What is a website brief?
A website brief summarises what a new site must achieve and include, so you can scope and price it accurately. It’s shorter than the detailed website questionnaire and feeds into the web design proposal.
FREE BRIEF TEMPLATE
A website brief.
Before the first wireframe.
An editable website brief for web designers and their clients, with sample answers. No email required.
Word, Google Docs and PDF. No email required.
Last updated
BRIEFTemplate preview · Example
01
Organisation and goals
What does the organisation do? What should the website achieve?
02
Audience
Who are the main visitors? What do they need to find or do?
03
Pages and features
Which pages are needed? Which features (booking, shop, forms, blog)?
04
Content
Who writes the copy and supplies images? Is there content to migrate?
The template
Details
- Client / company: [Name]
- Completed by: [Name, role]
- Date: [Date]
Organisation and goals
- What does the organisation do? [Answer]
- What should the website achieve? [Answer]
Audience
- Who are the main visitors? [Answer]
- What do they need to find or do? [Answer]
Pages and features
- Which pages are needed? [Answer]
- Which features (booking, shop, forms, blog)? [Answer]
Content
- Who writes the copy and supplies images? [Answer]
- Is there content to migrate? [Answer]
Design
- Websites you like, and why? [Answer]
- Brand guidelines? [Answer]
Technical, timeline and budget
- Preferred platform or hosting? [Answer]
- Launch date and budget range? [Answer]
How to fill it in
- Agree the site’s main goal and audience.
- List pages and features.
- Confirm who supplies content.
- Collect design references and brand assets.
- Note platform, timeline and budget.
- Use the brief to scope the proposal.
Use it in Word, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
- Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
- Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
- Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
- Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
- Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
- Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
Fill it in Word or Google Docs, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs.
Example: Northfield Physio website
Sample answers from a fictional client.
Sample answers
- Goal? More online bookings and fewer phone calls.
- Pages? Home, treatments, team, prices, contact.
- Features? Embed our existing booking system; a simple blog.
- Content? We’ll write the copy; we need help with photography.
Tips for a useful brief
- Ask who writes the content: it’s the most common cause of delayed launches.
- List integrations early; they drive cost.
- Agree one approver for design stages.
Collect the answers in a client portal
Angelwood turns questions like these into an onboarding plan: requests with instructions, owners and dates that clients answer in their portal, reviewed by your team before kickoff.
MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
Useful structure.
Your way of working.
Agree the objective first.
Everything else in the brief flows from one clear objective. If you can’t agree it in a sentence, the work isn’t ready to start.
Name one approver.
A brief with three decision-makers gets three sets of feedback. Agree who signs off and how quickly.
Write down what’s fixed.
Budget, deadline and mandatory elements belong in the brief, not in an email three weeks later.
What should a website brief include?
Goals, audience, pages, features, content responsibilities, design references, technical requirements, timeline and budget.
Website brief or website questionnaire?
Use the brief to scope and price the project; use the detailed questionnaire after signing to collect everything the build needs.
Who should fill in a website brief?
The client, ideally on a call with the web designer, who can explain the trade-offs behind each answer.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.
THE CLIENT EXPERIENCE, IN ORDER
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