Key takeaways
- A short, specific brief beats a long wish list.
- State the one action you want visitors to take.
- List must-have features separately from nice-to-haves.
- Share a realistic budget range and deadline, it saves everyone time.
The nine-part website brief
- 01 About your businessWhat you sell, to whom, and where, in three sentences.
- 02 The goal of the siteThe one action you want visitors to take: call, book, enquire, buy.
- 03 Your customersWho they are and what they search for when they need you.
- 04 Pages you needA simple list: Home, About, each service, Contact, Blog.
- 05 Must-have featuresBooking, WhatsApp chat, payments, Arabic version, forms.
- 06 Nice-to-havesThings you’d add if budget allows, kept separate.
- 07 ContentWho writes the text and supplies photos: you or the developer?
- 08 Sites you likeTwo or three links, with what you like about each.
- 09 Budget range and deadlineA realistic range and any fixed launch date.
Common brief mistakes
- “Something modern and professional”, every business wants that; say what makes yours different.
- Mixing must-haves and wish-list items, which inflates every quote.
- Leaving out who will write content, often the biggest hidden cost and delay.
- Hiding the budget, which forces developers to guess.
Using the brief to compare quotes
Send the same brief to each developer and ask them to price each section. Differences become obvious: one includes copywriting, another doesn’t; one includes SEO setup, another charges it later.
Send your brief through my contact page and you’ll get a written scope and fixed quote in return.
Frequently asked questions
Your business, the site’s main goal, your customers, the pages and must-have features you need, who supplies content, sites you like, and your budget range and deadline.
One or two pages is enough. Specific beats long.
Yes. A realistic range lets the developer propose what fits, rather than guessing high or low.
Usually because each developer assumed a different scope, especially around content, SEO and features. A clear brief makes quotes comparable.
Written by
Bharathan.P
Chennai-based freelance WordPress developer and SEO & AEO specialist, building for the web since 2014, with teams in London and Kuwait and clients across India and the Gulf.