You've decided you need a new website. Maybe your current site looks like it was built during the Celtic Tiger, or perhaps you're starting a new business and need a professional online presence. Either way, the first step most people skip — and the one that causes the most headaches later — is writing a proper brief.

A website brief is simply a document that tells potential web designers what you need, why you need it, and what success looks like. Think of it as the foundation of your entire web project. Get this right, and the quoting process is smoother, expectations are clearer, and the final result is far more likely to match what you actually wanted. Skip it, and you're essentially asking someone to build your house without drawings.

Why a Good Brief Matters

Here's what happens without a brief: you contact three web design agencies and say 'I need a new website.' You get three wildly different quotes — maybe €1,500, €5,000, and €15,000. Are they quoting for the same thing? Almost certainly not. Without a clear brief, each agency is making different assumptions about what you need, and you've no way to compare them fairly.

A good brief solves this problem. It ensures every agency is quoting for the same scope of work, so you can compare proposals on quality, approach, and value rather than just price. It also forces you to think through what you actually need before you start spending money — which often saves significant budget by identifying what's essential versus what's nice-to-have.

From the agency's perspective, a clear brief is a signal that you're a serious client who has thought about what they want. Agencies consistently prioritise well-briefed projects because they're more likely to run smoothly, stay on budget, and result in happy clients. You'll often get more competitive pricing and more thoughtful proposals when you provide a proper brief.

Section 1: About Your Business

Start your brief with context about who you are and what you do. This might seem obvious, but web designers need to understand your business to design something that works for your specific audience and goals. Include your business name, what you do, your target market, where you operate (local, national, international), and how long you've been trading.

Describe your unique selling points — what makes you different from competitors. If you're a solicitor who specialises in agricultural land transactions, that's very different from a general practice firm, and the website should reflect that specialism. If you're a restaurant that sources everything within 50 miles, that story should be central to your online presence.

Include links to your current website (if you have one) and note what works and what doesn't. 'Our current site ranks well for our main keyword but looks outdated and doesn't work on mobile' gives a designer much more useful direction than 'we need something better.'

Section 2: Project Goals and Objectives

This is arguably the most important section of your brief. What do you want your new website to actually achieve? 'Look good' isn't a goal — it's a given. Think about specific, measurable outcomes. Do you want to increase online enquiries by 50%? Reduce phone calls asking basic questions by putting information online? Start selling products online? Rank on page one for specific search terms?

Be honest about why you're doing this project now. Is your site losing you business? Has a competitor launched something impressive? Are you expanding into new services? Understanding the motivation helps the designer make strategic decisions throughout the project. If your main driver is that your website isn't generating enquiries, the entire design should be optimised around conversion rather than just aesthetics.

List your goals in order of priority. If SEO performance is more important than visual design, say so. If e-commerce functionality is essential but a blog is nice-to-have, make that clear. This prioritisation helps the agency allocate their time and your budget to what matters most.

Section 3: Target Audience

Who are you trying to reach with your website? Be as specific as possible. 'Everyone' is not a useful answer. Think about your ideal customers — their age, location, profession, challenges, and what they're looking for when they find your website. A B&B targeting American tourists over 50 planning a first trip to Ireland needs a completely different website from one targeting young couples looking for a weekend getaway from Dublin.

If you serve multiple audiences, identify each one and note which is primary. A recruitment agency, for example, needs to serve both employers looking to hire and candidates looking for jobs — two audiences with very different needs and motivations on the same website. Making this clear in your brief helps the designer create a navigation structure and content hierarchy that works for everyone.

Consider how your audience typically finds you and what device they use. If most of your enquiries come from Google searches on mobile phones (increasingly likely for local services), that should influence design priorities. If your audience primarily accesses your site from desktop computers during work hours (common for B2B services), the design can accommodate that context.

Section 4: Scope and Features

This is where you detail what the website actually needs to include. Start with a list of pages or sections you need: homepage, about us, services pages, portfolio/case studies, blog, contact page, and so on. For each major page, note what content or functionality it needs to include.

