Website Brief Template: What to Send Before You Hire

Quick answer: Send agencies a brief of one to three pages covering your business, measurable goals, audiences, a draft page list, features ranked as must, should or could, who supplies the content, a budget band, your deadline and who signs off. A brief like that makes every quote describe the same project, so you can compare them fairly.

Email three agencies the line "we need a new website, how much?" and you'll get three prices for three different projects. One assumed you'd write the copy. One priced ten pages. Another quoted a template with your logo on it. None of them was being dishonest; each was guessing. A written brief replaces the guesses with your answers, and the template at the end of this guide gives you a structure to fill in.

Why does a website brief change the quotes you get?

Quotes differ mainly because agencies fill gaps in your request with their own assumptions. Remove the gaps and the remaining differences are about skill, process and price, which are the things you actually want to compare.

Without a brief, an agency has to guess:

• How many pages and how many distinct page layouts you need
• Whether they're writing the words or you are
• Whether photos exist or someone has to shoot or source them
• Which features are essential and which are wishes
• What systems the site must connect to
• How quickly it has to launch and who approves the work

Each guess moves the price. When you later line up the proposals, a structured method like our guide to comparing web design quotes only works if the quotes were built on the same scope.

What sections should a website brief include?

Eleven short sections cover almost every small-business or marketing website. You don't need polished prose; bullet points are fine.

How do you describe goals and audiences so designers understand them?

Write goals as outcomes you could count, not as adjectives. "Modern", "clean" and "professional" tell a designer almost nothing, because everyone wants those. Numbers and actions tell them what to optimise for.

For audiences, describe two or three types of visitor, what each needs to know before contacting you and what usually makes them hesitate. A homepage has a few seconds to answer the first question in a visitor's head, which is why what your homepage must do in five seconds is worth reading before you write this part.

How much detail should you give on pages and features?

List every page you expect and describe what each feature must do, but leave the design solutions to the people you're hiring. "Customers must be able to book and pay a deposit online" is a requirement. "A blue pop-up calendar on the right" is a design decision you're paying the agency to make.

Sort features into three groups so every agency prices the same core:

• Must: the site fails without it (booking, enquiry form, product catalogue)
• Should: important, but launch could happen without it (blog, team profiles)
• Could: nice extras for later (multilingual pages, a client login)

Name any system the site must talk to: your CRM, booking software, payment gateway, email platform or accounting tool. Integrations are one of the biggest drivers of cost and time, and naming them upfront stops surprises in the second week.

If your project is really an app with logins, workflows and user roles, it needs a deeper document. Our software requirements document template covers that kind of build.

Should you share your budget in the brief?

Yes, as a band. Without one, agencies either pitch high and scare you off or pitch low and cut scope you needed. A band lets them propose what's realistic for the money and tell you honestly if the scope doesn't fit.

For orientation, these are the ranges GRWW quotes against:

• India: ₹15,000–₹60,000 for a small-business site, ₹60,000–₹1,50,000 for a custom marketing site, ₹1,50,000–₹3,00,000+ for e-commerce or web app features
• Australia: A$3,000–A$8,000, A$8,000–A$15,000 and A$15,000–A$25,000+ for the same three levels

Saying "we're planning for the middle band" is enough. You're not committing to spend the top of it.

What content and assets should you gather before the project starts?

Content is the most common reason website projects run late, so decide who supplies what before you sign. Design can't be finalised around placeholder text, and a site can't launch without real copy and images.

Gather or assign an owner for each of these:

• [ ] Logo files in vector format (SVG, AI or EPS)
• [ ] Brand colours and fonts, if defined
• [ ] Copy for each page, or a named person to write it
• [ ] Photos of your team, premises, products or work, with permission to use them
• [ ] Reviews and testimonials you have permission to publish
• [ ] Pricing, packages or service details
• [ ] Legal pages such as privacy policy and terms
• [ ] Logins for your domain, hosting and current site
• [ ] Access to Google Analytics, Search Console and Google Business Profile

How do you turn the brief into a shortlist and quotes?

Send the same brief to three or four agencies and ask for quotes in the same structure. Then compare like with like.

1. Shortlist agencies whose live work you can open and test on your phone. Our guide to choosing a web design company lists what to check.
2. Send the brief and invite questions. Good agencies ask several; that's a sign they're reading it.
3. Hold a short call with each to clarify scope.
4. Ask for an itemised quote: pages, layouts, content, features, integrations, revisions, timeline and what happens after launch.
5. Compare scope line by line before you compare price.

Copy-paste website brief template

WEBSITE BRIEF: [Business name]
Date: [ ]   Prepared by: [ ]

1. About us
   What we sell, to whom, and where:
   How customers find us today:

2. Goals (measurable)
   Main goal:
   How we'll measure it:
   Target and timeframe:

3. Audiences
   Visitor type 1, what they need, what stops them:
   Visitor type 2, what they need, what stops them:

4. Competitors and references
   Competitors:
   Sites we like, and why:
   Sites we dislike, and why:

5. Draft page list
   [Page]: purpose

6. Features and integrations
   Must:
   Should:
   Could:
   Systems to connect:

7. Content
   Copy written by:
   Photos supplied by:
   Content ready by (date):

8. Brand assets available
   Logo / colours / fonts / guidelines:

9. Technical details
   Domain held with:
   Current hosting and platform:

10. Budget band
    [ ] Entry   [ ] Mid   [ ] Upper   Notes:

11. Timeline and sign-off
    Ideal launch date:
    Hard deadline (if any) and reason:
    Decision-makers:

Frequently asked questions

How long should a website brief be?

One to three pages is plenty for most small-business and marketing sites. Longer isn't better; clear is better. If you find yourself writing ten pages, you may be describing a software project rather than a website.

Should I include competitor websites in my brief?

Yes. List two or three competitors and say what you think they do well or badly. Agencies use this to understand your market and to spot ways your site can stand out, not to copy anyone.

What if I don't know which features I need?

Describe what you want customers and staff to be able to do, and let the agency suggest the features. "Customers should be able to check availability without calling us" is a perfectly good brief line.

Should I write the brief before talking to agencies?

Write a first draft before, even if it's rough. It clarifies your thinking and makes the first calls more useful. Expect to refine it once agencies start asking questions.

Who in my business should own the brief?

The person who will approve the finished site and answer questions quickly during the project. If two people must sign off, name both in the brief, and agree between yourselves who has the final word.

Ready to share your brief?

Drafted one already? Then send us your brief and we'll come back with questions, a recommended scope and a fixed price, normally by the next business day. Still at the rough-notes stage? Book a free call and we'll help you shape it.