Website brief: what to prepare before you start
A good brief helps the team estimate a project and reduces guesswork. You do not need a long document full of technical terms to get started. Describe your business, goals, customers and constraints. Use the structure below to prepare for your first conversation with the team.
1. Describe the business goal
Start with what should change after launch. Do you need to introduce a new service, generate enquiries, simplify product selection or explain a complex offer? “We want a modern website” describes a visual direction. “Customers should understand the partnership options and request a quote” describes a user journey.
Choose one main goal and a few supporting goals. Too many priorities make it difficult to decide what belongs on the first screen and which action visitors should take.
2. Tell us about your customers
Who will use the website, and what do they already know about your offer? Visitors to a B2B website may need technical specifications and partnership terms. For a local service, they may need your service area, examples, a clear process and a quick way to call.
- Who makes the purchasing or partnership decision?
- What questions do people ask before getting in touch?
- What creates hesitation: price, timelines, quality, guarantees or compatibility?
- Which channels will bring visitors to the website?
3. Gather content and references
Prepare your logo, brand colours, photographs, service list, contact details and examples of your work. Mark what is ready to publish, what needs editing and what is missing. Text and photography affect the structure and project schedule just as development does.
Add a note to each reference: perhaps you like the typography, navigation, case study presentation or card interactions. A list of links without comments can lead to different interpretations. The aim is to establish your own brand direction.
4. Separate essential features from preferences
List everything that must work at launch: forms, a catalogue, search, languages, online payments, shipping or integration with your business systems. Describe the expected result for each feature. For example, after an enquiry, the manager receives an email at the agreed address and the visitor sees a confirmation.
Keep ideas for later stages in a separate list. This helps you agree on a realistic launch while preserving your plans for growth. If you have not chosen a format yet, start with our article on choosing between a landing page and a business website.
5. Agree on the process and project boundaries
Decide who will approve decisions, provide materials and manage the website after launch. Share your preferred date and the reason for the deadline: an advertising campaign, event or product launch. A budget range also helps the team recommend an appropriate scope.
- The goal, audience and main visitor action.
- An initial list of pages and features.
- Available materials and owners for missing content.
- Milestones, approval points and completion criteria.
- Access, training and the support arrangements after launch.
The conversation should lead to a concrete proposal: what is included, what is priced separately, which materials are needed and how changes are approved. Explore AIDENTYKA’s process or contact us, even if we need to work out some of the answers together.