How To Write The Perfect Website Brief

What information should the business owner give to the outsourcing website development company

Have an idea to develop a website? Consider outsourcing website development to a web development company. These professionals will be able to hear you out and create a website brief with all the valuable requirements including:

• website’s goals
• functionality
• costs
• content
• advanced visuals
• the complexity of the website

The website brief is aimed at clearly understanding your business objectives and creating the best possible solution serving your goals. Do not think that someone will read your thoughts. The more accurate information you give to developers, the better the outcome.

If you already have a website, you have invaluable experience and understand more clearly what you really want and how else your website can progress. It includes understanding the features you want to add, the color scheme you see as more appropriate, etc.

And if you are a fresh starter in this sphere, the task becomes a little bit harder. Smart web development requires a specific plan of action that should be developed at the initial stage of cooperation.

Let's see how to make a strong start with an accurate project brief!

Things to Consider Before Collaboration

The initial cooperation stage with the web development company implies understanding the key points about your business goals. Thinking about it beforehand will make close cooperation more fruitful.

There is a part that completely depends on the client as if you give inappropriate information the outcome may be different from what you may expect.

Therefore, before the interview with the website development company, the client needs to know:

• the purpose of the site,
• what functions it should perform in the end,
• what kind of website should be created,
• what kind of information should be posted on the site.

Here are some questions you should keep in mind:

1. Do you want a new site or need a redesign of the old one?

2. Tell a contractor about your business. Who are you, what products or services do you offer?

3. Do you have a unique selling proposition? Who are your competitors and how do you differ from them?

4. Give examples of sites that you like.

5. What is your target audience? What age group do your customers belong to?

When you come to a web development agency with a problem, they should:

• analyze the specifics of your business,
• research the area (current trends, competitors),
• understand the subject matter,
• select the solution that suits you.

That's why you should describe your project as clear as possible.

At some point, you may wonder which type of contactor to choose: freelancer or a software development company. Let us emphasize that the latter one takes much more responsibility and can offer a wider range of services with a polished workflow to cover your business needs.

Technical Specification

After the initial preparation stage is over, here is where technical specification comes into place. It helps to point out the wishes of the client. Once the web development team knows your goals, it will be easier for them to define how exactly they are going to achieve them.

A technical specification is a description and coordination of all project details and user flow. Specialists will think over all the nuances of each block and API requests. The client and contractor count all the details and think through the future product to the smallest detail. At this stage, you get acquainted with a dedicated project manager and technical specialist (if you wish, you can organize a brainstorming session with all team members).

The main idea is no matter how professional the performer is, the customer must take this stage as seriously as possible and actively participate in the process. The client and the contractor can work efficiently only by cooperating with each other. Only coordinated communication at all stages will lead to the desired result.

What do you need to find out from the developer at this stage? Here you can read what a proper technical specification should contain

Do not put too much on the performer. It is important for you to express your likes, dislikes, and preferences. A professional developer will find the right tools. You may ask them more about the web development process: which website development approach to choosing? How it will help your business? Why this solution is the best?

Read also: Mobile App vs Mobile Website: Pros and Cons of Each Approach For Business

After receiving brief information about your project and filling out the technical specification, a web development firm will specify how much does it cost to develop a website for you and the estimated deadline.

Final Tips

If you are ready to develop a website but haven't decided on a contactor yet, make a choice based on your communication. Do not rush to make a choice between different web development companies only on a price/time ratio.

Ask yourself the following:

• Which company showed the most interest in your project?
• Did they listen to you?
• Did they ask clarifying questions?
• Did they speak a language that you understood?
• Did they quickly respond to your questions or wishes?

Look again at their portfolio to make sure that you are satisfied with the level and style of their work. And most importantly — think about whether you have confidence that the selected company will do what is necessary to achieve your business objectives.

The original version of the article was published in the TopDevs Blog where you can dive deeper into how to best describe the project to the web development team!

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