The website brief - thinking about getting a website built but not sure what to ask for?
Let's turn the question on its head. When people come to us for a cost estimate for a new website, we ask them to answer the questions below. These questions will help both us and the client understand exactly what they want from their new site.
1. YOUR BUSINESS
What products do you sell or services do you provide?
How big is your business?
Do you trade within the UK only?
Describe the company using five or ten words (e.g. young, vibrant, technology based, etc.)
2. YOUR CURRENT WEBSITE
Why is it no longer suitable?
What do you like and dislike about it?
Do you know what levels of traffic is it currently receiving, including from mobile devices?
3. YOUR AUDIENCE AND COMPETITORS
Who are your target audience for this website?
What's the purpose of the website? (e.g. sell products, provide information, educate, etc)
What actions do you want visitors to take? (e.g. contact you via email or phone, fill out an online form, follow you on social media, make a purchase, etc)
Please list the names of two or more of your competitors.
Please list the names of two websites that you like and two that you dislike. What do you like and dislike about them?
How will your target audience be accessing your site – via their phones, tablets or desktops?
4. DESIGN
Do you have any ideas for the look and feel of your website?
Do you have existing logo/branding/business cards or other printed materials, or should branding be part of our quote?
5. GENERAL
We will link to your social media so please provide the links.
Do you need to purchase a domain name or do you already own it?
Do you need to purchase hosting?
Do you have an idea of budget and a deadline date in mind?
6. WEBSITE FRAMEWORK
Please place an 'X' to identify any pages or features you envisage as part of your site:
Basic
Home
Products / services
FAQs
Directions
About Us
Contact Us with contact form
News / blog
Upcoming events
Special Features
Home page slideshow
Video
Map
Search facility
Newsletter / email list sign-up
Information / request forms
Applications
Registration / customer login
Store / shopping cart
Online payment
Forum
Reviews
Customer surveys/polls
Please list any additional or custom pages you would like.
7. AFTER IT'S BUILT - WEBSITE CONTENT
How often will you need to update the website content?
Hourly
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Rarely
How many content pages do you expect to update on your site each month?
Who will be responsible for updates – your website developer or yourselves?
Who will be responsible for generating content – text and images?
As with any purchase you make, you should send exactly the same brief to a number of web companies, so when you get the price back you are comparing like with like.
Ready for the next steps? Check out our blog post about the stages involved in getting a website built.