The short answer
A good website brief for a developer answers six questions on about two pages: what the business does, who the site is for, what a visitor should do, what pages and features you need, what you like and dislike, and what your budget and deadline are. You do not need technical words. You need clear answers. A short, honest brief gets you a more accurate quote and fewer surprises than a long, vague one.
Below you will find what each part should say, a template you can copy, the mistakes we see most, and what a good developer should ask you back.
What is a website brief, and why does it matter?
A brief is a short document that tells a developer what you want built and why. It is the base for the quote, the schedule and every decision after that.
Without one, each developer guesses. One guesses a five-page site, another guesses a store with logins. The two quotes then look nothing alike, and you cannot tell which is fair. We explain this effect in our guide on how much a website costs: layouts, integrations and content readiness move the price more than page count does. A brief makes those things visible before anyone starts pricing.
It also protects you. When something is written down, nobody has to remember what was said on a call three weeks ago.
What to put in a website brief
Keep each part short. A few lines is enough.
1. About the business
What you sell, to whom, and where. Say it the way you would to a new neighbour. Add your city or the areas you serve, and the languages your customers use.
2. The goal of the site
Pick one main goal. Calls booked, enquiries sent, products sold, or simply a credible page to send people to. If you list five goals, none of them gets done well. Add a second goal only if it really matters.
3. Your visitors
Who lands on the site and what are they trying to find? A parent looking for fees and timings is different from a procurement manager looking for proof you have done this before.
4. Pages and features
List the pages you think you need, such as Home, Services, About and Contact. Then list the features: a contact form, a booking tool, WhatsApp button, a blog you can edit, a payment gateway. If you are unsure, write "not sure" next to it. That is useful information.
5. Content
Say who will write the text and supply photos. If you have none yet, say so. Content is one of the biggest causes of delay, and a developer who knows early can plan around it.
6. Look and feel
Send three or four sites you like and one line on why for each. Also send one you dislike. Your logo, colours and fonts, if you have them, go here.
7. Budget and timeline
Give a real range and a real date, and say what the date is tied to, such as a launch event or a season. A budget range is not a trap. It lets the developer shape the plan to fit. Our own approach is "Flexible on scope. Firm on price": we plan around your budget, and once the price is agreed in writing it does not change.
8. Who decides
Name the person who approves the design. Every extra approver adds rounds of feedback.
Website brief template you can copy
Copy this into a document and fill it in. Short answers are fine.
- Business name and what you do: one or two sentences.
- Location and who you serve: city, country, languages.
- Main goal of the site: one sentence.
- Who visits and what they want: two or three types of visitor.
- Pages needed: Home, Services, About, Contact, others.
- Features needed: form, booking, WhatsApp, blog, online payments, other.
- Content status: text ready, photos ready, logo ready (yes, partly, no).
- Sites you like, and why: three or four links with a line each.
- A site you dislike, and why: one link.
- Existing website, domain and accounts: the address, and who holds the logins.
- Budget range: from a figure to a figure, with the currency.
- Deadline and what it depends on: a date and a reason.
- Decision maker: one name.
- After launch: do you want updates and support, or will your team manage the site?
Three ways to get more from your brief
Add a one-line description of what success looks like six months after launch. "We get five enquiries a week we can follow up" is a better target than "a modern website".
Add the rough order of importance. If the booking tool matters more than the blog, say so. When the budget gets tight, everyone then knows what to protect.
Share your brief with the developer before the first call, not after. The call then becomes a conversation instead of an interview.
If you are still deciding what you need, our web development service page explains the kinds of site we build. Prefer to see where your current site stands first? Get a free website audit.
Common mistakes in a website brief
- Describing the look and not the goal. "Clean and modern" does not tell a developer what the site must achieve.
- Listing features instead of problems. "We need a chatbot" is a solution. "Customers message us at night and we reply late" is a problem, and there may be a cheaper fix.
- Hiding the budget. Developers then quote high or low at random, and you compare numbers that mean different things.
- Forgetting content. The design can be finished while the text is still unwritten. That stalls the launch.
- Skipping ownership. Write that the domain, hosting and code must be in your name. We cover this in more detail in our small business website questions.
- Too many decision makers. Five people reviewing one design means five sets of changes.
- A 30-page document. Nobody reads it closely. Two pages that you have thought about beat twenty that you copied.
What a good developer should ask you back
A brief starts a conversation. If a developer sends a quote without asking you a single question, be careful. Good questions sound like these:
- What is the one thing a visitor must do on this site?
- What is not working on your current site, if you have one?
- Who writes the content, and by when?
- Which tools do you already use, such as a CRM, booking calendar or payment account?
- Who will update the site after launch, and how often?
- What happens if the scope grows halfway through?
- Who owns the code, the domain and the accounts when we finish?
Ask the developer your own questions too. How is payment split? What is included after launch? Who will you speak to day to day? Answers in writing are worth more than answers on a call.
What to do next
Write your first draft today, even if parts say "not sure". Send it to two or three developers and compare the questions they ask as much as the prices they give. The ones who read it properly will show it in their reply.
If you would like a second pair of eyes on your draft, book a call or email hello@astrafolio.com. We work Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 21:00 IST, and every message gets a reply within 12 hours. Our websites start from $2,500, AED 5,000 or ₹30,000, and the price is agreed in writing before work starts.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a website brief be?
Two pages is usually enough. The aim is to give a developer clear answers, not to write a full specification. If a part is too long, cut it to what affects the price or the design.
Do I need technical knowledge to write a brief?
No. Write about your business, your customers and what you want visitors to do. A developer turns that into technical choices. If you do not know whether you need a feature, write "not sure" and ask for advice.
Should I include my budget in the brief?
Yes, give a range. It lets the developer plan what fits instead of guessing. It does not mean you will be charged the top of the range. Reputable developers will be honest if the goal needs more than the budget allows.
What if I do not know what pages or features I need?
Describe your customers and their questions instead. List what they ask you most often on calls and messages. A good developer will suggest pages and features from that, and explain why each is there.
Can a developer help me write the brief?
Many can, and it is a good sign if they offer. A short discovery call is often enough for a developer to turn your answers into a written plan. Just make sure you receive the final document and that it matches what is in the quote.
What should I check before accepting a quote against my brief?
Check that every page and feature in the brief appears in the quote, and that anything left out is named. Confirm who owns the code and accounts, how payment is split, and what support is included after launch.
Written byAstrafolio Team, senior web, SEO and AI specialists in Noida, India.
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