A lot of small business owners only write the web brief after they've hired someone. By then the conversation tends to follow the web designer's preferred process, and your own goals can get drowned out. Write the brief first, and the conversation starts on YOUR terms.
Here's the brief template I'd suggest to any Suffolk small business thinking about a new website — whoever you end up hiring.
1. What does a "good lead" actually look like for you?
Specific. Named. Quantified. Don't write "more enquiries". Write something like "five plastering quote requests a week, average job £4,500, from homeowners between Stowmarket, Ipswich and Bury." Your web designer can then design to that target.
2. Where do your best leads come from today?
Word of mouth? Repeat business? Google Maps? Facebook? Trade directories? Tell your web designer before they start. A good website doesn't replace the lead source — it backs it up.
3. Three competitors whose websites you respect
Plus one sentence each about what specifically you respect. "I like how their photos show the size of the jobs they do" is useful. "Their site looks nice" is not.
4. The one thing every visitor should see in the first three seconds
If the visitor only reads the headline and the hero image — do they know what you do, where you do it, and how to get in touch? A lot of small business sites fail this test. Be ruthless about answering it.
5. The 5 services or products that matter
Not the 22 you technically offer. The 5 that produce 80% of your revenue. The site is built around those.
6. Existing assets you already own
Logo files (open them — are they vector?), brand colours (hex codes if you have them, photos if you don't), photography (have you got high-res images, or do you need them?), customer reviews, case studies, certifications, accreditation logos.
7. Budget range, honestly
"As cheap as possible" is often the most expensive answer. A real number — even a range like "about £150 a month" or "a few thousand pounds one-off" — lets whoever you hire design within your means and not waste anyone's time. My published pricing is one starting point for what's realistic.
8. Hard deadline (and what triggers it)
Trade show? Funding round? Seasonal launch? Or just "as soon as reasonable"? If you have a real date, say so up front — it's much easier to plan around a deadline at the start than to squeeze one in at the end.
The cost of skipping this
Every extra round of changes costs time, and usually money. A vague brief tends to mean more rounds; a sharp one means fewer. That's the whole case for spending an afternoon on it.
Want a second pair of eyes on your brief before you send it to anyone? Drop me a line — I'm happy to read through it on a free 20-minute call.