How to write a website design brief for an agency

A website design brief is a short document that tells a web design agency what you need. A clear brief leads to a more accurate quote. It also cuts the number of questions the agency has to ask before work starts.

Two to four pages is enough. Write it in plain language. The agency reads it before the first call, so the brief should answer the questions that call would otherwise spend time on.

Start with the business goal

Open with one sentence about what the website must do for the business. Be specific. “Look more professional” is a feeling. “Bring in more booked consultations from people searching in our city” is a goal an agency can design around.

Pick one main goal and up to two supporting goals. A site that tries to sell, recruit, educate, and impress investors on the same homepage does none of those jobs well. The main goal decides what goes at the top of the page.

Name the action you want a visitor to take. That might be a phone call, a form submission, a purchase, or a booking. Every page in the design points toward that action.

Describe who visits the site

List the two or three types of people who use your site. For each one, write what they want and what they already know about you. A returning client looking for an invoice portal needs something different from a stranger comparing three providers.

Real details help more than general categories. Write down the questions customers ask on the phone, the objections that come up in sales calls, and the reasons people give for choosing a competitor. These shape the page structure and the copy.

Say what is wrong with the current site

If you have a site now, explain why you are replacing it. Name the problems. The site may be slow on phones, be hard to update, or look out of date next to competitors. Maybe it gets visits but no inquiries.

Also list what works. If one page ranks well in search or a service page brings in steady leads, tell the agency. A redesign can damage pages that perform well when no one knows about them. Your agency can protect them with redirects and careful page planning.

List the pages and features

Write a list of the pages you expect. A typical small business site has a home page, service pages, an about page, a contact page, and perhaps a blog or a portfolio. Add anything unusual, such as a client login, an online store, a booking calendar, or a multilingual version.

For features, separate must-haves from nice-to-haves. A booking tool that connects to your calendar is a must-have if your business runs on appointments. A live chat widget may be a nice-to-have. This split lets the agency price the project in phases if the budget is tight.

Show sites you like and dislike

Send three to five links to websites you admire. Write one sentence on what you like about each. It might be the layout, the photography, the way the menu works, or the tone of the writing. They do not need to be in your industry.

Add one or two sites you dislike and say why. This often tells an agency more than the favorites do.

Describe your brand and content

Tell the agency what brand materials exist. Include your logo files, brand colors, fonts, and any style guide. If you have none of these, say so. Some agencies include brand work in a project and others price it on its own line.

Content is the most common cause of delay in a web project. Use this list of content to gather before a web designer starts to get ahead of it. Say who will write the page copy and who will supply photos. Professional photography of your team, space, or work makes a visible difference to a site. Stock images are a weaker substitute. If you plan to hire a photographer, mention it so the schedule can allow for it.

If you expect the agency to write the copy, say that in the brief. Copywriting is a separate skill, and most agencies quote it on its own line.

Give a budget range and a deadline

Many clients leave out the budget because they fear the agency will quote up to it. A range does the opposite. It tells the agency which approach fits, so they do not propose a custom build when a simpler one meets your goal. If you do not know what a project costs, say that and ask for options at two or three price levels. Some agencies publish their prices, which saves a step. Lark lists every price on one page.

Give a target launch date and the reason for it. A trade show, a product release, or a lease ending are real deadlines. A date picked at random is flexible, and the agency can plan around that.

Name the decision makers

State who approves the design, who gives feedback, and who signs off on the final site. Projects slow down when a fourth person sees the design at the last stage and asks for changes. Limit feedback to one person who collects comments from the rest of the team.

Add the technical details

Include the basics the agency needs for the build:

• Your current domain name and where it is registered
• Your current hosting provider, if you have one
• The platform the current site runs on
• Tools the site must connect to, such as a CRM, email platform, or payment processor
• Any accessibility or legal requirements for your industry or region

You do not need to understand every item. Write what you know and mark the rest as unknown. The agency can find out.

What to leave out

Skip design instructions such as exact fonts, button shapes, or pixel sizes unless a brand guide requires them. Describe the problem and let the designer propose the solution. A brief that dictates the layout removes the reason you hired a designer.

Skip long company history. One paragraph about what your business does and who it serves is enough.

Send it with a question list

End the document with the questions you want the agency to answer. Ask about their process, the timeline, who your day-to-day contact is, what happens after launch, and who owns the site files and design when the project ends. Using the same questions with each agency makes the proposals easy to compare.