What to Put in a Website Brief Before You Hire a Developer

To ensure a successful website development project for small businesses, it is crucial to provide a comprehensive website brief before engaging a developer. This brief should cover key aspects that help all parties involved align on project goals and expectations.

First and foremost, the brief should articulate what the business does, in a concise one-paragraph description. This should include the products or services offered, the primary target audience, and any geographical considerations relevant to customers. Avoid using slogans or overly promotional language, as they can distract from the core message.

Next, clearly identify the primary audience for the website. Determine whether the site is primarily aimed at staff, walk-in customers, online visitors, partners, donors, or a combination of the above. Rank these audiences in order of importance, as the homepage should cater to the primary audience first.

Outline the essential functions the website must perform upon launch. Focus on five to eight concrete goals, such as showcasing services and prices clearly, collecting enquiries through a form, displaying relevant photos, providing location information, facilitating bookings or orders, publishing content, or enabling online sales. Distinguish between must-have features for an initial launch and those that can be added in subsequent phases.

Identify the pages that are already known to be required for the website. Typically, a small-business site will need a home page, an about page, a services or products section, a contact page, and a FAQ. Include any additional pages if you plan to maintain them with updated content. If you already have comparable copy or a preferred structure, link to it and provide feedback on what you like about it.

List any existing brand assets and content that will be used on the website. This includes logo files, brand colours and fonts, high-resolution photos, existing text from brochures or social media, domain name information, and the URL of the current website. If these assets are not available, make note of this in the plan to allocate time for creation or acquisition.

Address any technical or business constraints that may impact the website's development. Confirm that the site will be mobile-friendly, as this is crucial for Indian businesses. Specify the language(s) to be used on the site, whether English, Hindi, or both. Determine who will be responsible for updating content post-launch, whether it will be the business owner, staff members, or the agency.

Identify any tools the website needs to integrate with, such as a WhatsApp chatbot, payment gateway, analytics software, CRM system, or accounting software. Provide your preferred hosting option, if any, and offer a rough budget range and desired go-live date for the project.

Finally, define how success will be measured three months after the website launch. Examples of success metrics include increased qualified enquiries via WhatsApp, reduced repeated phone inquiries, the ability to replace PDF downloads with a single website link, or the functionality of an online store. Clear, measurable goals help ensure that the website design and content align with business objectives.

When sharing the website brief with potential developers, send it to multiple vendors to facilitate comparison of quotes. Upon receiving the first design or staging link, prioritize checking it against the "jobs on day one" list before discussing any stylistic elements. This approach helps identify discrepancies early and ensures that the final product aligns with agreed-upon requirements.

For a more comprehensive understanding of the typical workflow for a website development project, consult the agency's guidelines on website development in Ranchi. This resource outlines the typical questions a project team should ask, providing a useful reference while ensuring your brief remains the primary source of project requirements.