You’re ready to update your website or build a new one from scratch. You’ve decided it’s time to work with a partner (like JCD Promotions), but you’re not sure how to explain what you want. Maybe you worry your brief will sound too vague, too technical, or not “good enough.”
Here’s the good news: you don’t need to be a marketing expert to write a useful website brief.
You just need to answer a few clear questions about who your visitors are, what you want them to do, and how your website should feel. When you do that, you make the whole project smoother, faster, and less stressful for everyone involved.
We’re not mind readers, but we can help you a lot faster if you give us a clear sense of what you’re trying to achieve. Think of a website brief as your first real conversation with your web partner. It’s not a long corporate document; it’s simply a way to make sure we’re both aiming for the same result.
What is a Website Brief?
A website brief is a short document that explains the purpose, audience, goals, style, and practical expectations for your website project. It’s not about ticking boxes or sounding sophisticated. It’s about giving your designer or developer enough context to design something that truly fits your business or nonprofit.
When you write a clear brief, you reduce misunderstandings, cut down on unnecessary revisions, and help your web partner focus on designing and building instead of guessing what you want.
For small businesses and nonprofits, this can mean staying on budget, hitting your launch date, and launching a site that actually supports your day‑to‑day work rather than just looking nice.
Think of your website brief as a shared starting point. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but the more you can spell out who you’re talking to and what you want them to do, the better the final result will be.
Start with the Big Picture: What Are You Trying to Achieve?
Before you dive into colour schemes or button styles, start with the website’s overall goal. Ask yourself: what is this site for?
Is it to help people understand your services more clearly?
To make it easier for customers to contact you?
To sell products or accept online bookings?
Or, if you’re a nonprofit, to inspire donations, attract volunteers, or share your impact story?
Being honest about the main purpose will shape almost every subsequent decision.
For example, if your main goal is to generate more enquiries, you’ll want clear contact information, simple forms, and pages that answer common questions. If your goal is to build trust, you’ll want strong testimonials, clear explanations, and a friendly but professional tone.
You don’t need to write a long mission statement. One or two clear sentences that capture what you want the website to do are already a strong start.
That small piece of clarity will help us align the structure, content, and design around something concrete rather than something vague.
Who are You Really Talking To?
Another key part of a good website brief is describing your audience. It’s tempting to say “everyone,” but in practice, your website will usually serve a specific group of people more than others.
Are you mainly serving busy parents, small business owners in your town, students, or professionals in a certain industry?
Where do they usually look for information?
Do they search on Google, browse social media, or rely on word of mouth and local directories?
Also, think about what they care about. For example, some visitors prioritize price and convenience, while others value trust, safety, or personalized service.
If you understand that, we can design a site that speaks directly to those concerns instead of trying to appeal to everyone at once.
You don’t need a perfect marketing segmentation. Just a few sentences that describe who you’re most likely to serve and what matters to them will already make a big difference.
What Do You Want People to Do on the Site?
Once you know who your visitors are and what the site is for, the next step is to decide what you want them to do.
Do you want people to contact you, book a consultation, buy a product, sign up for a newsletter, donate, or volunteer? These are actions, not just feelings. The website should make those actions easy and obvious.
If possible, also think about how you’ll know if the site is working. For example, you might want more contact form submissions, more phone calls from your website, or a steady increase in online bookings.
You don’t need advanced analytics right away, though they are important eventually; a simple definition of success will help us design the site around that goal.
When we know what you want people to do, we can ensure buttons, forms, and calls to action are placed where they belong and use clear language that resonates with your audience.
How Should the Website Feel?
One of the most powerful parts of a website brief is the description of the tone and style. How should the site feel when someone lands on it?
Should it feel friendly and approachable, formal and professional, bold and modern, or quiet and calm?
Does it need to feel trustworthy above all else, or more creative and expressive?
The tone you describe will influence everything from the choice of fonts and colours to the kind of photos and language we use.
You can also mention a few websites you like and what you like about them. Maybe you admire a site for its clean layout, its use of real photos, or the way it explains complex services simply.
At the same time, you can mention things you don’t like. For example, you might say you don’t want the site to feel too corporate, too salesy, or too flashy.
These small details help us narrow down visual directions that actually match your brand and audience, rather than guessing what “modern” or “professional” means to you.
Practical Requirements: Must‑Haves and Timelines
Beyond the look and feel, your website brief is also a place to outline practical needs. What pages or features are essential? A standard setup might include a homepage, an about page, a services or programs page, and a contact page.
If you sell products, you’ll likely need a product or catalogue page and a checkout process. If you’re a nonprofit, you might need a donations page, a volunteering section, or a story page that shares your impact.
You can also mention anything you definitely don’t want. For example, you might prefer to avoid heavy animations that slow the site, certain types of stock photos, or overly complex navigation. This helps us design a site that stays true to your preferences, without having to wonder what you’ll dislike after launch.
Finally, share your expectations around timing.
When do you need the site to go live?
Are there any events, campaigns, or seasons that make that date more important?
How many rounds of feedback or revisions feel realistic for your budget?
Being upfront about your timeline and expectations helps us plan the project more smoothly and avoid last‑minute surprises.
How JCD Promotions Uses Your Website Brief
When you send us a clear website brief, it changes how we approach the project. Instead of starting from a blank screen and a few vague ideas, we can build from a shared understanding of who you’re serving, what you want them to do, and how you want the site to feel.
We’ll use your brief to plan the structure, decide which pages and features to prioritize, and choose a style that matches your brand. If anything feels unclear or unrealistic for your budget or timeline, we’ll flag it early so we can adjust together rather than discover issues later.
You don’t need to be a design expert to write a good website brief. You need to answer a few candid questions about your audience, goals, and preferences. If you can provide that, we can handle the rest.
Help Us Help You Better
If you’d like, you can send your draft website brief to JCD Promotions through our contact form. We’ll review it, ask a few clarifying questions if needed, and help you turn it into something that actually helps us help you better. We can even arrange a free consultation to discuss in more detail!
The goal is to save you time, reduce stress, and make your website work harder for your business or cause. With a clear, simple brief, you’ll be well on your way to a website that feels like it was made for you, not just for the web.
