Explain the business before the pages
Start with what you do, who you serve and why someone chooses you. Describe what is changing and why the website needs attention now.
If you have an existing website, explain what is useful and what causes problems. Examples from real enquiries or customer questions are more helpful than a list of design dislikes alone.
Decide what visitors need to do
Identify the important journeys. A visitor might need to understand a service, compare products, make an enquiry, buy something or access information after a purchase.
List the priority actions and the content people need before taking them. That gives the page structure a purpose.
Bring the content you already have
- Brand assets and any existing guidelines.
- Current service or product information.
- Photography, video and useful project examples.
- Approved testimonials and evidence for any results you want to show.
- Frequently asked questions from customers.
Mark what is current, what needs rewriting and what still needs creating. Content production is part of the scope, not something to discover at the end.
Map the practical requirements
Explain any forms, booking tools, payments, customer accounts or integrations the website needs. Name the current systems and who manages access, without putting passwords in a brief.
Discuss editing requirements, hosting, redirects, search visibility, measurement and support. If an existing site is being replaced, plan how its useful pages and enquiries will be protected during the change.
Share the budget, timing and decision process
A budget helps shape a realistic scope. A deadline needs context too: is it tied to an event, a campaign or a preference?
Agree who will provide content, who signs off the work and how feedback will be collected. Those decisions can matter as much as the number of pages.
Read our guide to website costs, see how we work or tell us about your website.