Website Briefing: How to Properly Prepare for Your Web Project

A good briefing is half the battle. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s the point at which most web projects either get on the right track—or get caught in an endless cycle of misunderstandings.

We’ve been working with companies on web projects for over 25 years. Projects that were clearly briefed from the start almost always run more smoothly, faster, and at a lower cost. Here, we’ll show you what makes for a good briefing and what mistakes you should avoid.

Why the Briefing Is So Important

A briefing isn’t just bureaucratic overhead. It’s the foundation of all project decisions in web design: design, technology, content, and SEO. Without a clear briefing, the agency works based on assumptions. And assumptions are the natural enemy of good results.

A thorough briefing ensures that everyone is on the same page. It reduces back-and-forth coordination, prevents scope creep, and gives you the assurance that your budget is being used wisely.

What Should Be Included in a Good Website Briefing

1. Background and Rationale

Why do you need a new website or a redesign? What isn’t working right now? The more specific, the better. “The website looks outdated” is a start. “We get 3,000 visitors a month, but only two inquiries” is better.

2. Goals and Expectations

What exactly is the new website supposed to achieve? Typically: more inquiries, better visibility through SEO, positioning as an expert, and reducing the workload on the sales team. Try to formulate measurable goals.

3. Target Audiences

Who do you want to reach? Describe your key target audiences as specifically as possible: industry, company size, decision-maker level, typical questions and problems. The better the agency understands the target audience, the more effective the design, tone, and content will be.

4. Competition and Positioning

Which websites do you like, and why? Which competitors have a strong online presence? What sets you apart? This information will help you position yourselves in a way that stands out. Tip: Be sure to mention what you don’t like, too. That’s just as helpful.

5. Scope and Content

How many pages do you need? What content already exists, and what needs to be created from scratch? This list also serves as the first draft of your content strategy. A rough sitemap—even just a list of bullet points—gives the agency an initial idea.

6. Functional Requirements

Contact form, blog, restricted area, CRM integration, online store, search function, multilingual support: this lists everything the website needs to be able to do. Even small requirements can have a major impact on the technical aspects and the budget.

7. Technical Framework

Is there an existing CMS? Are there other systems (CRM, ERP, newsletter tool) that need to be integrated? Are there any hosting requirements? These are the most costly unknowns in web development. Clarifying technical dependencies early on helps avoid surprises.

8. Design Guidelines

Corporate design, brand guidelines, color specifications, fonts, and the logo in various formats: provide these materials early on. If none of these are available, that is also important information.

9. Budget and Timeline

Yes, the budget issue is a sensitive one. But it’s important. An agency can only propose a realistic plan if it knows the parameters. A rough estimate is enough. The same goes for the timeline: is there a firm deadline?

10. Points of Contact and Decision-Making Processes

Who is the primary point of contact? Who makes the decisions? How many people are involved in the feedback process? The clearer this is from the start, the fewer delays there will be.

If you’re looking for structured guidance during the briefing or for a web project: We’ll support you with web design from the initial idea through to launch, including help with creating the briefing.

The Five Most Common Briefing Mistakes

“Just make something beautiful.” Without clear goals, every project becomes a guessing game. Beauty is subjective. Effectiveness can be measured.

Too many people involved and too little decision-making can slow things down. If ten people have a say but no one makes the decisions, the project grinds to a halt. Decide early on who has the final say.

A secret budget doesn’t help anyone. An agency that doesn’t know your budget constraints will inevitably plan around them, resulting in concepts that are either too big or too small.

References without context can be misleading. The statement “We want our website to look like Apple’s” isn’t very helpful if the budget and target audience don’t align with that vision. References only become valuable when you explain exactly what you like about them.

Content is often underestimated. Most projects are delayed not because of technical or design issues, but because the text is missing. Plan for content creation from the very beginning, whether in-house or through an agency.

Checklist: Your Briefing at a Glance

• Description of the Initial Situation and the Reason
• Formulated specific, measurable goals
• Target Groups Defined
• Competitors and Positioning Outlined
• Draft Sitemap Created
• List of Functional Requirements
• Technical Framework Clarified
• Design Materials Compiled
• Budget framework and timeline communicated
• Points of contact and decision-making processes established

Conclusion: Invest in the briefing

A good briefing will take you a few hours to prepare. A bad briefing will cost you weeks of project time. Take the time to organize your thoughts. Your agency will thank you for it. The result will be better.