Website Design Brief Template: What to Include (With Example)
Use this website design brief template to explain your goals, audience, pages, features, budget and timeline, and get accurate quotes from web designers.
A website design brief is a short document that explains what your new website must achieve, who it is for, which pages and features it needs, and your budget and timeline. A clear brief gets you accurate, comparable quotes and avoids costly changes later. It does not need to be long: two to four pages covering the sections below is enough for most projects.
Quick answer: include your business overview, goals, audience, pages, features, integrations, content plan, design preferences, budget, timeline and who signs off.
Website design brief template
Copy these sections into a document and fill them in.
1. Business overview
What you do, who you serve, where you operate and what makes you different. Two or three sentences is enough.
2. Project goals
What should the new website achieve? Make goals measurable where you can.
- Get more qualified enquiries, for example 30 a month.
- Sell products online.
- Make it easy for staff to update content.
- Rank for key services in Google.
3. Target audience
Who are your main buyers, what do they need to know and what stops them contacting you today?
4. Current website (if you have one)
What works, what does not, and which pages bring traffic or leads. Note anything that must not break, such as top-ranking URLs.
5. Pages needed
List the pages or sections, for example: Home, Services (one page each), Industries, Case Studies, Pricing, Blog, About and Contact. Our guide to planning a website sitemap can help.
6. Features and functionality
Contact forms, bookings, online payments, a client login, multilingual pages, search or calculators.
7. Integrations
Tools the site must connect to, such as your CRM, email marketing, booking system, accounting software or payment provider.
8. Content
Who will write copy and supply photos? Do you need copywriting, photography or content migration from your old site?
9. Design preferences
Share 3 to 5 websites you like and explain what you like about each. Include brand guidelines, logo files and colours.
10. Platform preferences
Do you need WordPress, Shopify, Webflow or a custom build? If unsure, describe who will edit the site and how often.
11. Budget
Give a range. It helps agencies recommend the right scope instead of guessing.
12. Timeline
Your ideal launch date and any fixed deadlines, such as a product launch or trade show.
13. Decision makers
Who gives feedback, who approves designs and who signs off the launch.
Example: a short website brief
| Section | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Business | Accounting firm serving small businesses in Manchester and London |
| Goal | 25 qualified consultation requests a month |
| Audience | Business owners with 5 to 50 staff |
| Pages | Home, 6 service pages, Pricing, About, Team, Blog, Contact |
| Features | Booking calendar, contact form, client portal link |
| Integrations | HubSpot CRM and Calendly |
| Content | We supply copy for services, need photography |
| Platform | WordPress, staff must edit pages easily |
| Budget | $2,000 to $4,000 |
| Timeline | Launch in 8 weeks |
Brief mistakes to avoid
- Only describing the look, not the goals.
- Leaving out integrations that affect cost.
- No budget range, so quotes vary wildly.
- Forgetting who will provide content.
- Too many decision makers giving conflicting feedback.
Get a quote from your brief
Send your brief through our start a project form and we will reply within one business day with questions or a fixed quote. Not sure on budget? Our small business website cost guide explains typical prices, and our website redesign services start at $349.
From our projects: A good brief makes priorities obvious. For a Danish plumbing and heating company, the brief put urgent service access and transparent pricing first, which shaped every page we designed. Local service businesses can see more in our home services website guide.
What the research says: Google uses the mobile version of a site’s content for indexing and ranking, so your brief should describe the mobile experience, not just the desktop layout. (Source: Google Search Central.)
Using your brief as a website RFP or requirements document
Larger organisations often need a formal web development RFP. The same structure works: add your budget range, timeline, decision process and how proposals will be scored, and you have a simple website RFP template. Add page-by-page features and integrations, and it doubles as a website requirements document your developer can quote against.
Website design brief questions
What is a website design brief?
It is a document that explains your website goals, audience, pages, features, content, budget and timeline so designers can plan and quote accurately.
How long should a website brief be?
Two to four pages is enough for most business websites. Clarity matters more than length.
Should I include a budget in my brief?
Yes. A budget range helps agencies recommend a realistic scope and makes quotes easier to compare.
What if I do not know which platform I need?
Explain who will edit the site, how often and which features you need. A good agency will recommend the right platform.
Do I need a sitemap in my brief?
A simple list of pages is enough. The agency can turn it into a full sitemap during planning.
Who should write the website brief?
The person who owns the project, with input from sales, marketing and anyone who will update the site.
Sources
- Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/mobile/mobile-sites-mobile-first-indexing
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