A business website brief records the site’s objective, priority visitors, required pages, existing content and essential functions. Use the template below to give each requirement an owner and a testable acceptance condition. This lets you compare agency proposals by the work delivered rather than by the number of screens.
Centre the brief on the visitor's job
Start with a short company description, its services and how a sale happens. For each priority visitor, record who they are, the question they arrive with, the information they need and the action they should complete. A procurement lead, for example, may need specifications and service coverage before requesting a quote.
Translate that task into page requirements: a service explanation, technical document, relevant work example and enquiry form. Record recruitment or investor needs separately. Mark what belongs in the first release and what can follow, so the main customer journey is not displaced by secondary requests.
Show what is ready and what still needs work
For each page or file, record its source link, language, last review date and factual owner. Use ready, needs revision and needs production statuses. A file existing in a folder does not make it publishable: product accuracy, image rights and contact details still need checking.
Show the agency representative material: a completed service description, a product table and intended photographs. These examples expose writing, data preparation or photography work that a page count misses. Assign each missing item to a person and identify which design decision it blocks rather than leaving all content until launch.
Use fields that lead to decisions
Complete the following table as a starting document. Mark unknowns for discovery rather than supplying a confident guess. This helps the agency distinguish a settled preference from a problem it is expected to investigate.
| Brief field | Information to provide | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Business objective | Priority commercial or organisational need | Which task should the site make easier? |
| Audience | The visitor group to address first | What informs its decision? |
| Content | Ready assets and missing material | Who approves factual accuracy? |
| Design direction | Preferred qualities and the reason | Is the reference about type, imagery or storytelling? |
| Functionality | The action visitors should complete | Where does submitted information go? |
| Governance | Approval, budget and schedule owners | Who resolves conflicting feedback? |
Discuss creative direction and release conditions together
Explain what you value in references: strong typography, detailed product presentation, restrained transitions or expressive motion. Leave room to discuss how those qualities support your own message. Mobile readability and core user journeys should form part of the design conversation.
W3C's accessibility-planning resources can help establish responsibilities within the project. Include the accessibility objective and verification owner in the brief. If a launch date is fixed, explain why: an event, commitment or operational need may affect priorities. End the briefing process with open questions and named people who can answer them.