A vague request for “a professional website” produces quotes that describe different projects. One supplier may include copywriting and a year of support; another may include only a theme installation. Before comparing prices, describe the same job to every supplier. The brief below is a planning framework, not a prescribed market price.
Begin with one useful visitor action
Write down who the visitor is, what they need to understand and what they should be able to do. A local service business might want a visitor to confirm the service area and send a valid enquiry. That is more actionable than asking for a modern design. Define what a successful enquiry contains, who receives it and what happens after submission.
List pages and content responsibilities
Separate page templates from the amount of content. Ten service pages with the same layout still require ten sets of accurate information. List essential pages and say whether the owner or supplier provides text, photographs, logo files and translations. State who approves content and when it will be available. Late content can delay launch even when the design is finished.
- Essential pages and the purpose of each page.
- Required forms, fields and delivery destinations.
- Existing content that must be moved and old URLs that need redirects.
- Features explicitly deferred until a later phase.
Define review and acceptance
Specify how many review rounds are included and what constitutes a revision. Correcting a broken form is different from adding a booking system after approval. Write observable acceptance checks: the enquiry reaches the expected destination, navigation works on a phone, downloads open, HTTPS is valid and private pages are not public. Agree which browsers and devices will be checked rather than using the undefined phrase “works everywhere”.
Compare the handover, not just the build
Ask who owns the domain, hosting account, source files and content. Request an explanation of software licences, renewal bills and what happens if the relationship ends. Record who handles backups and whether a restore test is included. A backup that nobody knows how to restore is a weak handover.
Turn the brief into a decision
Send the same brief to each supplier and request separate amounts for setup, recurring services and optional work. Compare exclusions alongside the total. If the quote exceeds the budget, reduce the initial scope rather than leaving responsibilities ambiguous. Download our project brief from the resource library and keep the agreed version with the final quote.