Nine out of ten bad agency projects start with a vague brief. Here's the exact template we ask Founding Clients to fill before kickoff.
Most website projects that go badly didn't fail in the build. They failed at the brief. The owner said "make me a nice website", the agency made something, and three rounds of "can you change this?" later everyone is frustrated and over budget. A good brief fixes this before a single line of code is written. It forces you to decide what you actually want, and it gives your developer the raw material to build it. Here's the exact template we ask our clients to fill in before kickoff, written for a busy Indian SMB owner, not a marketing department.
Every page on the internet is built for something. Before pages, colours, or logos, answer one question: what should this website make happen? Be specific. "Get more enquiry calls from people searching for my service in HSR Layout" is a goal. "Have an online presence" is not, it can't be designed for or measured.
Pick a primary goal and at most one secondary. Common ones for SMBs:
Your developer can't write copy or design layout without knowing who's reading. Give a one-paragraph sketch of your typical customer: who they are, what problem brings them to you, what makes them hesitate, and what finally makes them trust you. A site for first-time homebuyers reads very differently from one for procurement managers at a factory. The clearer this is, the less the site sounds like generic filler.
Don't just say "5 pages". For each page, write one line on its job. A lean SMB site usually needs:
If you can't say in one sentence why a page exists, you probably don't need it. Fewer, sharper pages beat a sprawling site nobody finishes reading.
Be honest about this: the number one reason a website launch slips is missing content. The developer is ready, but they're waiting on your service descriptions, your photos, your testimonials, your list of products. Decide upfront who writes the words. If it's you, start now. Even rough drafts in a Google Doc are gold. If you want it written for you, say so in the brief so it's scoped in, not discovered halfway through.
Gather your assets in one folder: logo files, real photographs (not stock), past brochures, your Google reviews, and your exact contact details and addresses.
Link three or four websites you like and, in one line each, say why: "love how clean this is", "the booking flow is obvious". Then link one or two you dislike and say why. This single step saves more revision rounds than any other. Designers read references far faster than adjectives; "modern and premium" means ten different things, but a link means exactly one.
A strong brief is one page, maybe two. It names the goal, the audience, the pages, who's writing the content, three reference links, and the practical constraints. That's it. Hand that to a competent developer and you'll get a quote that matches reality and a build that doesn't drift.
If writing all this feels like work you'd rather not do, that's fine. A good build partner will pull it out of you in one conversation. That's how we run kickoff: a structured chat on WhatsApp, we draft the brief, you approve it, and we build in your name. Have a look at our website development service or get in touch and we'll help you write the brief itself.