Insights into Writing a Website Brief

A well-crafted website is often the first impression your business makes on potential customers. It’s your digital storefront, a virtual handshake, and a crucial tool for building your brand and connecting with your audience. 

However, creating a successful website requires more than just creativity and design skills; it demands a clear and comprehensive website brief.

A website brief, essentially a roadmap for your web project, is your chance to articulate your vision, objectives, and expectations to the team responsible for bringing your new website to life.

In this article, we’ll delve into key insights on how to write an effective website brief that ensures your project stays on track, meets your goals, and exceeds your expectations. We’ll explore the vital components that make up this invaluable document and discuss practical considerations such as budget, timeline, legal compliance, and the critical phases of testing and launch planning.

So, whether you’re a business owner looking to revamp your digital presence or a project manager tasked with overseeing a website development project, follow along. This guide is your compass to crafting a website brief that not only steers you in the right direction but also ensures a smooth and successful journey from concept to completion!

Understanding the importance of a website design brief

Imagine embarking on a journey to an unknown destination without a map or a clear sense of direction. You might eventually reach your goal, but it will be a tedious and uncertain voyage, filled with wrong turns and frustrating detours. 

Similarly, building a website without a well-structured directive can cost you valuable time, resources, and potentially profitable opportunities.

The path to creating an effective website begins long before the first pixel is placed or the initial line of code is written. It commences with an exhaustive document that serves as the guiding light for your web development journey – the website design brief.

The website brief is often the first concrete step in creating or revamping a current website, acting as a blueprint that offers pivotal insights to the designers, developers, or agencies involved in building the website. It’s the cornerstone upon which the entire web development process rests, outlining your vision, goals, and expectations for your website in greater detail.

It covers vital elements such as business information, target audience, competitor analysis, project scope, specific requirements, and an estimated budget – we’ll explore all of this thoroughly later in the article.

So, why is this seemingly mundane document integral to the success of your website?

Why a comprehensive website brief matters

The journey from the conceptual stage to a fully developed website is often intricate. At its core, a web design brief acts as a project’s backbone, defining its scope.

Here are some of the compelling reasons that underscore the importance of a well-crafted website design brief:

• Alignment of vision: Your website must reflect your business’s unique identity and objectives. A design brief ensures that every design element and functionality aligns with your vision, empowering your design team to translate your ideas into a visually appealing and functional website.
• Clear communication: Effective communication is the lifeblood of any successful project. Design briefs act as a point of reference, fostering clear and concise communication between you and your web development team. They eliminate ambiguity, reducing the chances of misunderstandings and costly revisions down the road.
• Time and cost efficiency: A well-defined website design document streamlines the development process, saving both time and money. It helps your team make informed decisions from the outset, reducing the need for backtracking and reworking elements. This efficiency is not only cost-effective but also ensures your website is launched on schedule.
• Focus on User Experience (UX): UX is pivotal in retaining and converting visitors into customers. Your design document should outline your target audience and their needs, enabling your design team to create a website that caters to these specific requirements. This user-centric approach enhances the chances of user engagement and satisfaction.
• Consistency across platforms: Your website needs to be accessible and responsive across various devices and browsers. Website briefs can explicitly state your requirements for cross-platform compatibility, guaranteeing a consistent user experience regardless of how visitors access your site.
• Measurable success: A well-thought-out document includes measurable goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which provide a benchmark for evaluating your website’s performance post-launch. It allows you to track the success of your online presence and make data-driven improvements over time.
• Risk mitigation: By addressing potential challenges, risks, and limitations in your website’s design brief, you can proactively develop solutions or alternative strategies. This forward-thinking approach helps minimize setbacks and ensures a smoother development process.

As you can see, the website design brief is not merely a formality but a foundational document that can shape the future of your online presence. Investing the time and effort in crafting a sweeping document of all your website’s requirements is the key to unlocking your online potential and success.

Who should write a website design brief?

The author of the brief should have not only a macro-level understanding of the desired outcome but also a detailed grasp of the company’s dynamics. This understanding is key to aligning the prospective website effectively with the brand’s identity and goals.

However, a single individual does not have to solely create the website brief. Collaborating with various stakeholders like designers, developers, and content creators can bring in a diversity of perspectives and expertise. This can lead to crafting a brief that becomes a true reflection of the needs and goals of the website design project.

Breaking down a comprehensive website design brief

Creating an effective website design brief requires careful attention to several key facets, each contributing significantly to the project’s success.

Let’s delve into the major areas you should focus on including in your website design brief.

Step 1: Write a business and project overview

The opening section of your project document sets the stage for the entire project. It is the foundation upon which all the subsequent decisions and actions will be based. 

