If three agencies return quotes that differ by a factor of five, the problem is usually the brief. Each one has imagined a different project. A clear brief fixes that.
Start with the business goal
Say what the website must achieve: more enquiries, online sales, recruitment, credibility with investors. Include how you will measure it.
Describe your audience
Who are the visitors, what do they need to know before they act, and what devices do they use?
List the pages and features
An approximate sitemap and any functionality such as forms, bookings, payments, integrations or multiple languages. Mark what is essential and what is nice to have.
Be clear about content
Who writes the copy, who supplies photography, and is anything being migrated from an existing site?
Share your constraints
Budget range, deadline and who will maintain the site after launch. A budget range is not a negotiating weakness; it lets agencies propose the right scope.
Want help turning your notes into a brief? Start a conversation.
