Most small business owners write the web brief AFTER engaging an agency. By then it's too late — the conversation is dominated by the agency's preferred process and your specific commercial goals get drowned out. Write the brief first, and the conversation starts on YOUR terms.
Here's the brief template we recommend to every Suffolk SME thinking about a new website.
1. What does a "good lead" actually look like for you?
Specific. Named. Quantified. Don't write "more enquiries". Write "five plastering quote requests per week, average job £4,500, targeting homeowners in Stowmarket–Ipswich–Bury triangle." The agency designs to that target.
2. Where do your best leads come from today?
Word of mouth? Repeat business? Google Maps? Facebook? Trade directories? Tell the agency before they start. A great website doesn't replace the lead source — it amplifies it.
3. Three competitors whose websites you respect
Plus one sentence each about what specifically you respect. "I like how Bennett Homes' photography sets the scale of what they do" is useful. "Their site looks nice" is not.
4. The one thing every visitor should see in the first three seconds
If the visitor only reads the headline and the hero image — do they know what you do, where you do it, and how to get in touch? Most SME sites fail this test. Be ruthless about answering it.
5. The 5 services or products that matter
Not the 22 you technically offer. The 5 that produce 80% of your revenue. The site is built around those.
6. Existing assets you already own
Logo files (open them — are they vector?), brand colours (hex codes if you have them, photos if you don't), photography (have you got high-res images, or do you need them?), customer reviews, case studies, certifications, accreditation logos.
7. Budget range, honestly
"As cheap as possible" is the most expensive answer. A real number — even a range like £500 setup + £25/month, or £3,000 one-off — lets the agency design within your means and not waste time. Our published pricing is a useful starting point for what's realistic.
8. Hard deadline (and what triggers it)
Trade show? Funding round? Seasonal launch? Or just "as soon as reasonable"? If you have a real date, say so up front — agencies can usually compress the timeline if asked at the start, but rarely if asked at the end.
The cost of skipping this
Every revision round in a web project is somewhere between £200 and £800 of effort. A vague brief costs three to five rounds. A sharp brief costs one. That's the entire economic case for spending an afternoon on it.
Want a second pair of eyes on your brief before you send it to any agency? Drop us a line — happy to read through it in our free strategy call.