List any specific features or integrations you need. Common ones include: contact forms, booking/appointment systems, e-commerce (how many products?), email marketing integration (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign), CRM integration, social media feeds, video embedding, client portals, or member-only areas. Each of these has cost and complexity implications, so being upfront saves surprises later.

Separate your must-haves from your nice-to-haves. 'We need a booking system that integrates with our diary' is a must-have. 'It would be nice to have a virtual tour of our premises' is a nice-to-have. This helps agencies provide a core quote with optional add-ons, giving you flexibility to stay within budget while knowing what additional features would cost.

If you have existing systems that need to integrate with the website (accounting software, CRM, booking platform, stock management), list them here. Integration complexity can significantly impact project cost, and the earlier it's identified, the better.

Section 5: Content and Assets

Content is usually the biggest bottleneck in web design projects. Be honest about what you have and what you need. If you've got professionally written copy ready to go, great. If you need the agency to write the content, say so — and budget for it. If you're planning to write it yourself but need guidance, mention that too.

The same applies to imagery. Do you have professional photographs of your premises, team, and products? If not, do you need the agency to arrange photography, or will you handle it separately? Stock photography is fine for some applications, but nothing beats authentic images of your actual business, team, and work. Agencies need to know this upfront because content creation can add significant time and cost to a project.

If you have existing content that will be migrated to the new site (blog posts, product listings, case studies), give an estimate of volume. Migrating 500 product listings is a very different task from migrating 20, and the approach to content migration should be discussed early. A content marketing strategy should ideally be developed alongside your website project rather than as an afterthought.

Section 6: Design Preferences

You don't need to be a designer to have useful opinions about design. Share examples of websites you like (and specifically what you like about them). 'I like how clean and minimal the Apple website looks' tells the designer something useful. 'I like how the Airbnb site makes searching easy' is helpful direction. Share three to five example sites with notes on what appeals to you.

Equally useful is sharing what you don't like. If you hate cluttered websites, animation-heavy designs, or dark colour schemes, say so. This prevents the designer spending time on concepts you'll immediately reject. If you have existing brand guidelines (logo, colours, fonts), include them. If you don't have formal branding, note whether you want the agency to develop this as part of the project.

Think about the feeling you want your website to convey. Professional and authoritative? Warm and approachable? Modern and innovative? Traditional and trustworthy? These emotional qualities guide countless design decisions and help ensure the final result feels right for your brand and audience.

Section 7: Technical Requirements

If you have preferences about the technology platform, mention them here. WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify — each has different strengths. If you've no preference, say so and ask the agency to recommend the best platform for your needs. Many agencies specialise in particular platforms, so this affects who you should approach.

Other technical considerations to include: do you need the website in multiple languages? Do you need it to meet specific accessibility standards? Are there any security requirements beyond standard SSL? Do you need hosting recommendations, or do you have an existing hosting arrangement? Will you need training on how to update the website yourself?

SEO requirements should feature prominently. If ranking for specific search terms is important (and it almost always is), list your target keywords. Note any existing SEO value you want to preserve — if your current site ranks well for certain terms, the new site needs to maintain that through proper redirects and content migration. Page speed and Core Web Vitals should be included as technical requirements too.

Section 8: Budget and Timeline

The budget question makes many people uncomfortable, but sharing at least a range is genuinely helpful for both parties. If your budget is €3,000–€5,000, agencies need to know that so they can propose a solution that fits. Asking for proposals without any budget indication often results in proposals that are either way over your budget (wasting everyone's time) or drastically under-scoped to guess at a low price.

You don't need to share a precise figure. A range like 'between €5,000 and €10,000' is perfectly adequate. This allows agencies to suggest options within your range and recommend where best to allocate the budget. It's also worth mentioning whether you'd consider phased delivery — launching with core features now and adding additional functionality later — as this can make larger projects more budget-friendly.

