A website project doesn’t fail because of budget or timeline. It fails because the brief was vague. The agency didn’t truly understand what the business needed. Everyone got frustrated.
You can prevent this. Here’s what we wish clients told us from the start.
What Your Business Does (Really)
Don’t give us the elevator pitch. Tell us what you actually do. What problem do you solve? Who are your ideal customers? Why do they choose you over alternatives? If you sell three different services, tell us which one matters most, and which audience generates the most profit.
Many briefs stay surface-level here. We need depth.
What’s Wrong With Your Current Website
Don’t just say “it’s outdated.” What specifically frustrates you? Does it not get found on Google? Do visitors leave without enquiring? Is it impossible to update? Do potential customers not understand what you offer? Is it ugly on mobile?
Each problem changes the solution.
What Success Looks Like
This is critical and most briefs miss it. Success isn’t “a better website.” Success is:
— More qualified enquiries per month
— Bookings increasing by X
— Brand perception shifting in your market
— Fewer support emails from confused customers
— Ability to sell a new service
— Better conversion rate from visitor to lead
Be specific. If you don’t know what success is, neither will we.
Your Budget and Timeline
Be honest about both. If you have £15k, say so. If you need it in 8 weeks, say so. False ranges waste everyone’s time. We’d rather scope down a project to fit real constraints than discover halfway through you wanted something different.
Who Your Customers Are
Describe them. Age, industry, what they do. What are they searching for when they find you? What objections do they have? How technical are they? If you’re B2B, who’s making the decision? What does that person care about?
This shapes every design and copywriting decision.
What Content and Assets You Have
Do you have existing copy? Product photos? Videos? Case studies? Logo files and brand guidelines? A customer database for email marketing? This affects scope massively. Providing assets saves money and time. Missing them creates delays.
Who’s Actually Making Decisions
This matters hugely. Is it just you? A committee? A board that approves design? Does your marketing team have input? How many people need to sign off before we can move forward? When decisions stall, projects stall. Get this clear upfront.
What Your Competitors Are Doing
Bring us their website URLs. Not so we copy them, but so we understand the landscape. What are you doing differently? What are they doing well that you could do better?
Any Existing Constraints
Are you tied to a specific platform? Do you need to migrate from WordPress to Shopify, or vice versa? Do you have brand colours or fonts you must keep? Are there legal or compliance requirements? These things affect build approach and cost.
Your Brief Checklist
Use this before any conversation with an agency:
— What business problem are we solving?
— Who are three ideal customers?
— What’s broken with the current situation?
— What does success look like (in numbers)?
— What’s our budget range?
— What’s our timeline?
— Who makes decisions and how many sign-offs are needed?
— What content and assets do we have ready?
— What tools do we already use (CRM, booking system, email platform)?
— What are competitors doing?
— Any brand or technical constraints?
— What happens after launch? Do we want ongoing support?
Why This Matters
A clear brief saves weeks. It reduces scope creep. It focuses the design and build on what actually matters. It prevents the frustration of “we thought you understood what we needed.” We’ve never regretted spending two hours clarifying a brief before starting design. We’ve regretted many projects where that conversation never happened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to have all this figured out before approaching an agency?
A: No. Bring your thoughts to the conversation. A good agency will help you clarify what you really need.
Q: What if I don’t know what success looks like yet?
A: That’s okay. We can help define it. But be open to the conversation. “Just make it look better” isn’t a success metric we can work with.
Q: How detailed should I be about competitors?
A: Just send the URLs. A quick review tells us a lot. You don’t need written analysis.
Q: Does budget really need to come upfront?
A: Yes. It shapes every conversation. Be honest about constraints.
Q: What if my situation is complicated?
A: Complex is good information. It means we can propose the right approach. When you have a complicated brief, read our advice about website redesign considerations for more context.
Q: Ready to brief an agency?
Use this checklist as your starting point. We specialise in understanding what businesses really need. Get in touch with what you’ve got, and we’ll help you develop a brief that actually works. Our web design service starts with exactly this discovery phase.
