How to Write a Web Development Brief

The quality of a web development project often correlates with the quality of the initial brief. A clear, comprehensive brief helps agencies understand your needs, provide accurate quotes, and deliver a solution that actually solves your problems. A vague brief leads to misunderstandings, scope creep, and disappointment.

This guide helps you create an effective brief that sets your project up for success.

Why a Good Brief Matters

When you approach an agency without a clear brief, several problems emerge:

Inaccurate quotes: Without understanding scope, agencies either pad estimates to cover unknowns or underquote and later reveal additional costs.

Wrong solutions: Agencies make assumptions about what you need. Those assumptions may not match reality.

Misaligned expectations: You expect one thing; they deliver another. Both parties feel frustrated.

Wasted time: Discovery conversations cover ground that could have been addressed in writing. Multiple agencies ask the same questions.

A good brief isn't bureaucratic busywork—it's a tool that makes the entire project more efficient and successful.

Understanding Your Own Requirements

Before writing a brief, clarify your thinking. Many briefs fail because the client hasn't actually figured out what they need.

Define the Problem

What problem are you trying to solve? Not "we need a new website" but:

"Our current site doesn't generate enquiries"
"Customers can't find products easily"
"We can't update content without developer help"
"The site doesn't reflect our current brand positioning"

Understanding the problem helps ensure the solution actually addresses it.

Identify Success Criteria

How will you know the project succeeded? Define measurable outcomes:

"20% increase in online quote requests"
"Mobile bounce rate reduced below 40%"
"Staff can update all content without technical assistance"

These criteria guide design decisions and provide post-launch evaluation criteria.

Understand Your Constraints

Be honest about limitations:

Budget: What can you realistically invest?
Timeline: When must this launch?
Resources: What can you provide (content, imagery, feedback time)?
Technical constraints: Must integrate with existing systems?

What to Include in Your Brief

Company Overview

Help the agency understand your business:

What does your company do?
What products or services do you offer?
Who are your customers?
What differentiates you from competitors?
What is your market position?

This context shapes everything from tone of voice to feature priorities.

Project Background

Explain the situation:

Why are you undertaking this project now?
What exists currently? (Include URL if applicable)
What's wrong with the current solution?
What prompted this initiative?

Objectives and Goals

State clearly what you want to achieve:

Primary objectives (must-haves)
Secondary objectives (nice-to-haves)
How you'll measure success

Target Audience

Describe who will use the site:

Demographics and characteristics
What are they trying to accomplish?
How technically sophisticated are they?
What devices do they typically use?

If you have multiple audience segments, describe each and their relative priority.

Scope and Requirements

Detail what you need built:

Pages and sections: List the pages you envision. For larger sites, describe the main sections.

Functionality: What should the site do beyond displaying information? Contact forms, search, user accounts, eCommerce, booking systems, integrations?

Content: Approximately how much content? Who will provide it? Is photography needed?

Design direction: Any preferences, brand guidelines, competitor sites you admire or want to avoid?

Technical requirements: Specific platforms, hosting arrangements, integration needs?

Budget

Include a budget range if possible. Many clients hesitate, fearing agencies will spend whatever is available. But without budget guidance, agencies can't calibrate their proposals appropriately.

A £5,000 solution looks very different from a £50,000 solution. Knowing your range helps agencies propose something realistic rather than guessing.

If you genuinely don't know what's reasonable, say so—but expect agencies to ask clarifying questions.

Timeline

When must the project complete? Is this a hard deadline (tied to an event or business commitment) or flexible? When can you start?

Be realistic. Rushing a project rarely ends well. If your timeline is tight, say so, and be prepared to adjust scope or pay for accelerated delivery.

Selection Criteria

How will you evaluate proposals? What matters most—price, experience, creative approach, technical capability, cultural fit? Agencies can tailor their proposals accordingly.

Process and Decision-Making

Explain your process:

Who is involved in the decision?
What are the evaluation stages?
When will you make a decision?

What to Avoid

Being Too Vague

"We need a modern, professional website" tells an agency nothing. What does modern mean to you? What functionality do you need? What problems are you solving?

Specifying Solutions Instead of Problems

"We need a WordPress site with these 12 plugins" prescribes a solution that may not be optimal. Better: "We need a content-managed site where non-technical staff can update text and images." Let the agency recommend appropriate technology.

Unrealistic Expectations

"Netflix-quality UX on a £3,000 budget" isn't achievable. Be realistic about what your budget can accomplish. Good agencies will tell you when expectations and budget don't align, but some won't—and you'll get disappointing results.

Forgetting About Content

A website needs content—text, images, possibly video. Who creates this? When? A beautiful design filled with placeholder content doesn't launch.

The Brief as a Living Document

Your brief isn't a contract—it's a starting point for conversation. Good agencies will ask questions, challenge assumptions, and suggest alternatives you hadn't considered. Be open to this.

The goal isn't to specify every detail upfront (you can't know everything yet), but to provide enough information for meaningful proposals and productive discovery conversations.

Template Outline

Here's a quick structure you can follow:

Company background (1 paragraph)
Project background (why are we doing this?)
Objectives (what will success look like?)
Target audience (who is this for?)
Scope (what needs building?)
Content (who provides it?)
Technical requirements (any specific needs?)
Design direction (any preferences or constraints?)
Budget range
Timeline
Selection process

Even brief answers to each section give agencies what they need to respond meaningfully.

Ready to Start?

If you're preparing a brief for a web development project, we'd be happy to receive it—or to help you develop your requirements if you're not sure where to start. Get in touch to begin the conversation.