THE WEBSITE BRIEF / A SIX-STEP WORKSHEET
A better brief.
A clearer project.
A useful brief tells a designer what the website needs to do, what is already available and what still needs a decision. You do not need polished marketing language. Honest, specific notes are a stronger starting point.
01 / MAKE THE WORK UNDERSTANDABLE
Six steps.
Your own words.
Write your answers in private notes or use the existing planning tools. This guide has no input fields or submission. Do not put passwords, payment details or private customer records into a project brief.
- 01 / PURPOSE
Choose the website’s main job.
Start with the business and one useful visitor action. “We need a modern website” describes a feeling; “people should understand our three services and prepare an inquiry” describes work you can discuss. Keep extra ambitions on a separate list instead of making every feature a launch requirement.
- What does the business actually do?
- What should the main visitor understand or do?
- Which problem have you observed, and what is only a suspicion?
- How would you check the finished journey without promising revenue?
- 02 / PEOPLE
Describe the visitor, not an imaginary persona.
Explain who is likely to use the site and the questions they bring. Use what you genuinely know; label guesses as assumptions. Think about phone use, clear language and accessibility needs without claiming that a selected feature is an accessibility certification.
- Who needs the information and in what situation?
- What are their first three questions?
- Which languages or content formats need real review?
- What evidence supports these assumptions, if any?
- 03 / PAGES
Give each page a reason to exist.
List the pages you want and give each one a job. Keep the navigation understandable and note useful existing URLs. A page called “Bookings” does not by itself create a connected calendar; a page called “Shop” does not establish working checkout.
- What belongs on the home, service, about and contact pages?
- Which pages do you already have and want retained?
- What is the useful next step on each page?
- Which requests describe content, and which need a real system?
- 04 / CONTENT
List what is real and ready.
Separate supplied material from work that still needs to be produced. Gather service descriptions, approved images and genuine examples. Record rights and review responsibilities. Do not fill empty sections with made-up reviews, customer results, team members or certifications.
- Which text, photographs and brand files are available?
- Who has permission to use them, and who approves them?
- Which business facts and claims can be supported?
- What is missing, and who will provide or create it?
- 05 / JOURNEYS
Explain what happens after the click.
Write the steps of important journeys: an inquiry, a booking or a purchase, if relevant. Include the actual provider or destination you use now. Decide what should be retained. New forms, payments, customer accounts or notifications need real setup and testing—not only a convincing screen.
- Where does a request arrive and who handles it?
- What confirmation should the visitor receive?
- Which existing contact and booking tools should stay?
- What happens when a request, provider or connection fails?
- 06 / AGREEMENT
Bring the practical questions.
Describe priorities, constraints and who will review the work. Then ask for a separate scope and quote. Agree on the actual deliverables, fees, revisions, responsibilities and timing before a project begins. Ask how hosting, handoff, care and any provider costs will be handled rather than assuming they are included.
- What must be included, and what can wait?
- Who supplies content and approves the final work?
- Which costs or integrations need separate review?
- How will the agreed deliverables and visitor journeys be checked?
02 / PUT THE BRIEF TO WORK
One useful summary.
Room for questions.
Your starting brief can be simple: the business, the visitor’s main task, the pages, the material you have, the workflows to preserve and the decisions still open. Keep a design reference if it helps explain the direction, but do not assume a concept automatically becomes a finished website.
This worksheet prepares a conversation. It accepts no quote, order, price, deadline, account change or client approval.
Original WebFavor planning guide · . You may use your browser’s print command for your own worksheet. Copy only the information you choose into a separate reviewed inquiry; this page sends nothing.