For timeline, note any hard deadlines (launching before a trade show, seasonal peak, or business anniversary) and your preferred timeline if there's no fixed deadline. Be realistic — a professional website typically takes 8–16 weeks from brief to launch, depending on complexity. Projects rushed to unrealistic deadlines almost always suffer in quality or scope.

Section 9: Ongoing Support and Maintenance

Think beyond the launch. Who will update the website day-to-day? Will you need ongoing support from the agency? Do you want a maintenance and support package that covers updates, security monitoring, backups, and technical fixes? Clarify whether hosting is included in the agency's proposal or handled separately.

Training requirements are worth mentioning too. If your team needs to be able to add blog posts, update service pages, and manage contact form submissions independently, say so. The level of editorial control you need influences platform choice and the admin interface design. Some platforms are more user-friendly for non-technical editors than others.

Section 10: Selection Criteria

Finally, tell agencies how you'll evaluate their proposals. Will you decide based primarily on price, portfolio quality, strategic approach, timeline, or chemistry with the team? This transparency helps agencies tailor their proposals to what matters most to you and ensures you're comparing like with like.

Mention how many agencies you're inviting to quote and what your decision timeline looks like. If you're requesting proposals from three agencies and plan to make a decision within two weeks, that's useful context. Also note if there's a presentation or interview stage — some agencies invest significantly more time in proposals when they know there's a face-to-face opportunity.

Tips for Getting the Best Response to Your Brief

Send your brief to three to five agencies rather than a dozen. Agencies invest significant time in well-crafted proposals, and mass-mailing your brief to twenty agencies suggests you're primarily price shopping — which discourages the best agencies from investing their time. Choose agencies whose portfolio demonstrates work similar to what you need.

Be available for questions. A good agency will read your brief carefully and come back with clarifying questions — this is a positive sign, not an annoyance. Their questions often identify aspects you hadn't considered. Give all agencies the same deadline and the same access to additional information for fairness.

Don't automatically choose the cheapest quote. Web design is an investment in your business, and the cheapest option often results in the most expensive problems down the line. Look for the proposal that best understands your goals, offers the clearest approach to achieving them, and demonstrates relevant experience. The right web design partner should feel like an extension of your team, not just a supplier.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a website brief be?
Two to five pages is ideal for most projects. Long enough to cover all the key areas, short enough that agencies will actually read it thoroughly. Use bullet points for lists of features and requirements, and write in plain English rather than technical jargon.

Should I include my budget in the brief?
Yes, at least a range. This ensures you receive realistic proposals rather than guesswork. Agencies aren't trying to spend your entire budget — they're trying to recommend the best solution within it.

How many agencies should I approach?
Three to five is the sweet spot. Fewer than three limits your options; more than five becomes unmanageable to evaluate and discourages quality proposals. Choose agencies based on portfolio relevance and client reviews.

What if I don't know what platform I need?
That's perfectly fine — and common. Note in your brief that you'd like the agency to recommend the best platform for your requirements. Any good agency will explain their recommendation and why it suits your specific needs.

Can I use a template for my brief?
Absolutely. Templates are a great starting point. The key is customising it with your specific details rather than submitting a generic template with blanks filled in. Your brief should feel personal to your business and project.

What SEO factors matter most for my new website?
Proper heading structure (H1, H2, H3), keyword-optimised page titles and meta descriptions, fast loading times, mobile responsiveness, and quality internal linking are foundational. Work with your agency to target the right keywords from day one.

How do I know if an agency understands my brief?
A good agency asks detailed questions about your goals, audience, and competitive landscape. They should reference specific sections of your brief in their proposal and explain how they'll address your priorities. If their proposal reads generic, they haven't properly engaged with your brief.

Should website maintenance be included in the project cost?
That varies by agency. Some include 6 months of free support; others charge separately. Either is acceptable as long as it's clearly stated in the proposal. Post-launch support typically covers minor updates, security patches, and technical fixes, while significant feature additions are usually billed separately.