What should you prepare before ordering a website?

A website brief explains what you want to build and why. A simple document or email is enough. At the beginning, a few specific answers are more useful than a long presentation full of visual references.

If you run a salon, hotel or service business, start with the conversations you already have with customers. What do they ask before buying? What can they never find on your current website? Those answers help shape the content, navigation and features people will actually use.

Start with one action you want a customer to take

“I want a modern website” describes a visual preference, but says little about its purpose. Try completing this sentence: after visiting the website, a customer should primarily… book an appointment, send an enquiry, buy a product or check room availability.

That becomes the main goal of the project. Other actions can still be available, but not every action needs an equally prominent button. A bespoke kitchen business might need an enquiry form with measurements and photos more than a shopping basket.

Add where visitors are likely to come from. A website for referrals can need different content from a landing page for an advertising campaign. Someone referred by a friend may be looking for reassurance before contacting you. A visitor from an ad may still need to understand what you offer and whether it suits them.

Describe your services in your customers’ language

For each service, explain who it is for, what is included, how the work happens and what customers usually ask. If the price depends on scope, describe the factors that change it. You do not have to publish a complete price list immediately.

Photos, a logo, work samples and reviews you have permission to use are useful too. Mark which materials are ready and which need preparation. Writing copy, arranging photography and organising files take time, so include them in the schedule.

Avoid copying a competitor’s description. Write down a specific fact about your own service instead: you respond on business days, visit the property to take measurements or welcome guests with dogs, if that is how your business operates.

Separate launch requirements from later ideas

List the jobs your website should handle. Instead of “system integration”, name the tool you use and explain what should happen. For example: when a customer books, they receive a confirmation and the appointment appears in the salon’s calendar.

This is an example, not a fixed package for every business. If you serve international guests, another language may be essential from day one. Priorities come from how your business works.

Decide who will look after the website

If you want to edit content yourself, include that in the brief. Be specific: prices, project photos, seasonal offers or articles. A CMS can expose those fields without requiring you to edit the whole page layout.

Also decide who supplies the materials and approves the design. When several people make decisions, one contact person helps turn feedback into a coherent list. Include your preferred launch date and explain what drives it, such as a new location opening or an advertising campaign.

A budget range is useful even when the final scope is uncertain. It helps shape realistic options and delivery phases. When comparing quotes, check that they cover the same work: content, implementation, migration, training and ongoing support.

A short example for a beauty salon

We run a beauty salon in Poznań. We want to explain our treatments and make it easier to book through the tool we already use. Customers mostly ask about prices, preparation and directions. We have a logo and interior photos, but need help with copy. We want to update prices and treatments ourselves. The website should launch before our second treatment room opens.

That is enough to start a useful conversation. The number of pages, booking process, languages and content responsibilities can then be refined. Our beauty salon website offering shows how a website, booking and marketing can fit together.

A checklist before you send the brief

• Explain what the business does and who its customers are.
• Identify the main action visitors should take.
• Name the tools involved in the features you need.
• Separate ready materials from those still to be prepared.
• Identify who will edit content and approve the project.
• Give an initial timeline and budget range.

You do not need every answer. Include the uncertainties too. If you are unsure whether a website is enough, read our website and web application comparison. Your draft can then become the starting point for planning your website.