Make sure to include the following elements in this section:

1. A clear and concise overview of your business: Provide a snapshot of your business. This should be a concise but thorough introduction to your organization, including its core identity, values, and purpose. It is essential because it offers a quick understanding of what your business is all about to anyone reading the brief. It’s like the “elevator pitch” for your company.
2. Mission, vision, and goals: These aspects are the guiding principles of your business. The mission defines why your business exists, the vision outlines what you aspire to become, and the goals set specific targets to achieve. Sharing these helps align the project with your long-term business goals, ensuring that the project stays in harmony with your broader business strategy.
3. Unique Selling Propositions (USPs): USPs are what make your business stand out in the marketplace. Understanding your USPs is essential for designing a website that effectively communicates what sets your business apart from competitors.
4. Differentiation in the marketplace: This part expands on the USPs by explaining how your business distinguishes itself in the market. It might involve tersely discussing your niche, target audience, market positioning, and any specific market trends or dynamics that affect your business.
5. Aims and objectives of the project: Clearly stating the goals and objectives of the web design project is vital. It answers the fundamental question: “What do you want to achieve with this website?” Is it to increase sales, provide information, enhance customer engagement, or establish a strong brand identity? Defining these objectives helps the project team focus on delivering the desired outcomes.
6. Expected deliverables: Detailed information about deliverables will be discussed later in the brief, but giving a high-level overview in this section sets initial expectations.

Step 2: Define your target audience

Understanding your user personas is a fundamental aspect of achieving success in any endeavor, especially when it comes to communication, marketing, or content creation. It entails gauging their existing brand awareness and identifying their needs, expectations, and problems, allowing you to tailor your communication or offerings effectively. 

Ultimately, this customer-centric approach enhances the likelihood of achieving your goals and ensures that your audience receives content that resonates with them on a personal level.

Examine your target audience based on the following characteristics:

• Demographic characteristics, including introductory information about your target audience, such as age, gender, location, education level, income, occupation, and marital status. Understanding these demographics helps you paint a clear picture of your audience on a basic level.
• Psychographic characteristics, which delve deeper into the audience’s personality, values, interests, attitudes, and lifestyle choices. This information helps you capture the motivations and emotional triggers that influence your audience’s decision-making process.
• Existing knowledge, ranging from complete ignorance to extensive familiarity. Assess what your audience already knows about your brand or the topic you’re addressing to be able to tailor your communication to avoid redundancy or confusion and ensure that you’re building on existing knowledge.
• Desired understanding, which goes beyond just conveying information; it involves setting clear objectives for your communication. Determining what you want your audience to understand is a critical step in crafting your message or content. Do you want to educate, persuade, entertain, or inspire your audience? Defining these goals ensures that your content aligns with your overarching purpose and creates optimum brand awareness.
• The needs and expectations of your target audience, which is at the core of successful communication. By understanding what your audience is looking for, you can tailor your content or offerings to meet those needs effectively. This not only improves the user experience but also increases the chances of achieving your desired outcomes.
• The problem your audience is encountering that positions your brand or website content as a solution. Effective communication and marketing often involve this problem-solving tactic to build trust and engagement. Your content or product should address a specific issue or challenge that your audience faces.

Step 3: Include a competitor analysis

Gaining a deep understanding of your competitors is a crucial step in shaping the requirements for your website design project. Conduct an in-depth analysis to pinpoint key competitors and thoroughly examine their online presence. 

This process entails meticulously studying various aspects, such as their website design, content, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies, and user experience. By identifying areas where your competitors excel or face shortcomings, you can use this valuable information to inform the design and functionality of your own new site. 

An insightful competitor analysis not only aids in crafting a compelling online presence but also ensures that your website is strategically positioned to compete effectively within your target marketplace. It helps you gain valuable knowledge of the market, refine your design and content strategy, and ultimately position your website for success in a competitive landscape.

Step 4: Outline the website scope and design requirements

Outlining the website scope and design requirements is one of the most critical parts of your website design brief as it lays out your specific website requirements. 

It ensures that your website project is well-defined, organized, and aligned with your goals, serving as a reference point for all stakeholders involved in the project to maintain clarity and consistency throughout the design and development phases.

1. List the required pages and features

Enumerate all the pages and features that your website should include. This serves as a comprehensive checklist for the designers and developers. 

For example, if you are creating a website for an eCommerce site, you might list pages like the homepage, product pages, category pages, shopping cart, checkout, and contact us page. 

Features could include a search bar, user registration, reviews, and a payment gateway.

