How to write a website brief a developer can quote

A useful website brief gives a developer enough information to price the work and gives you a way to check the finished site. It can be short. Specific decisions matter more than a long description of your company.

Start with the customer and the action

Describe who the site serves and what they should do. For example: “We provide commercial cleaning. Office managers should be able to check the services and request a visit.” This is an illustrative brief, not a customer case study. Avoid goals such as “a modern website” unless you explain what needs to improve.

List pages and responsibilities

Name the proposed pages and give each a purpose. For every page, identify who supplies the text, photos and approvals. Mark material as ready, being written or unavailable. A developer cannot reliably schedule a page whose content has no owner.

Describe functionality in plain terms

Write “Visitors choose a service and send their email address to our enquiries inbox” instead of just “contact form.” Explain whether bookings happen on your site or through an existing provider. Mention languages, downloads, payments and any old URLs that must continue working.

Include the practical constraints

• Current website URL and platform, if known.
• Required launch date and the reason for it.
• Budget range, with recurring costs considered separately.
• Who owns the domain and hosting account.
• One person who will consolidate feedback.
• Features that are explicitly outside the first version.

Add examples with reasons

Two or three references are enough when you explain the relevant detail: readable service descriptions, a simple menu or a useful comparison table. Supply your own text and licensed assets. References should guide the work, not authorise copying another site's branding or content.

Finish with acceptance criteria. “All five agreed pages display correctly on the test devices, links work and the enquiry route passes its delivery test” is more useful than “must look great.” Send the same brief to each supplier so quotes can be compared fairly. Keep the approved version with the final scope; later changes should be recorded against it.

Practical guidance with illustrative examples. Read our editorial standards or send a correction.