Guides · Process · 6 min · 20 June 2026
How to write a website design brief
The short brief that gets a useful proposal: goals, audience, examples, scope, content and who decides.
By Lloyd Robinson, Shopify Partner and founder of LloydRdigital in Crewe and Liverpool.
A brief is a decision tool
You do not need to be technical. You need to be clear about what success looks like. The structure below is what I ask for before I describe the work.
If you only fill in three of these, start with the goal, the audience, and what the site has to do. Those three prevent most wrong builds.
1. The business in two sentences
What you do, who for, and what is different. If a stranger could repeat it, it is short enough.
2. The goal
Be specific: more booking enquiries, higher online sales, a new product launch, a move upmarket. Name the one metric you care about most.
3. The audience
Who are the best customers? What do they worry about before they buy? Which device do they use? This shapes navigation and the first screen.
4. What exists today
The current site and platform, what works, what does not, and any numbers you have: analytics, popular pages, questions customers repeat.
5. Examples, and why
Three to five sites you like, and what you like about each: the type, the calm, the product pages, the motion. The reason matters more than the link.
6. Scope
Platform preference, if you have one. Key pages. Must-have features: booking, subscriptions, filtering, trade accounts. Integrations: email, reviews, accounts.
7. Content
Who provides copy, photography and video? Content readiness moves timelines more than design does.
8. Dates and constraints
Mention fixed dates such as a launch, a season, or a trade show. Also say what must stay: the current platform, a booking tool, a brand you are not changing. That is enough to shape the work.
9. Who decides
Name the person who signs off. One voice keeps feedback focused and the project on the date you agreed.
Questions on this guide
How long should a website design brief be?
A page is enough if it answers the goal, the audience, the pages you need, and who provides the words and photos. A long deck that never says what success looks like is less useful than five clear sentences.
What if I do not know which pages I need?
Start from the questions customers already ask. Each repeated question is usually a page or a section. I can shape the sitemap with you on a short call if the list is still fuzzy.
Related service: Web design