For your business6 min read·Published November 2026

A small business website brief template you can send to a designer

A useful brief makes the work clear before anyone quotes or builds. Use this template to explain the customer journey, the content you can supply and the decisions still open.

Quick answer

Write down the purpose of the site, its intended customers, the main action, required pages, content responsibilities, necessary integrations and handover requirements. Ask providers to price the same scope and separate build fees from ongoing charges. Leave unknown details as questions to resolve rather than quietly treating them as included.

Copy these headings into your website brief

Brief field	What to specify	Example detail
Business and audience	What you do, who it serves and real coverage	Mobile bicycle repairs for residents in York
Main action	What a visitor should do and where it goes	Request a quote; owner reviews the enquiry
Required information	Pages or sections and the questions each answers	Repairs, coverage, examples and contact
Content owner	Who supplies and approves text and images	Owner supplies photographs; provider drafts copy for approval
Required functions	The job each form, booking or payment service must do	Ask for area, bicycle type and fault description
Budget and timing	Budget basis, target date and dependencies	Separate build and recurring charges; confirm content deadline
Acceptance and handover	What must work and what access you receive	Test enquiry received; editing access and renewal record supplied

Start with one customer task

Describe the person arriving and the decision they need to make. A repair customer may want to know whether you cover their area, handle their type of bicycle and can quote for the fault. A portfolio visitor may need examples before asking about a project. Set a main action that fits that journey. Avoid an unexplained requirement to “increase conversions”; say which enquiry or transaction the site must support.

Use this fictional example as a starting point

“Please quote for a mobile-friendly website for a bicycle repair business serving York. The main action is a repair quote request, not a confirmed appointment. Explain puncture repairs, basic servicing and the areas covered. Include Home, Services, Work and Contact sections. I will supply approved prices, contact details and photographs. Please draft the copy for my approval. Do not invent reviews, qualifications or turnaround promises. Price the build, hosting, domain connection, future edits and handover separately.” Replace every example fact with your actual business details.

Give each page a reason to exist

List the question each page or section answers. Services explains scope and exclusions; Work shows relevant examples; Contact explains how to enquire and what happens next. A simple first site may put these on one page. Specify separate pages when the information requires them, rather than requesting a page for every nearby town with the same words. If you need an online store, say so explicitly; a promotional website and a checkout are different requirements.

Allocate the content work

For each content item, name who supplies it, who edits it and who approves it. Include service descriptions, photographs, prices, contact details and any policy text you actually need. If writing is included in the quote, explain whether the provider will interview you or only edit supplied text. Agree how placeholders will be handled. A launch date is difficult to assess if nobody owns the missing photographs or service information.

Describe integrations as a working journey

Instead of asking for “a booking button”, explain whether customers choose a service, see availability, request a time or receive an immediate confirmation. Name an existing booking provider if you intend to keep it. For a form, describe the fields and the place submissions must reach. State whether a payment is part of the journey. A link to an external service may meet the requirement; it is not the same scope as building that service.

Make the quote comparable

Ask each provider to list included pages, revision rounds, content work, integrations and ongoing services. Have them identify anything excluded or priced separately. Record whether charges are one-time, monthly or annual and which currency applies. Set a target date with the content and approval dependencies alongside it. The purpose is to understand the proposal, not to assume that the cheapest or largest quote covers the most useful work.

Write down the checks before calling it complete

Use observable checks: the published address opens over HTTPS; the agreed sections contain approved information; a phone visitor can use the main action; a test enquiry reaches the intended inbox; and you receive the agreed editing access. Ask who will fix a failed check and what the support period includes. Keep the handover record separate from passwords and share account access through an appropriate secure process.

Adapt the same brief for an AI builder

The service, audience, coverage and desired action are also useful generation inputs. Keep commercial details such as the project budget in your planning document if they are not customer-facing content. Review generated claims against your facts and test the final enquiry route. On Adviita, plan requirements still apply: a custom domain and submissions inbox require Core or above, and booking requires Pro. A detailed prompt does not unlock a feature outside your plan.

Common questions

How detailed should a website brief be?

Detailed enough for someone else to understand the work, the content responsibilities and the checks for completion. A short, specific brief is more useful than several pages of style adjectives. Link to supporting material where needed.

Should I put my budget in the brief?

You can state the budget and whether it covers the build alone or ongoing services too. Ask providers what they can deliver within it and what is excluded. Keep budget information out of customer-facing copy unless it belongs there.

Can I send the same brief to several designers?

Yes. Keep the requirements consistent so you can compare scope, responsibilities and recurring costs. If a provider suggests a different solution, ask them to explain the change and price it clearly.

Do I need to supply all the text before asking for a quote?

You should identify what exists and what still needs writing. A provider can quote for helping with the content if that responsibility is explicit. Do not describe unfinished text as approved content.