How to brief someone to build a small-business website

Decide what the website needs to do

Choose the main action you want a visitor to take: call you, request a quote, book an appointment or buy a product. Describe your customers and the questions they usually ask before getting in touch.

List the pages you expect to need. A small service business might start with Home, Services, About and Contact. Treat that as an example, not a fixed package: a booking service or online shop needs a different brief.

Separate essentials from later additions

Write down the features needed for launch, then a separate list of things that could wait. An enquiry form is a different piece of work from online booking, customer accounts or taking payments.

If you already use a booking tool or another service the website must connect to, name it in the brief. Ask the person quoting to explain what is included, what relies on another service and any ongoing costs.

Say what content you have

Make a short inventory of your logo, photographs, page text and service information. Mark each item as ready, needing an update or still to be created. Ask who will write, edit and upload the content, and how many rounds of feedback the quote includes.

Share a few websites you like and explain why: readable text, a simple menu or a clear way to contact the business. That is more useful than asking someone to copy another site.

Include budget, timing and responsibilities

Give a budget range if you have one, plus your preferred launch date and any real deadline. Explain who will approve the work and how quickly they can review drafts.

Ask the quote to separate the build from ongoing costs such as hosting, domain renewal, maintenance or paid software. Agree what happens if the brief changes after work starts.

Plan the handover before the build

Ask whose accounts will hold the domain, hosting and any paid tools, and who will have access after launch. Explain whether you want to update text and images yourself and ask what instructions or training are included.

Agree how you will review the site on phones and larger screens, check forms and links, and confirm that the requested pages and features are ready. Keep passwords and recovery codes out of public requests and use an agreed secure method for any access that is needed.

A sample starting brief