You don’t need to show up to a website project with a perfect brief. You do need to be able to explain your business.
I’ve seen how easy it is for a website conversation to jump straight to colours, fonts and examples of sites you like. Those things matter, but they don’t answer the bigger questions. What should the website actually achieve? Who is it for? What information do visitors need before they trust you enough to get in touch?
If you get a few things together before talking to a designer, you’ll have a better conversation, make decisions faster and avoid paying for changes that could have been resolved during planning.
Here’s what I’d prepare—and what you can leave for the designer to help you work out.
Start with a one-paragraph description of your business
Try explaining what you do to someone who has never heard of you.
Include what you sell or offer, who you serve and what makes the service relevant. Keep it simple. “We provide a complete suite of innovative business solutions” doesn’t tell a visitor much. “We repair commercial refrigeration for restaurants and food businesses” does.
This description doesn’t need to be polished website copy yet. It’s the raw material that helps everyone understand the offer.
If you have several services, name the main ones. If some are more important or profitable than others, say so. The homepage shouldn’t treat every service as equally important when your business doesn’t.
Decide what you want someone to do
A website can be a brochure, a sales tool, a booking channel or a way to answer common questions. It can do several of those jobs, but it helps to choose the main one.
For a service business, that might be requesting a quote, booking a consultation, calling the office or sending an enquiry. For a store, it might be purchasing a product. For a practice, it could be finding the right service and scheduling an appointment.
Then think about what a visitor needs before taking that action. They may want to see examples, understand your process, check your location or get a rough sense of the price.
The design should help them make that decision, not make them search for the next step.
Know who the website needs to speak to
You don’t need an elaborate customer persona with a made-up name and stock photo. A few clear answers will do more good.
Who typically buys from you? What problem brings them to your business? What are they worried about? What questions come up before they agree to work with you?
If you serve different audiences, tell the designer. A homeowner and a commercial property manager might need different information even when they buy a similar service.
This affects how the pages are organized. It’s hard to create a clear user journey when nobody has identified the people using it.
Gather your services, products and essential facts
Collect the details visitors will reasonably expect to find.
For a service business, that might mean service names, descriptions, areas served, how an enquiry works, expected response times and any qualifications you can substantiate. For a local business, opening hours, address, contact details and accessibility information may be essential. For ecommerce, product descriptions, shipping information and returns policies matter.
Don’t worry if the words aren’t beautifully written. Accuracy is the priority. A designer or copywriter can help shape that information into readable content.
What slows a website down is discovering halfway through development that nobody knows which services are offered or what happens after the contact form is submitted.
Collect your brand materials—even if they’re incomplete
If you have a logo, current colours, fonts or a brand guide, put them in one folder. Original vector logo files are usually more useful than screenshots. If you own photographs or illustrations, gather the highest-quality versions you have.
If your branding is still evolving, be transparent about it. You may need to agree on the visual direction before the website design is finalized.
You can also collect examples of websites you like, but be specific. “I like this site’s navigation” is helpful. “I want it to look exactly like this competitor” usually isn’t.
The goal is to discover preferences, not copy someone else’s identity.
Find the proof that helps people trust you
A website becomes more convincing when it shows real information rather than broad claims.
That could be your credentials, accurate business history, client-approved testimonials, photographs of genuine work, documented case studies, staff information or an explanation of your process.
You don’t need all of these. Use what’s relevant and available. Make sure you have permission to publish client names, images or results.
If you’re a newer business without a long portfolio, don’t invent one. Clear explanations, relevant experience and honest expectations can still build confidence.
Look at your current website, if you have one
Before you replace anything, write down what works and what doesn’t.
Which pages do customers use? Which links are shared in emails or marketing campaigns? Do people struggle to find something? Is the content outdated, or does the whole site need rethinking?
If you have access to website analytics or Google Search Console, those reports can help your team avoid removing pages that people already find useful.
Also note the domain, hosting provider, CMS or builder, contact forms, email setup and any integrations. You don’t need to understand every technical detail, but someone on the project should know who has access.
Redesigning is not just creating a new appearance. It may involve protecting useful URLs, content and systems.
Make a realistic feature list
Write down everything you believe the website must do. Then separate the requirements from the nice-to-haves.
