What to prepare before you brief a web agency

The quality of a website project is often decided before anyone designs anything. A clear brief helps an agency understand your business, give you an accurate quote and avoid surprises halfway through. A vague one leads to guesswork, and guesswork is expensive.

You do not need a fifty-page document. You need honest answers to a handful of questions. This is what we find most useful.

Why are you doing this now?

Start with the reason. Maybe the current site looks dated, maybe it does not generate enquiries, maybe you are launching a new service or moving into a new market. The “why” shapes every other decision, from structure to technology to budget.

What does success look like?

Describe success in terms you would measure:

• More enquiries or bookings each month.
• More online sales or a higher average order value.
• Fewer support calls because answers are on the website.
• A site your own team can update without help.

If you have current numbers, share them. Even rough figures help everyone understand where you are starting from.

Who is the website for?

List your main audiences and what each one needs to find or do. A tax consultancy, for example, might serve individuals filing personal returns and businesses looking for an accountant. Those are two very different journeys, and the website should support both.

What do you already have?

Gather what exists today:

1. Your logo, brand colours and fonts, ideally the original files.
2. Existing content you want to keep, and anything that must go.
3. Photography and video you own the rights to.
4. Logins for your domain, hosting, analytics and social accounts.
5. Any tools the website must connect to, such as a CRM, booking system or payment gateway.

The most common cause of delay in a web project is not design or development. It is waiting for content.

What do you like, and what do you not?

Share a few websites you admire and say what you like about each: the tone, the layout, the way products are presented. Websites you dislike are just as useful. It is much easier to aim at a target you can see.

What is your budget and timeline?

Sharing a budget range can feel risky, but it is the single most useful thing you can give an agency. It lets them recommend what is genuinely achievable instead of guessing, and it helps you compare proposals fairly. Be clear about any fixed deadlines, such as a launch event, and why they matter.

Who makes the decisions?

Finally, name the people who will give feedback and the person who has the final say. Projects move fastest when feedback is gathered in one place and decisions are made quickly.

If you would like a hand, we are happy to help you shape your brief during a free discovery call. Often the conversation itself brings clarity, whoever you decide to work with.