Creating A Website Brief: What Your Web Design Agency Needs to Know

By Neil Kilgallon on Wednesday, 8 January 2025

ID Studio, an established London web design company, has been designing websites for over 20 years and cannot stress enough how vital a well-thought-out and crafted website brief is when starting a new build or redesign.

A website brief is the foundation for a successful collaboration between your web design agency and you. It allows for clear communication, alignment of expectations, and a smooth design process. A precise and detailed website brief is the key to delivering a website on time, within budget and tailored to your needs.

Why A Website Brief Is Important For Both You And The Agency

A website brief's fundamental benefit is establishing the project's scope. It clearly outlines what the client expects and what the web design agency will deliver.
It helps reduce miscommunication and avoids awkward discussions regarding potential scope creep.
It outlines a clear set of deliverables against an agreed timeframe and budget.

What Key Areas Does An Effective Website Brief Need To Cover?

The more effort you put into supplying a detailed website brief, the easier it will be for the web design agency to provide an accurate proposal tailored to your specific website objectives.

Company Overview

Include details about your company, industry, target audience, and your products or services USPs.
Mention example competitors and any industry-specific considerations we should take into account.

Project Goals and Objectives

Specify the main goals you hope to achieve with the website (e.g., increase leads, improve brand awareness, maximise eCommerce sales, etc).
If you are looking to redo an existing website, what would you like to achieve with the redesign? Also, please have a read of a separate article we did that outlines how to audit your existing website and updating a tired looking website.

Target Audience

Define the audience demographics, behaviours, and pain points.
Highlight how the website should address the audience's needs.

Outline The Scope Of The Project

Clarify if it's a new build, redesign, or migration.
Provide an initial site map outline listing the main sections and pages. Although we realise this may change during the planning stage, we still need an overview of the website's size.
List required features (e.g., CMS, eCommerce functionality, multilingual support, etc).

Design And Branding Requirements

Do you already have an established brand and logo, or will ID Studio need to create this before we start the website project?
Mention any inspiration or references to websites or functionality that you like.

Content Requirements

Specify whether your in-house team will provide content or if it needs to be created by our copywriters.
If you supply website content, will it consider SEO requirements, or will ID Studio need to take care of this?

Technical Requirements

Do you have a preferred platform or framework (e.g., WordPress, Umbraco, Kentico, ProcessWire or Laravel)?
Do you require third-party integrations like CRM systems, POS, back office or email marketing tools?
Do you need to adhere to any regulations for accessibility standards or GDPR compliance?

Timeline And Budget

Define project deadlines, milestones, and overall budget range. Some clients prefer not to disclose their budget, which can be counterproductive. Websites, like many other items you purchase, can vary significantly in cost depending on the resources we allocate to the project. We can make recommendations that fall within the amount you want to invest by giving us a budget range.

Performance And Success Metrics

Describe how the website's success will be measured (e.g., traffic growth, conversion rates, sales enquiries, online sales, etc).

Key Stakeholders

Identify the decision-makers and their roles in the project. We must know who is responsible for signing off at the different stages of the project. This ensures the process moves smoothly, with the approvals at each stage.

What To Avoid When Creating a Website Brief

One of the most common issues with website briefs is not putting the required time and effort into them and being too vague. Your website will likely be massively influential in your business's overall success, and you should allocate the resources needed to reflect this.
It's important not to have unrealistic expectations. You wouldn't go into a Porsche showroom with the budget of a VW Golf. The same applies to website design. The project cost usually depends on the resources we need to allocate to the design and development of your website. If you have a smaller budget, that's fine, but be realistic about what we can achieve.

Tips for Writing A Great Website Brief

While a website brief needs to be comprehensive, it should also be concise. Do not get distracted and waffle on about unimportant information.
Seek input from all relevant teams and departments to get well-rounded goals.
Reference other websites that you love the look of or the way they handle certain functionality.

How ID Studio Can Help Refine the Brief

ID Studio has been helping clients define their website briefs for years, so we are pretty good at it. We can help you with the following:

Work with you to define the core website goals and what functionality is necessary to achieve them.
Suggest the best platform or framework for your website and explain why.
Offer industry trends and best practices insights you may not have considered.
Show examples of other websites and functionality for inspiration.

Conclusion

Creating a well-planned website brief is an essential first step to ensure you and your web design agency know what will be delivered, by when and at what cost. Skipping or not allocating sufficient time to this process will likely lead to complications during the design and development of your website. If you already have a website brief, send it over so ID Studio can review it and arrange a time to discuss it further. If you need help with the brief, we are happy to help you refine it. Get in touch to discuss all your web design requirements.