How to Write a Website Brief Agencies Can Price
By CodexierPublished 6 min read
Three agencies, three quotes, three completely different prices. Usually that is not because one is greedy but because each one guessed a different scope from a vague email. A good brief removes the guessing. It does not need to be long; it needs to answer the questions an estimator asks. This guide gives you that structure, section by section, and explains how to send it so the quotes come back comparable.
Goals and target visitors
Start with the one action the site must produce: a phone call, a booked meeting, a quote request, a purchase. Then describe who takes that action: a facilities manager comparing suppliers, a homeowner searching on a phone at nine in the evening, a patient looking for a clinic near work. Two or three sentences per group are enough. This tells the agency what to design for and stops them selling you features that serve nobody on your list.
Add a sentence on what is wrong today. Too few enquiries, an outdated look, a site nobody can edit, poor results in Google: each points to different work and different cost.
Pages, content and features
List every page you expect, and for each one say whether the content exists, needs rewriting or must be written from scratch. Content is the most underestimated cost in a website project, and a quote that assumes you will deliver finished text differs from one that includes copywriting by a large margin.
| Page | Content status | Special features |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Rewrite | Hero, three service teasers, testimonials |
| Services (one per service) | Write from scratch, six pages | Price from, request-a-quote form |
| About and team | Exists | Team photos to be taken |
| Contact | Exists | Map, form, phone click-to-call |
| News or blog | Ongoing | Editable by staff, categories |
Copy this table into your brief and fill it in. Empty cells are fine; unlisted pages are not.
Then list features that are not pages: a booking calendar, a language switch, a downloadable price list, a newsletter signup. Mark each as must-have or nice-to-have. Agencies price must-haves and offer nice-to-haves as options, which is exactly what you want.
Integrations and must-haves
Integrations are where estimates go wrong, because each one is a small project with its own testing. Name every system the site must talk to and what should flow between them.
- Forms: where should enquiries go? Email, a HubSpot or Pipedrive CRM, a shared inbox?
- Booking: an existing system such as a salon or clinic tool, or something new?
- Accounting: does anything need to reach Fortnox or Visma, for example a webshop order?
- Analytics: GA4 or a cookieless alternative, and a consent banner that meets Swedish practice.
- Legal must-haves: company name, organisation number and contact details visible; privacy notice; cookie consent; accessibility if the accessibility act applies to you.
- Hosting and domain: who owns them today, and who should own them after launch?
If you have a platform preference, state it and say why. If you do not, say that too; our comparison of WordPress, Webflow and custom code explains what the choice depends on.
Budget range and deadline
Buyers often hide the budget to avoid being charged the maximum. In practice a hidden budget produces quotes that are either far too big or built to a guessed number. Give a range instead, and say what would move you to the top of it. Fixed-price packages, such as our business website package, remove the problem entirely because the price is public before the conversation starts; see the pricing page.
For the deadline, separate the date the site must be live from the reason. A trade fair, a season, a rebrand launch: a real reason lets the agency propose a phased launch if the full scope will not fit. Also state when you can deliver content and feedback, because that is the schedule item that slips most often, and it is on your side.
Sending the same brief to several agencies
Send the identical document to three agencies at most, with the same deadline for replies. Ask each to quote against your page and feature lists line by line, to state what is excluded, and to name who owns the code, the domain and the hosting after launch. Then put the answers side by side; our guide to comparing web agency quotes has a table for that.
- Same brief, same deadline, same questions to every agency.
- Ask for a line-by-line response, not a lump sum.
- Ask what is excluded and what would cost extra.
- Ask who owns what after launch.
- Ask what they need from you and by when.
When you do not need a brief like this: if you want a simple one-page site with content you already have, a fixed-price package and a short call will get you there faster than a formal tender. If you are unsure whether your scope is small or large, a free 15-minute call will tell you before you write anything.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a website brief be?
One to three pages. Agencies need specific answers, not volume. A filled-in page table, a list of integrations, a budget range and a deadline with a reason cover almost everything an estimator asks.
Should I include design examples in the brief?
Yes, two or three sites you like, with one sentence each on why. Say whether you like the layout, the tone or the colours. This is faster than describing a style in words and prevents the first design round going in the wrong direction.
Should I tell agencies my budget?
Give a range. Without it, agencies guess, and their guesses vary more than their prices would. A range lets them propose the right scope and tell you honestly if what you want does not fit inside it.
What if I do not know which features I need?
Write down the goal and the visitors, list the pages you are sure about, and mark the rest as open questions. A good agency will turn open questions into options with prices. A bad one will price the maximum and hope.
Want a second pair of eyes on your brief?
Send us your draft before you send it to agencies. In a 15-minute call we point out the gaps that will make quotes hard to compare, and tell you which of our fixed packages matches, if any.
Book a free 15-minute call