What a good website brief looks like, and why it saves you money

Most overruns come from unclear goals, not slow work. A short, honest brief lets a team quote accurately and build the right thing the first time.

You do not need a long document. Cover these points in a page or two.

• Your business in two sentences, and who your customers are.
• The main goal of the website, such as more enquiries or online sales.
• Examples of sites you like and dislike, and why.
• Pages and features you expect, split into must-have and nice-to-have.
• Content: who writes it, and what you already have.
• Timeline, budget range and who approves decisions.

Say what you want to achieve rather than how. 'Get more qualified enquiries' gives a team room to suggest options. 'Add a popup' does not.

Projects slow down when feedback arrives from five people with different views. Choose one person to collect comments and make the call.

Logos, brand colours, photos and existing content all help. Even rough notes are useful, and a good team will ask the right questions to fill the gaps.