Creating a brief for your web designer - Free website brief template
In today’s digital age, having a website is crucial for any business or organisation looking to establish an online presence. A well-designed website can help you communicate your brand message, showcase your products or services, and connect with your target audience. But before you start designing and building your website, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve. This is where a website brief comes in.
A website brief is a document that outlines the goals, objectives, and requirements of your website project. It serves as a roadmap for your design and development team and helps ensure that your website is aligned with your business objectives. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key elements of a website brief and provide you with a template to help you get started.
Why You Need a Website Brief
So you are going to make a website for your business. Good for you! You have two options. Build the website yourself or hire a professional web designer.
If you planning to maintain your website after launch and are a bit tech-savvy, I would encourage you to jump in and have a go. These days there are some drag-and-drop website builders that make building a personal website easy. However, you will have to learn some of the ins and outs of web design, consider which content management system is going to be right for your business and spend time learning while you build.
On the other hand, you may be looking for something more sophisticated than a basic website, you may require custom code to achieve the look or functionality that you want or you might just be busy running your business and don’t have time. So you hire a web designer to do the heavy lifting for you. Now, you know what you want from your website, but how do you articulate that to your designer in an efficient way that will reduce time or errors? You write a website brief.
A website brief is essential for several reasons:
It provides a clear understanding of the project goals and objectives.
It helps you prioritise your design and development goals and determine what is most important to your target audience.
It enables you to align your website with your overall business strategy.
It ensures that all stakeholders are on the same page, reducing the risk of miscommunication and delays.
Key Elements of a Website Brief
When creating your website brief, you’ll need to consider several key elements, including:
1. Project Overview
This section should provide a high-level overview of the project, including the purpose of the website, its target audience, and key goals.
2. Target Audience
You’ll want to define your target audience and their needs and preferences. Consider their age, location, interests, buying habits and what device they use to access the internet.
3. Goals and Objectives
Outline the specific goals and objectives you hope to achieve with your website, such as increasing sales, improving brand awareness, or providing a platform for customer support.
4. Content Requirements
In this section, you’ll want to outline the content that you need on your website, including pages, blog posts, website copywriting and multimedia elements.
5. Design Requirements
Provide guidelines for your website’s overall look and feel, including colours, fonts, and imagery.
6. Technical Requirements
In this section, you’ll want to outline any technical requirements for your website, such as integrations with other systems, custom functionality or search engine optimisations (SEO).
By taking the time to create a comprehensive website brief, you’ll set yourself up for success and ensure that your website project stays on track. With a clear understanding of your goals and requirements, you’ll be able to work with your design and development team to create a website that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations.
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