What to include in a website brief for your service business

You want a new website, but you may not know which pages you need, what platform to choose, or how to explain the work to a developer.

You can start with rough notes. A website brief describes your business, what the website needs to do, and what work you want included.

When I discuss a website project, those details give me a starting point for planning the design and development together. Technical decisions can follow once we understand the work.

Here are five areas to cover before asking for a quote.

1. Explain your business and who the website is for

Describe what you offer, who you serve, and where you work if location matters to the service.

“We run a maintenance business” leaves several questions open. “We handle repairs and ongoing maintenance for homeowners and small offices” gives the designer more context for organizing the site.

Include your main services and any that you particularly want the website to explain. If you serve different types of customers, say what each group usually needs.

You do not need polished marketing copy at this stage. The useful information is what your business actually does and what someone should understand before contacting you.

2. Share your current website and the problem you want to address

If you already have a website, include its address and explain what feels difficult, inaccurate, or outdated.

Try to describe the issue beyond “it needs to look better.” For example:

- Services have changed, but the website still describes the old offer.

- Visitors have to search several pages to find contact details.

- The mobile layout makes important information awkward to read.

- Updating a service or image requires asking someone else for help.

Also mention anything worth keeping: useful articles, existing URLs, photography, or a contact process that already works.

For a new business, describe what the website needs to support at launch. Reference websites can help explain a preference, especially when you say what you like about them: the navigation, the way services are grouped, or the amount of detail on a page.

3. Describe what visitors should be able to do

Choose the main action the website should support. That could be requesting a quote, sending an enquiry, booking a call, or buying a product.

Then explain what happens afterward.

A quote-request form might send information to your team so you can discuss the job and agree a price. A booking system might need to show available appointments and reserve a time. Those requirements lead to different work.

For the [Odyssey Home Inspection homepage](https://sharoz.dev/work/odyssey-home-inspection), my work included homepage design and development, functional inspection enquiry forms, and the visual direction. A colleague built the remaining pages using that direction. The project was delivered in collaboration with Dabaran Inc., which managed the client relationship.

The practical distinction for a brief is between collecting an inspection enquiry and reserving an appointment. Describe which task you need, including any tools the website must connect to, so that work can be scoped explicitly.

List any features you already know you need. Identify what is essential for launch and what could be considered later. If you have a page list, share it; if you do not, describe the information customers need and we can work out a structure.

4. Explain what content you have and what your team will manage

Make a simple inventory of your logo, written content, photos, project examples, and other available material. Mark each item as ready, needing revision, or still to be created.

Say who will prepare missing material and who will approve it before launch. If you need writing, photography or translation, include that in the brief so it can be scoped and quoted. Full copywriting and brand messaging are quoted separately from my website work.

AI can help prepare drafts, but your business still needs to check service descriptions, contact details and claims before publication. Use genuine photos to show your team, premises and completed work.

Also explain what you expect to change after launch. Will you update services, publish articles, add projects, or change opening hours? Who will make those updates?

Those answers help determine the content editing tools and handoff guidance to include. You can describe the task in plain language—for example, “I need to change service descriptions myself”—without choosing a CMS first.

5. Give a budget range and a preferred timeline

A budget range helps frame a realistic discussion about scope. Include the range you are comfortable considering, even if you still need guidance on what it can cover.

For context, my [website design and development work](https://sharoz.dev/services/website-design-development) starts at **USD 800**, with seven pages as a typical starting scope. Final pricing depends on the design, content, CMS, and features agreed for the project. A page count alone does not define the amount of work.

Share your preferred launch date and explain whether it is tied to something specific, such as a business opening or campaign. Mention any dependencies, including content preparation or approvals.

If the budget or date is undecided, write that down. It is better to discuss an open question than build the quote around an assumption.

Example: a short brief for a fictional maintenance business

We provide repairs and ongoing maintenance for homeowners and small offices. Our current website mixes all the services together, so we want visitors to understand what we handle before requesting a quote.

The form should collect the type of work, a short description, and contact details. We will review the request and discuss the job before agreeing a price or appointment.

We have a logo and some project photos. The service copy needs work, and we want to update it ourselves after launch. We will share our budget range and preferred timing when discussing the scope.

That is enough to begin asking useful questions about the pages, enquiry process, content, and build. It does not need to read like a technical specification.

A website brief you can copy

Copy these prompts into a document or email and add your answers:

• Business and customers:We offer ___ to ___. Our service area is ___, if relevant.
• Current website: Our URL is ___. We want to change ___ and keep ___. / This is a new website.
• Visitor action: Visitors should be able to ___. After that, ___.
• Pages and features: We need ___ for launch. Later additions could include ___. Existing tools to connect: ___.
• Content:We have ___. We need help preparing ___. ___ will approve the content.
• Editing: Our team needs to update ___ after launch.
• Budget: We are considering ___, or need guidance on a suitable scope.
• Timing: Our preferred launch date is ___ because ___. The date is fixed / flexible. We need to arrange ___ first.

Short answers are fine. Use “not sure yet” wherever you need help deciding.

If you are planning a website, [send me your rough brief](https://sharoz.dev/work-with-me). Share what you know, and I can help clarify the pages, features and content work to include.