We receive dozens of project enquiries every month. Maybe one in five has a brief clear enough to quote accurately on the first reply. The rest lead to three rounds of questions, revised scopes, and delayed starts — all before a single line of code is written.
That is not just frustrating for us. It costs the client time, creates uncertainty, and often results in a build that solves the wrong problem. A good brief takes 30 minutes to write and saves weeks of back-and-forth.
What a brief actually needs to cover
Agencies and freelancers need answers to seven questions before they can give you a reliable quote. Write a paragraph on each:
1. What does your business do?
One clear sentence. Not your mission statement — what you actually sell and who buys it. "We install solar panels for residential homeowners in Lahore" is useful. "We provide innovative energy solutions across Pakistan" is not.
2. What is the project?
New build or redesign? Website, app, or both? Do you need e-commerce? A booking system? A member login area? List every feature you know you need. List ones you are unsure about separately — that is useful information too.
3. Who is it for?
Describe your typical customer. Age range, how they find you, what device they use most, what they know and do not know about your industry. This shapes every design and copy decision.
4. What does success look like?
Is it more enquiry form submissions? More calls? Online sales? Lower bounce rate? Be specific. "A better website" is not a success metric. "Twenty leads per month from organic traffic within six months" is.
5. What do you like and dislike?
Share three websites or apps you like and explain exactly what you like about each. Share one you dislike and explain why. This is the single most efficient way to align on aesthetic direction without long design workshops.
6. What is your timeline?
When do you need this live, and is that deadline flexible? Is it driven by a product launch, a marketing campaign, a trade show? Context helps — a developer might find a faster path if they understand why the date matters.
7. What is your budget range?
This is the question most clients avoid answering, which is understandable but counterproductive. You do not need to give a precise number — a range is fine. "We have £3,000–£6,000 for this" narrows the scope immediately and stops both parties wasting time on a proposal that was never going to fit.
A developer who knows your budget will tell you what is achievable within it. A developer who does not know your budget will quote for everything — and you will be surprised by the number.
What to include as supporting material
- Your current website URL (if one exists)
- Your logo files in SVG or PNG
- Brand guidelines or colour preferences if you have them
- Any existing copy or content you want to keep
- Access to Google Analytics if you have it — even a screenshot of traffic numbers helps
What NOT to put in a brief
- A complete sitemap with 40 pages before the developer has confirmed the approach
- A pixel-perfect Figma design you want "just coded up" (that is a different service)
- A comparison of three competing agencies in your brief — that belongs in your selection process, not the brief itself
- Vague phrases like "modern," "clean," or "professional" without reference examples
The one-page brief template
Copy this, fill in your answers, and paste it into any contact form or email:
That is it. A developer who cannot give you a reliable estimate from those eight fields is either inexperienced or not paying attention.
