Website brief: what to prepare to get a clear quote

Key points

• Define what the visitor must be able to do.
• Separate launch requirements from later additions.
• Compare quotes on the same deliverables.

Why website quotes are hard to compare

You send three agencies the message “we want a new site” and get back three prices that seem to describe different jobs. One includes only the design, another expects you to write the copy and the third mentions integrations without saying which ones. You cannot fix that difference by negotiating the price.

A brief puts the work to be estimated in writing. You do not have to choose the technology or design the pages yourself. You have to explain what the company sells, who makes the buying decision and what should happen after a visit. The solution is built on that basis.

Start with the situation and the result you want

Describe the current problem in terms you can verify: new services are missing, enquiries get lost in email, products are hard to find or your team cannot update the content. Separate observed facts from assumptions. “We do not measure enquiries” does not automatically mean “we get no enquiries”.

Choose the main goal: qualified enquiries, orders, presenting new services or reducing admin work. Say how you will recognize the result. A list of goals with no priority leads to a website where every page asks for something different.

What customer information helps the agency

Write down who looks for the service, what they ask before buying and what stops them from sending a request. Use real questions from sales conversations. If the decision involves a director and a technical specialist, explain what each of them needs to verify.

Bring examples of good-fit customers and of requests that do not fit your offer. These details shape the message and the form. You do not need to invent a profile with age, income and hobbies if they do not change how the service is chosen.

The list of materials and features

Inventory the copy, photos, projects, visual identity and documents you already have. For each item, say whether it can be published, who reviews it and whether it needs to be redone. “We have content” can mean an old PDF, not copy ready for a website.

Describe integrations by the result you need. “The form creates an enquiry in the CRM, with the service and the source page” is a requirement that can be estimated. “Full integration” does not say what data moves or who is responsible if a submission fails.

• Pages and languages needed at launch.
• Forms, file uploads and the recipient of each request.
• Access to content editing and your team's roles.
• Keeping existing URLs and the redirects required.
• Enquiry tracking and account ownership.

How to set responsibilities and acceptance criteria

Name the person who approves the structure, copy and design. Decide how feedback is collected so the agency does not receive conflicting requests from several colleagues. Separate the target date from the dependencies that can change it: materials, system access and approvals.

Write acceptance criteria that can be observed. The form must save the request and send it to the person responsible, important pages must work on a phone and redirects must be checked. Also ask for the handover of accounts, admin documentation and support terms.

How to use the brief in your conversation with Webmate

A good brief leaves room for recommendations. If a feature takes a lot of work and does not solve the main problem, it can wait for the next phase. Ask the agency to explain that choice and the cost difference, not just tick every requirement.

Send your current site, your company's offer and the list of problems. At Webmate, we can work out together what needs to be built for launch and what can be added later. The estimate then starts from the same picture of the work, and your team knows what it will receive.

Frequently asked questions