a page is plenty. If you’re starting a new business at the same time, the business.gov.au planning and registration guides are a handy place to get organised, and our free Business Starter Checklist covers 23 steps from ABN to Google.
Not sure where to start with your brief?
You don’t need a perfect website brief to talk to us. Book a free consultation and we’ll work through it together, then send you a clear written quote. Get in touch or call 02 6610 9202, Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm.
