A new website doesn't just happen; an internet agency needs good input for it. We wrote earlier about why your briefing should be as complete as possible. We also previously paid attention to the components of a complete website briefing. In this one, you'll learn all about writing your own website brief.
As an internet agency, we have seen quite a few briefings pass by. The form and content varies greatly, which leads us to suspect that there is quite a bit of confusion about the perfect website briefing. That's why we want to help you on this page. Also read about the useful downloads we have made, including a free website briefing white paper including tips, examples and template [.docx].
Introduction
First of all, you want to offer candidate internet agencies the opportunity to crawl into your skin. In this way they understand your wishes and requirements much better, resulting in a partner who actively thinks along and offers customized solutions. Also, the final result - the new website - will be more in line with your proposition, which in turn will lead to better conversions.
So in the introductory piece of your brief, tell us succinctly 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 your competitors and what sets you apart?
Starting points
In this part of the website briefing you tell what points of attention there are. These are not rigid, measurable requirements, but rather general preconditions that you take for granted.
Examples include that a website should be search engine friendly, easy to manage with different roles for employees, the site should be responsive and you want maximum security.
Technical functional requirements
The harder, technical requirements deserve their own chapter in your website briefing. Here you tell how many websites you need, whether you want versions in multiple languages, with which external systems you want to be linked and whether you want to make the site accessible to people with disabilities. You can also tell what your requirements are with regard to content migration: do you want to migrate (some of) your current content to your new website(s), or will you be delivering new content?
Presentation Requirements
The beauty of writing a website brief is that the client is king. You are in control and get to set the conditions - compare it to a tender for a construction project. And those conditions in your brief include 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 different milestones. In connection with other ongoing assignments, the web builders can see if your project is feasible. It is nice for both parties if you create some slack, in case a technical challenge or the delivery of content causes a delay.
Budget indication
Another item that is important for 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 to the one-time amount for updating or building the new website; the ongoing development process; and the online marketing (if any) with, for example, social media campaigns.
Download useful resources: website briefing checklist, white paper with examples or website briefing template
Have you already started writing a website brief? With our website briefing checklist, you'll quickly know if you've incorporated all the necessary items. Would you also like to have examples that you can adapt to your specific situation? Then download our website briefing white paper [+ template].