Significance: This step ensures that all essential elements are considered from the outset, preventing the omission of critical components later in the design or development process. It also sets clear expectations for what needs to be built.

2. Define structured navigation

Structured navigation refers to how users will move through your website. You need to define how the pages are connected through menus, links, and buttons. It’s about creating a logical flow that makes it easy for users to find what they’re looking for.

Significance: Proper navigation enhances user experience by simplifying the process of exploring your site. It also helps with search engine optimization (SEO) by making your site more accessible to search engine crawlers.

3. User journey

This aspect focuses on the path a user takes when interacting with your website. It involves understanding the user’s needs, expectations, and actions at various stages of their visit. 

You should map out the user’s journey from landing on the site to achieving their goal (e.g., making a purchase or contacting customer support).

Significance: Defining the user journey allows designers and developers to optimize the site’s layout, content, and functionality to guide users effectively. It ensures a seamless and satisfying user experience, which can lead to higher conversion rates.

4. Sketch out outlines or initial designs (wireframes): 

Wireframes are basic, low-fidelity representations of web pages. In this part of the brief, you may provide wireframes for key pages, such as the homepage or product pages. 

These wireframes serve as a visual guide, illustrating the placement of various elements like headings, images, buttons, and content blocks.

Significance: Wireframes help translate your ideas into a visual format that designers and developers can understand. They provide a foundation for the design process, allowing for early feedback and revisions before investing time in high-fidelity design and development.

Step 5: Lay out your budget, deadlines, and deliverables

Here, you’ll need to set the financial foundation for your website project to ensure everyone involved is on the same page regarding budget constraints, project duration, and the key points at which progress will be assessed. 

Clear and transparent communication of these elements minimizes risks, enhances collaboration, and increases the likelihood of delivering a website that meets the desired goals and expectations by specifying the following:

1. Budget allocation

Budget allocation outlines the financial resources available for the entire project. It ensures that all stakeholders are aware of the financial constraints and possibilities.

The website brief should specify not only the total budget but also how it’s divided among different aspects of the project, such as design, development, content creation, and ongoing maintenance. This breakdown helps in prioritizing expenses and avoiding overspending in one area at the expense of another.

2. Project timeline and deadlines

The project timeline defines the start and end dates of the project and sets a clear timeframe for the team. Deadlines are specific dates by which certain project milestones or tasks must be completed. They create a sense of urgency and help maintain project momentum.

You should ensure that the project timeline is realistic and achievable, taking into account the complexity of the website, the availability of resources, and potential external factors that might affect the schedule.

3. Milestones for deliverable review and approval

Milestones are specific, measurable points in the project where certain objectives or deliverables are expected to be completed, providing a structured approach to project management.

Including milestones for deliverable review and approval guarantees that the project progresses smoothly, enabling stakeholders to evaluate the work done so far and provide feedback or approval.

By defining these metrics, you establish a clear communication process and prevent misunderstandings or surprises later in the project. It also helps in tracking progress and identifying any issues early on, which can be addressed promptly.

Step 6: Share your style guide and design preferences

This process typically involves providing the web designers with a clear understanding of your branding guidelines and your expectations for the website’s aesthetics and functionality. This, in turn, allows them to create a website that not only looks great but also effectively communicates your brand’s message and resonates with your target audience. 

Clear communication at this stage of the project can save time, prevent misunderstandings, and result in a design that aligns closely with your vision. 

Here are some of the key aspects to consider when sharing your style guide and design preferences:

• Branding guidelines: Your branding guidelines are the foundation of your website’s design. Include information on how your logo should be used, its variations (if any), and any rules for its placement, size, and color. This ensures that your website maintains a consistent brand identity.
• Typography: Specify the fonts and typography styles that align with your brand. Include details such as font families, font sizes for different elements (headings, paragraphs, etc.), line spacing, and any special text treatments like bold or italic formatting. This ensures that the text on your website is not only visually appealing but also consistent with your brand’s messaging.
• Color palette: Provide the color codes or Pantone values for your brand’s primary and secondary colors. Explain how these colors should be used across the website, including for backgrounds, text, buttons, and accents. Consistency in color usage reinforces your brand’s recognition and identity.
• Anticipated look and feel: Describe in detail the desired look and feel of your website. This might involve specifying design styles such as minimalism, modern, vintage, or any other aesthetic preferences. Mention the emotions you want the website to evoke, such as trustworthiness, excitement, or professionalism.
• Examples: It’s often helpful to provide visual examples or mood boards to illustrate your design preferences. You can reference other websites, design elements, or even your competitors’ sites that you find appealing. These examples serve as a reference point for the designer to understand your tastes and preferences.
• Mobile responsiveness: If mobile responsiveness is important to you (which it should be), communicate your expectations regarding how the website should adapt to different screen sizes. Specify any design elements or layout considerations that are essential for a seamless mobile experience.
• Browser compatibility: Mention the browsers and devices that your website should be compatible with. Different browsers may render websites differently, so it’s crucial to specify which browsers the design should be tested on and optimized for.
• Feedback on existing design: If your project involves redesigning an existing website, provide constructive feedback on the current design. Explain what you like and dislike about the current design, which elements should be retained, and which should be improved or changed.

