How to Write a Website Brief Your Developer Will Actually Use

Why the brief matters more than the design

Most website projects that go over budget do not fail in code. They fail in the first week, when the client says "we need a modern site" and the studio hears something different. A brief is the document that turns wishes into decisions — and every decision made on paper is cheaper than one made after the layout is built.

A brief does not need to be long. Two or three pages that answer the right questions are worth more than a 30-page document full of adjectives.

1. The goal: what should the site do?

Start with one measurable outcome. "Look better than competitors" is not a goal. These are:

• Get 20 qualified leads a month through the contact form
• Sell online without phone orders
• Cut support calls by putting answers and documents online

The goal decides everything else: which pages matter, where the calls to action go and what we measure after launch.

2. The audience and their questions

Describe who comes to the site and what they want to know in the first ten seconds. A B2B buyer looks for proof and specs; a private client looks for price, reviews and a quick way to call. If your audience speaks several languages, say so now — a multilingual site is planned differently from day one.

3. Structure and content

List the pages you expect and, more importantly, who writes the content. Missing texts and photos are one of the most common reasons launches slip. Mark what already exists, what needs rewriting and what has to be created from scratch.

4. Functions and integrations

Booking, payments, CRM, newsletters, a client area, an admin panel — each of these changes the scope. Write down the services you already use (for example your CRM or accounting system) so the developer can check their APIs before quoting.

5. References, budget and deadline

• Three sites you like and three you don't — with one sentence on why
• A budget range, even a rough one: it lets the studio propose the right solution instead of guessing
• A real deadline and what it is tied to: an exhibition, a season, an ad campaign

What to leave out

Don't prescribe technology unless you have a reason ("it must be WordPress because our team already edits it" is a reason). Don't design in the brief — describe the problem and let the designer solve it.

Once the brief is ready, two decisions usually follow: WordPress or Next.js for the platform, and how the lead form should work if the goal is enquiries. You can also see what we build from a brief, from a single landing page to a full web application.

Not sure where to start? At Codearia we fill in the brief together with you on a short call — send us a message and we will walk you through the questions.