Website specification brief

How to use this

Fill this brief in with the client at kickoff, ideally on a call, before you write any code. It turns what was said in the sales meeting into decisions you can build from. When it is done, send it to the client and ask them to reply "approved". From then on, anything not in the brief is a change in scope, and you have a polite, written way to say so. It also makes a great first input for an AI coding assistant (see the AI website prompt pack).

This is not legal advice. Where the brief mentions privacy policies, cookie notices, accessibility or other legal pages, the client is responsible for the legal content and should get advice that fits where they operate.

1. Project basics

Field	Answer
Client business name	[Business name]
Main contact and role	[Name, role]
Person who approves work	[Name]
Current website	[URL or "none"]
Domain to use	[domain.com]
Who owns the domain account	[Client / us, to transfer]
Target launch date	[Date]
Reason for that date	[Reason, or "flexible"]

2. Goals

What should the website do for the business? List up to three, most important first.

1. [Primary goal, for example: get more phone calls from people nearby]
2. [Secondary goal]
3. [Third goal]

The one action we want most visitors to take: [Call / book / fill in form / visit / buy]

How we will know it is working: [For example: form submissions and tapped phone links, tracked in analytics]

3. Audience

Question	Answer
Who are the ideal customers?	[Description]
Where are they located?	[City, area, service radius]
What device do they mostly use?	[Phone / laptop / unsure]
What do they need to know before they contact you?	[Prices, areas served, insurance, hours]
What worries them about buying?	[Cost, trust, timing]
What words do they search for?	[Phrases]

4. Brand and style

Item	Answer
Logo available	[Yes, files attached / needs work]
Brand colors	[Codes or "use logo colors"]
Fonts	[Names or "your choice"]
Tone of voice	[Friendly / formal / playful / calm]
Sites they like, and why	[URL: reason]
Sites they dislike, and why	[URL: reason]

5. Sitemap

Page	Purpose	Key content	Who supplies text
Home	[ ]	[ ]	[Client / us]
[Service 1]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
[Service 2]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
About	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Contact	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Privacy policy	Legal	Supplied by client or their adviser	Client
[Other]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

6. Features

• Contact form, sending to [email]
• Click to call phone number
• Online booking using [tool]
• Map and directions
• Reviews or testimonials, supplied by the client from real customers
• Photo gallery
• Blog or news
• Content the client can edit: [which parts]
• Newsletter signup using [tool]
• Analytics using [tool]
• Cookie notice, if required where the client operates
• Other: [ ]

7. Content and assets

Item	Status	Due date
Page text	[Ready / in progress / we write it]	[Date]
Photos	[ ]	[Date]
Logo files	[ ]	[Date]
Team bios	[ ]	[Date]
Service descriptions and prices	[ ]	[Date]
Legal page text	[ ]	[Date]

8. Technical details

Item	Answer
Hosting	[Where, and whose account]
Email on the domain	[Existing provider, do not break it]
Existing DNS records to keep	[Mail records, verification records]
Integrations	[Booking, payments, newsletter, chat]
Pages to redirect from the old site	[Old URL to new URL]
Accessibility target	[For example: aim for WCAG AA where practical]

9. Out of scope

Write down what is explicitly not part of this project:

• [Item]
• [Item]

10. Approvals

• Goals agreed
• Sitemap agreed
• Features agreed
• Content owners and dates agreed
• Out of scope list agreed

Approved by: [Name] Date: [Date]