How to brief a web agency so you actually get what you want.

The most common source of tension in a web design project isn't the design itself. It's the gap between what a client imagined and what the agency thought they were asked to build — because the brief didn't bridge those two things clearly enough.

A good brief doesn't require design knowledge. It requires you to know your business, your customers, and what success looks like. Here's what needs to be in it.

Start with the business context, not the website

The biggest mistake clients make in a brief is starting with what they want the site to look like. Before any design conversation, the agency needs to understand what your business actually does, who it serves, and what problem it solves.

Answer these before anything else:

• What does your company do, in one sentence?
• Who are your customers? Be specific — not "businesses," but what kind, what size, what role is making the decision?
• What is the main thing you want visitors to do when they land on your site?
• What are the three most common things prospects ask or worry about before buying from you?

These answers shape every design and copy decision on the site. An agency that doesn't ask these questions before starting design is guessing at your business strategy.

Define what success looks like — specifically

"A site that looks professional and gets us more leads" is not a success criterion. It sounds like one, but it can't be measured and can't be disagreed with — which means when the project ends, neither party has a clear basis for evaluating whether it worked.

Better versions:

• "Five inbound enquiries per month through the contact form within 90 days of launch"
• "When a prospect visits the site after a sales call, they can clearly understand our offering without us having to explain it further"
• "Our bounce rate on the homepage drops below 60% within the first month"

Share what you like — and why

Reference sites are useful when they come with context. "I like this site" gives an agency almost nothing to work with. "I like this site because it communicates premium positioning without being cold or corporate" — that's useful.

Share three to five sites you find compelling. For each one, say what specifically you like: the copy style, the layout, the use of white space, the photography direction, the way they handle social proof. The more specific you are, the more likely the output will resemble what you're imagining.

Be clear about your assets and constraints

• Brand assets: Do you have a logo, style guide, established brand colours and fonts? Or does the agency need to work with an underdeveloped brand?
• Content: Who is writing the copy — you or the agency? What photography do you have access to?
• Technical constraints: Are there integrations required (CRM, booking system, payment processor)?
• Timeline and budget: State both upfront, even if approximate. Agencies that don't know your budget have to guess at what level of solution to propose.

What happens when the brief is bad

A vague brief produces a site built on assumptions. When the client sees the output and says "this isn't what I had in mind," both parties are right — and both parties are stuck. The revision rounds multiply. The relationship gets strained. The project takes twice as long. The final product is usually a compromise that neither side is fully happy with.

A good brief prevents all of that. It's the cheapest investment you can make in a web project.