Website design brief template

So,you want to brief an agency to redesign your website.  What is the best way to write a brief so that all the areas you need designed are covered?

Helpfully, OneSourceGraphics have written out their detailed survey which sets of the principal questions to which an agency will need answers before pricing up a brief.

So you want to redesign your website

Here are the questions you should answer:

This form will answer the question of what the site’s supposed to do for your business and what the site will look like.

First Name (required)

Last Name (required)

Company (required)

Email (required)

Phone Number

Website URL: (if available)

1. Why do you want to have a new website, or have your current site redesigned?
2. What will happen if you don’t have a new website, or have your current site redesigned?
3. Please describe your organization in a few sentences.
4. What is there about you and your background that sets you apart for a special (niche) group of potential customers?
5. What problems do your prospects have that your business solves?
6. How can your particular work background help prospects, compared to others in your industry? What’s special about your work experience?
7. Why do you believe site visitors should do business with you rather than with a competitor?
8. Do you have a slogan or tagline that clearly describes what you offer in terms of benefits or features?
9. Please describe your potential customers. Pay special attention to their income, interests, gender, age, even type of computer they use, e.g., old with dialup account or newer with broadband. If your website is a business-to-business site, what sort of companies are you hoping to attract?
10. What is your budget for this project? (required)Very Small Project $75 – $300;Small Project $300 – $750; Medium Project $750 – $1,500;Large Project $1,500 – $3,000;Very Large Project > $3,000
11. Who are the decision makers on this project? What is the turnaround time for making a decision?
12. What staff will be involved? What are their roles? Is there a webmaster on your staff?
13. What is your deadline for completing the site?
14. Please list the names of five other sites that you like. Why are they attractive to you?
15. Have you researched your online competition so you have an idea of what you do and don’t want on your site?
16. What do you NOT want on your site in terms of text, content, etc.?
17. Where is the website content coming from? Who’s responsible for updating it? Is it ready for use on your website?
18. Do you have a logo?
19. Are you planning to do online sales? If so, what is the product, and how many items do you want to sell online?
20. If you’re planning to sell online, are you set up to accept credit cards?
21. How much time will you be able to spend online, responding to inquiries that come in via your website? Once a day? Several hours a day?
22. If you were using a search engine, what words or phrases would you use to find your site? Which of these words or phrases is most important? Second? Third?
23. Other than what search engines will produce, what methods do you have in mind to spread the word about your website?
24. Once your website is completed, how long do you think it will be before you begin bringing in significant business from the website?
25. How do you plan to encourage repeat visitors and referrals?