If you are still comparing build approaches, custom website vs template covers the trade-offs.
A reliable contact form may be essential. A booking calendar might save your team time. A client portal may be worth building later, but not necessarily on day one.
For each feature, ask what happens behind the scenes. Where do enquiry emails go? Who manages appointment availability? Do payments need to connect to accounting software? Will staff members edit content?
A seemingly small feature can affect security, maintenance, budget and timeline. Discussing it early gives everyone a better chance of choosing the simplest sensible solution.
Think about your timeline and budget
It’s fine not to know the exact price of the website you need. It is still useful to share a realistic investment range and any deadline that matters to the business.
This practical guide to custom website costs can help you turn a rough budget into useful questions.
For example, are you preparing for an opening, a campaign or a seasonal launch? Is that date fixed, or just a preference? Will your team be available to review designs and approve content along the way?
A project can stall even when the designer is ready because photographs, legal wording or approval from stakeholders hasn’t arrived.
You don’t need to promise a perfect schedule. You just need to be honest about constraints.
Decide who will approve the work
If several people will have a say, agree on how feedback will be collected.
One person should own the final decision. Others can contribute, but it’s easier to work from one clear set of consolidated comments than several conflicting messages.
Try to separate feedback about business accuracy from personal preference. “Our customers won’t understand this service name” is important. “I prefer this shade of blue” is a different kind of discussion.
Approval points are most useful when everyone knows what they’re reviewing: the page structure, the visual direction, the mobile layouts or the functioning website.
A simple website brief you can actually use
Here’s a starter brief you could put in one document before your first meeting:
If you want to understand how those decisions affect the finished site, read what matters in custom website design.
Business: What do you do, and where do you operate?
Audience: Who are your ideal customers, and what do they usually need to know?
Main goal: What is the one action you’d most like visitors to take?
Services: What are your core offers, and which should be easiest to find?
Current website: What exists now, and what needs to change?
Content and assets: Which text, photos, logos and examples do you already have?
Features: Do you need forms, booking, payments, integrations or anything else?
Design direction: What should the brand feel like, and what examples help explain that?
Constraints: Is there a deadline, budget range or approval process?
Success: How will you know the new website is doing its job?
If you can’t answer everything, leave a note. That’s a far better starting point than filling gaps with guesses.
What you don’t need to figure out yourself
You shouldn’t have to decide the exact page layout, write technical specifications or select a coding framework before asking for help.
A good website designer should be able to turn your business information into a sensible sitemap, a content structure and a visual approach. They should explain their recommendations in language you understand.
What I would expect from a productive design process is a chance to review the structure before the visuals, and the visuals before major development begins. That helps catch misunderstandings when they’re still easy to fix.
What happens after the brief?
Once the goals, content and requirements are reasonably clear, the next steps are usually a page plan, wireframes or content structure, an agreed design direction and desktop/mobile designs.
Before the site goes live, use this website launch checklist to keep testing and handover visible.
After approval, the website can be built, tested and prepared for launch. That includes making sure forms work, content is correct, the site is usable on phones and important SEO basics are in place.
At Cielle Designs, that’s the kind of sequence I want a project to follow: understand the business first, then make design and technical choices that support it.
You don’t need to arrive with every answer. You just need to be open about what you know, what’s still undecided and what matters most to your customers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to write all the website copy before hiring a designer?
Not necessarily. But accurate service details, common customer questions and a clear business description make the process much smoother. Agree early on who is responsible for writing and approving final copy.
What if I don’t have a logo or brand guidelines?
Tell the designer. The project may need some brand direction first, or you may decide to use a simple, consistent temporary identity. It’s better to make that decision early than after the layouts are approved.
How many website examples should I send?
A few good examples are enough. Explain what you like about each one—navigation, readability, photography or layout—rather than sending a large folder with no context.
Should I prepare SEO keywords myself?
You can share what customers call your services and the questions they ask. Keyword research and page targeting should then be checked as part of the content and SEO planning, rather than forcing phrases into every paragraph.
Can I change my mind during the project?
Usually, yes, within an agreed review process. Large changes after design approval may affect cost and timeline. Ask how revisions and scope changes work before the project begins.
If you would like to talk through what your business website needs, you can book a free consultation with Cielle Designs.