Most web design projects that go wrong were doomed before they started — with a vague brief, or no brief at all. When you tell three agencies 'I need a new website', you will get three wildly different quotes, because each is guessing at what you actually want. Write a clear brief, and those same three quotes become comparable, accurate and far closer to what you need.
A good brief is the cheapest, most effective thing you can do to get a better website. Here is exactly what to put in one, with a template you can copy.
Why a brief matters so much
A brief does three jobs. It lets agencies quote like-for-like, so you can compare fairly. It pins down the scope, so the project does not balloon midway. And it keeps everyone focused on what the site must achieve, rather than on personal taste. The hour you spend writing it saves days of confusion later.
What to include in your brief
A strong brief covers the following. You do not need to be technical — focus on your business and your goals.
- About your business. What you do, who you are, and what makes you different.
- Your goals for the site. What does success look like? More enquiries, online sales, bookings, credibility? Be specific.
- Your audience. Who are your customers, and what do they need from the site?
- Scope and pages. Roughly how many pages, and any must-have features — contact forms, online shop, booking, member area.
- Look and feel. Examples of sites you like (and dislike) and why. This communicates taste faster than any description.
- Content. Will you supply copy and images, or do you need help producing them?
- Budget and timeline. A realistic range and any fixed deadlines.
- Practicalities. Your current site, domain and hosting, and who the decision-makers are.
Define the problem and the outcome, not the technical solution. Tell the agency what success looks like and let their expertise decide how to get there.
A free brief template you can copy
Use this structure as a starting point and fill in each section:
- 1. Business overview: Who we are and what we do.
- 2. Project goals: The main outcomes we want from this website.
- 3. Target audience: Who we are trying to reach.
- 4. Scope: Approximate page count and required features.
- 5. Design preferences: Three sites we like and why; anything to avoid.
- 6. Content: What we will provide; what we need help with.
- 7. Technical: Current site, domain, hosting, any integrations.
- 8. Budget: Our realistic budget or range.
- 9. Timeline: Ideal launch date and any fixed deadlines.
- 10. Decision-makers: Who signs things off and our main contact.
Common mistakes to avoid
Two pitfalls trip people up. The first is hiding your budget, hoping for a lower price — in reality it just produces guesswork and mismatched proposals. The second is over-specifying the technical solution; describe the problem and let experts recommend the approach. If your project involves an online store, our ecommerce guidance covers the extra detail a retail brief should include, and there are more planning tips on our blog.
Send your brief to the right agencies
With a solid brief in hand, you are ready to get accurate quotes. Browse our directory to find UK web design agencies that fit your sector and budget, send your brief to a shortlist of three, and compare their responses with confidence.