When you ask three agencies for a website quote, you often get three very different numbers. Usually each agency has imagined a different project. A clear brief fixes this. It lets agencies quote the same scope, so you can compare them fairly, and it saves weeks of back-and-forth later.
You do not need technical knowledge to write a good brief. You need to answer a few questions about your business honestly. One page is enough.
What each section tells the agency
Business and audience
Explain what you do, who your customers are and how they find you today. A dental clinic in Bengaluru serving local families needs a very different site from a manufacturer selling to buyers across India and abroad.
Goals and success measures
Say what the website must achieve. More appointment bookings, more enquiries from a particular city, online sales or fewer support calls are all clear goals. Add how you will measure success, such as form enquiries per month or orders.
Pages and features
List the pages you think you need and any features, such as booking, a product catalogue, online payments, a blog, multiple languages or a customer login. A rough list is fine. A good agency will suggest changes.
Content readiness
Content is the most common cause of delay. Say whether your text, photos, product data and logo are ready, or whether you need help with writing and photography.
Integrations
Mention any systems the site must connect to, such as a CRM, accounting software, a payment gateway, WhatsApp, an ERP or a shipping aggregator. Integrations affect cost more than most people expect.
Examples you like and dislike
Share two or three websites you like and say what you like about each one. Do the same for sites you dislike. This is the fastest way to explain taste.
Budget range
Many people hesitate to share a budget. A range helps the agency propose the best solution for that money, instead of guessing. It also saves time if your expectations and theirs are far apart.
Deadline
Give your target launch date and the reason for it, such as a product launch, an admissions season or a trade show. Say whether the date is fixed or flexible.
Decision makers
Name who will approve designs and content, and who signs off the final payment. Projects slow down when a new decision maker appears late and asks for changes.
The one-page template
Copy this list into a document and answer each point in a few lines.
- About the business: what you do, where you operate, and how long you have been in business.
- Audience: who your customers are, what they need, and how they find you today.
- Current website: the web address, if you have one, and what works or does not work about it.
- Goals: the two or three things the new site must achieve.
- Success measures: how you will know the site is working after six months.
- Pages: a rough list of pages you expect to need.
- Features: booking, payments, catalogue, blog, login, languages, search or anything else.
- Content: what is ready, what needs updating and what you need help creating.
- Integrations: systems the site must connect to, such as CRM, payments, WhatsApp or accounting.
- Sites you like: two or three links and what you like about each.
- Sites you dislike: one or two links and why.
- Budget range: a minimum and maximum you are comfortable with.
- Deadline: the target launch date, the reason, and whether it is fixed.
- Decision makers: who approves designs, content and payments.
- After launch: whether you need hosting, maintenance, SEO or content support.
Tips for a better response
- Send the same brief to every agency so the quotes are comparable.
- Ask each agency what they would change in your brief. Good agencies will ask questions.
- Ask what is included and what is extra, especially for content, revisions and post-launch support.
- Keep the brief updated as decisions change, and share the latest version.
How WebCrea can help
Send us your brief, even a rough one, and we will go through it with you and suggest what to add or remove. We then give you a clear scope and quote based on what you actually need.