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Having a professional WordPress website created
Overview
Written by Finn Ruijter, 15 June 2020

Website briefing writing +examples and .docx template

A new website does not just happen; an Internet agency needs good input for it. About why your briefing should be as complete as possible, we’ve written before. We have also provided some helpful documents. Download them below:

One briefing is not the other

As an Internet agency, we’ve seen a lot of briefings go by. The form and content varies widely, leading us to suspect that there is quite a bit of ambiguity about the perfect website brief. That’s why we want to get you started on this page. Also read below about the handy downloads we’ve created, including a free website briefing whitepaper including tips, examples and template [.docx].

Principles

In this section of the Web site briefing, you tell what areas of concern you have. These are not rock-hard, measurable requirements, but rather general prerequisites that you take for granted.

Examples include that a website should be search engine friendly, easy to manage with different roles for contributors, the site should be responsive and you want maximum security.

Introduction

First of all, you want to give prospective internet agencies the opportunity to get into your skin. That way, they understand your needs and requirements a lot better, resulting in a partner that actively thinks along and offers customized solutions. Also, the final result-the new website-then better aligns with your proposition, which in turn leads to better conversions.

In the introductory piece of your briefing, then, tell concisely about your organization. What kind of company or institution are you? What is your mission and vision and what are the goals, especially when it comes to your online presence? Who are the competitors and what sets you apart?

Technical functional requirements

The tougher, technical requirements deserve their own chapter in your website briefing. Here you tell how many Web sites you need, whether you want versions in multiple languages, what external systems you want to link to, and whether you want to make the site accessible to people with disabilities. You can also tell us here what your content migration requirements are: do you want to migrate (some of) the current content to your new website(s), or will you provide new content?

Presentation requirements

The beauty of a website brief is that the client is king. You are in control and get to set the terms – compare it to a tender for a construction project. And among those terms in your brief are the requirements you set for the Internet agency’s presentation or pitch. How long should it last? What content do you expect? What compensation do you offer the web builder for the time and effort taken?

Planning

It is also important for the Internet agency to know what deadlines you have in mind for the various milestones. Due to other ongoing jobs, the web builders can see if your project is feasible. In this regard, it is nice for both parties if you create some slack, in case a technical challenge or content delivery causes a delay.

Budget indication

Another item important to Internet agencies is the available budget. Not always is there a real budget available and sometimes an agency is pushed to the limits of its creativity to implement the desired solutions. In other cases, there is more than enough budget available and it does not need to be addressed in its entirety.

Either way, it is wise to break down this budget into the one-time amount for updating or building the new website; the ongoing development process; and the online marketing (if any) with social media campaigns, for example.