We find that briefs come in all shapes and sizes and although we don’t insist on changing your methods, there are a few key details that make things clear for everyone.  Like the saying, the devil is in the details. 

What should you include in your brief?

A description of the website, the purpose of the website and why you are reaching out about this build. 

How big is the website or web application?  Some websites are only 1 page and some have over 100 pages.  The size of the website and the amount of content has a huge impact on the time involved in building. 

What functionality do you need?  A basic website sometimes isn’t simply a basic website.  Connecting to other software, ecommerce, conditional logic, automation, and chat, are just a few things that can add further complexity to any site no matter what the size.

Timelines. 

You may be working towards a date for launch that is tied into advertising or an event.  Best to include it in the brief so we can work out the best solution.  

Is the site a new build or will it be replacing an existing site.  If it will replace an existing site, is the content going to be supplied or will it be copied over?

Forms. 

Most sites will have a contact form, which can be 3 simple questions or many questions.  An outline of how many forms and what they need to include.  Is there conditional logic?  Where do the notifications go? Is there any special functionality? Will they need to be connected to a CRM and what CRM is it?  If a plugin is already being used please let us know

SEO. 

When rebuilding a website it is important to think through SEO before building.  If an SEO plugin is already being used, what is it and who will install and manage it?  Will the site structure change?  If so, you will need to setup redirects once the site is live.

Analytics. 

What analytics options are running.  If nothing, what is the plan? We will install the analytics code as part of every project if provided, but if you require further assistance we can do that too, just let us know.  

Blogs. 

Will there be a blog?  Do you already have blog posts?  Who will be creating them on the site?