Free client website brief template
A clear brief makes the next conversation easier.
Use this client website brief template to agree what you are building before you build it. Copy the questions, fill them in with your client, and turn the answers into a useful starting prompt.
Use the brief to settle the important decisions.
Complete it in a call or send it ahead of your first meeting. Keep unknowns visible, ask the client to approve the facts and assets, and agree who will review the result.
Copy into your own document
The client website brief.
Use all seven sections or adapt them to the project. Keep login details and passwords in your usual secure sharing process.
Business and audience
- Business name and existing website:
- What does the business do, and where?
- Who is the website for?
- What brings someone to this business rather than another?
The website's main job
- What should a visitor do next?
- What does that visitor need to know before acting?
- Which services or offers take priority?
- How will the business handle an inquiry?
Pages and content
- Which pages are needed, and what is each for?
- What services, prices, hours, and coverage are confirmed?
- Which contact details should be public?
- Which claims or credentials has the client verified?
Photos, logo, and design
- Which photos, logo files, and text are approved for use?
- Who owns or has permission to use those assets?
- What should the site feel like?
- Which reference sites are useful, and what do you like about each?
Inquiries and other services
- What fields should a contact or request form collect?
- Who will receive and respond to submissions?
- Which existing booking, shop, or other service should the site link to?
- Which details need to be confirmed before building?
Review and approval
- Who is the client's decision-maker?
- How and when will they send one consolidated list of feedback?
- Which pages and facts need their approval?
- Who will check the website on phone and desktop?
Domain and ongoing updates
- Which domain will the site use, and who manages it?
- Who will make the DNS changes when the site is ready?
- Does the domain also handle email?
- Who maintains the site after launch, and how will changes be requested?
- What launch date are you working toward?
A worked example
A plumbing website, with a clear job to do.
This completed example draws on the brief for Alder & Valve Plumbing. Notice how the audience and main action lead to practical decisions about pages, prices, and contact routes.
- Business
- Alder & Valve Plumbing, serving homeowners in Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, and Stoney Creek, Ontario.
- Main action
- Request a visit. Collect the job details in a form, with a phone option during working hours.
- Pages
- Home, Services, Service area, and Request a visit.
- Key details
- A diagnostic visit costs CAD $95 plus HST, covering the visit and assessment. The fee is credited against an accepted repair. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and Saturday, 9 am to 1 pm.
- Style and imagery
- Clear, approachable language with detailed photography of residential fixtures, tools, and materials. Give the business its own visual identity.
- Request form
- Name, email, phone, neighborhood or postal code, type of job, and a short description. The business replies to confirm the appointment.
Alder & Valve Plumbing
Compare these planning decisions with the original brief and the resulting website.
Explore the brief and websiteFrom answers to a starting point
Turn the brief into the first message.
You do not need to compress every detail into one sentence. Start with the purpose and page plan, then bring the confirmed facts and files into the conversation.
Example starting prompt
Build a website for Alder & Valve Plumbing, serving homeowners in Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, and Stoney Creek, Ontario. The main action is to request a visit. Include Home, Services, Service area, and Request a visit. Explain the CAD $95 plus HST diagnostic fee and that it is credited against an accepted repair. Collect the job details through a request form and make the phone number easy to find. Use Canadian English and an individual design with photography of residential fixtures and materials. I will provide the confirmed services, hours, contact details, and approved assets for the brief.
Replace the example with your client's details. Designhouse helps you develop the brief before you confirm the build. Use approved content: the first successful build publishes at a Designhouse address.
Putting the brief to work.
Updated October 2026
Have a brief ready to build?
Bring the agreed details into Designhouse and plan the website with the chat.
See example sites