Step 7: Include hosting and maintenance details

To guarantee the smooth functioning and longevity of your website once it’s launched, clearly outline the ongoing tasks and responsibilities required to keep the website up and running optimally by outlining the following key aspects:

1. Expectations for website hosting

Start by specifying the hosting requirements for the website. This includes details such as the type of hosting (shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud), the server location, and any special server configurations needed (e.g., for specific technologies or security requirements).

If you have a preferred web hosting provider, mention it here and provide reasons for your choice. Alternatively, if the hosting provider needs to be selected as part of the project, outline the criteria for selection.

2. Maintenance activities

Emphasize the importance of regular maintenance to ensure the website’s security, functionality, and performance. Mention specific maintenance activities, including but not limited to:

• Updates: Regularly update the website’s core software, plugins, themes, and any other components. Highlight the importance of security updates to protect against vulnerabilities.
• Backups: Describe the backup strategy, including how often backups will be taken (e.g., daily, weekly) and where they will be stored (e.g., on-site, off-site, cloud storage).
• Performance checks: Explain the need for periodic performance checks and optimizations to maintain fast loading times and smooth user experiences.
• Security audits: Consider mentioning periodic security audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

3. Frequency of maintenance activities

Specify how often each maintenance activity will be performed. For instance, updates may be done monthly, backups daily, and performance checks on a quarterly basis. The frequency should align with the website’s complexity and usage patterns.

Make it clear that some activities may be time-sensitive, such as security updates, which should be implemented as soon as they become available.

4. Responsibilities

Clearly define who will be responsible for each maintenance task. This could involve the client’s team, the development agency, or a third-party service provider. If the responsibility is shared, outline the roles and responsibilities of each party so there’s no ambiguity.

5. Specific needs

If there are specific technical or security needs for hosting and maintenance, mention them. This might include requirements for SSL certificates, firewalls, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), or custom monitoring tools.

Optionally, discuss how the hosting and maintenance plan can be scaled to accommodate future growth, such as increased website traffic or additional features.

Example website briefs to inspire you

To grasp the intricate details of constructing a website brief, studying successful examples can be of great benefit. 

While we can’t directly share client-specific briefs here, Slider Revolution has a fantastic post covering many website brief templates and inspiration to get you started. 

Other platforms like Behance and Dribbble provide a myriad of examples for website design briefs and are loaded with exceptional projects from a wide range of sectors. 

If you’re ready to get started with your own website brief, we’ve got you covered – you can download our design brief template here to set you on the right path.

Frequently asked questions about website briefs

What is a website brief?

A website brief is an in-depth document that:

• Outlines a company’s directives and requirements for a website design or redesign project.
• Communicates the business’s needs to the web designer or developer.
• Identifies specific details about the business, including:
  • Target audience.
  • Competitors.
  • Design and technical requirements.
  • Project scope.
  • Budget.
  • Timeline.
  • Deliverables.

Who typically writes a website brief?

Creating a website brief is generally in the remit of project managers, business owners, or marketing professionals. 

In smaller organizations or start-ups, this responsibility may fall on those in charge, such as the eCommerce store owner or manager. These individuals have a thorough understanding of the company’s ethos, objectives, and the particular goals envisioned for the website project.

What should a website brief include? 

A proficient website brief includes several of the following elements, each with a unique role in ensuring project success: 

• A clear business and project overview.
• A well-defined target audience.
• An analysis of competitors.
• Specific website scope and design requirements.
• A precise outline of the budget, timeline & deliverables.
• Details on hosting and maintenance.

How detailed should a website brief be?

The brief should be exhaustive to provide clear instructions and avoid miscommunications. It’s advisable to provide as many specifics as possible. However, this information must be well-structured and easy to understand to avoid overwhelming the reader.

Can a website brief be updated during website development?

Yes, a website brief is a living document and may be updated as the project evolves, when new information surfaces, or if project goals shift. However, it’s advisable to keep substantial alterations during the website development process to a minimum to prevent potential disruptions and delays.