Most clients get back a website that's about 70% right. The other 30% requires revision rounds, back-and-forth emails, and sometimes a growing frustration that the designer "just doesn't get it." Almost always, the problem started before any design work began — with a brief that left too much to interpretation.
A great brief takes 20 minutes to write. It saves weeks of revisions. Here's exactly what to include.
What a website brief actually is
A website brief is a document (or structured set of answers) that tells your designer or developer everything they need to make the right creative and structural decisions without needing to ask you repeatedly.
It's not a wishlist. It's not "make it look professional." It's a specific, honest description of your business, your customers, your goals, and your preferences — with enough detail that someone who's never met you can make smart decisions on your behalf.
The best briefs include things you don't want as well as things you do. "No pink. No stock photos of handshakes. No jargon about solutions." is as valuable as "navy blue, photography of real team, clear pricing."
The 8 sections every brief needs
1. What your business actually does
Not your company name and tagline. A plain-English description of what you do, who you do it for, and where. "We're a family-run electrical company covering Leeds and Bradford. Domestic and light commercial work — rewires, consumer units, EV chargers, fault finding. Fully NICEIC registered."
This single paragraph shapes every headline, every service page, every meta description. Don't skip it.
2. Your target customer
Who is most likely to become a client? Age range, location, what they're worried about, how they typically find tradespeople. "Homeowners aged 35–65, mostly in LS and BD postcodes. They worry about being overcharged or let down. They find us through Google and word of mouth. They want fixed prices and reliability above all else."
3. The one goal
What is the single most important thing the website should achieve? Phone calls? Bookings? Enquiry form submissions? E-commerce sales? Pick one. Every page, every CTA, every layout decision should serve that goal. If you say "all of the above" — pick the most important one and optimise for that first.
4. What you already have
Logo (and in what file formats)? Photos of your work or team? Existing written content? Brand colours or guidelines? An existing website to migrate from? Knowing what exists saves duplication of effort and helps your designer know where to focus creative energy.
5. Sites you like — and what specifically you like about them
This is the most underused part of a brief. Find 3–5 websites you admire — any industry is fine, style is transferable — and note what specifically appeals. Is it the colour palette? The typography? The layout structure? The photography style? "I like how stripe.com uses lots of white space and clear section headings" is infinitely more useful than "make it modern."
6. Your competitors
List the 2–3 competitors whose websites you think are strong. A good designer will review them before starting, specifically so they can make your site look and feel clearly better. Also note what you want to do differently — that contrast is just as useful as inspiration.
7. Your USPs — honest ones
Not "quality and value." What genuinely makes you different? Fastest response time? Only certified specialist in the area? 15-year guarantee? Family business that's been trading for 30 years? These are the things that turn a visitor into an enquiry. List them plainly so your designer can make them prominent.
8. What you hate
Colour combinations, stock photography styles, animation types, layouts, phrases. Be specific and be honest. "I hate sites that look busy and overwhelming" saves hours. "Please don't use any AI-generated images" saves a difficult conversation later.
What to avoid in a brief
- Vague adjectives without context. "Clean," "modern," "professional" mean different things to different people. Anchor them: "Clean like Apple's site, not minimal to the point of being sparse."
- Too many competing goals. Pick the primary objective. Secondary objectives can live in the full questionnaire.
- Leaving out things you hate. Designers will fill gaps with their own taste. Give them yours.
- Not mentioning your budget or timeline. These shape what's possible. Be honest about both.
How to use your brief
At Checkout Websites, our order questionnaire is essentially a structured brief — it asks every question above across 11 steps. You don't need a separate document. But if you're working with any designer or agency, sending a written brief before any meeting will cut the project timeline and significantly improve the first-round output.
The 20 minutes you spend on it is the most leveraged time in the entire project.
Our order form walks you through every section of a proper brief — and gives you an instant price estimate at the end. Takes about 4 minutes. Start your quote here — our 11-step form is essentially a structured brief.