The Website Development Brief

… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

THE

WEBSITE
DEVELOPMENT
BRIEF

… a best practice guide to briefing

web development agencies
The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

Joint guidelines and template for business owners, to enable more effective working with
web development agencies/companies.

Supported by:

DISCLAIMER:
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information/material contained in this
document, the author and the Local Enterprise Office assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees,
undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information
provided in this guide and do not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions.
The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”

This guide came about because my local enterprise office encountered a very common
concern. Their client companies were spending huge chunks of their budgets on what
often ended up being non-functioning, incomplete or disappointing website projects. I
have suffered this pain myself despite my computer science qualifications, and I’ve seen
many of the 200+ small business owners I’ve mentored and coached fall into the same
trap. Perhaps you think you are not one of ‘those people’ but believe me, we can all find
ourselves in that predicament.
Five years ago I established a business specifically to tackle this dilemma, so I was
delighted to be asked to produce this guide. It affords me the opportunity to take what
I’ve learned, tested and refined and place it in the hands of as many other small business
owners as possible.
Whilst a guide like this can never be totally comprehensive, it will cover the major areas
that you need to put down in writing before starting a website development project. I
hope it will be an invaluable resource that helps you formulate your brief for web
development agencies/companies.
It relies on the premise that to maximise your chance of success, your eventual
development partner needs to know where you are now. And they need to know where
you want to get to, what success will look like for you, and how it will be measured.
Above all else, you need to make that crystal clear. If you can do that you’ll find that most
agencies/companies will be pretty good at getting you where you want to go.
That is where the ‘brief’ comes in – it is the best way to capture the pertinent
information concisely, yet comprehensively, so everyone will be singing off the same
hymn sheet.
If there are other members of your business whose perspective will enrich your project
brief, and will ensure it is as comprehensive as you can make it, then it is a excellent idea
to involve them.
Don’t cut corners here. The problems that result will take many times longer and cost
many times more to rectify. A rule of thumb us old-school software developers used was
to spend 20% of the total time/budget of any project getting the requirements well
documented. That is my challenge to you.

Patricia O’Sullivan
https://ie.linkedin.com/in/pattios

P.S. If you want to skip sections of the suggested brief so be it, perhaps they are unsuited to
your project, but more likely it’s because you can’t be bothered to complete them. On your
head be it!

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

WHAT IS WEB DEVELOPMENT?

Website development, also known as website design, is the process of creating a new
website or implementing changes to one already in use, e.g. adding a significant new
section to a live site.
It is undertaken to attract and communicate with users and buyers, to enhance brands
and to launch specific campaigns.
Website development can include web design, web content development (also know as
the copy, or words), client liaison, web server and network security configuration, and e-
commerce development.
Website development can range from developing a single page of plain text to the most
complex web-based internet applications, electronic businesses, or social networks. If
your goal is an advanced internet or mobile application then you will need to provide a
little more than these guidelines will cover, but you will find them useful nonetheless.

WHY WRITE A BRIEF?

There are three compelling reasons why it is worth writing a brief for EVERY project
you commission a development agency to undertake:
1. You get a better job.
2. It saves you both time and money.
3. The cost to you, and fee paid to the agency are fairer.

1. A BETTER JOB
A brief is the single most important piece of information you can prepare. It’s from this
that everything else flows. The supplier cannot be expected to read your mind or know
everything you do; therefore it’s essential that every effort be taken to prepare the best
possible documentation of what is required.
Giving the tightest of parameters to creative thinkers (and that’s what web developers
are) will often stimulate the most creative of outcomes. You need to stimulate their
creative imagination, not restrict it. Ultimately you are buying their creativity, but you
want that creativity to be focused in the correct direction. That’s why your brief should
be a starting point; discovering halfway through the project that they are headed in the
wrong direction inevitably leads to both sides playing ‘the blame game’.
Your brief will be the platform for your business online. Hundreds, thousands or
hopefully hundreds of thousands of potential customers will see it. Therefore it behoves
you to take a little time out of your busy schedule to thoughtfully describe your brand,
your offerings, your market and your message. If you don’t do that then you are relying
on miracles as your strategy for success. From my experience, miracles are like buses -
there is never one in sight when you need it.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
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2. SAVE TIME AND MONEY

Most people would agree that sloppy briefs and moving goalposts waste both time and
money. A clear written brief, on the other hand, can maximise the chances of getting it
‘right first time, on time, on budget’.
I know that ‘time pressures’ are the main reason most of you reading this will give for
producing an inadequate project brief (or no brief at all). But in fact not writing a brief
to save time is a false economy, as more often it leads to re-work, or even a failed
project.
You should not be using the agency to help you clarify your strategy and requirements.
That is not their job and not something they are skilled at. You should have this
preparation work completed before you make an approach to them.
Clearly the scale of the project will dictate the depth and complexity of your brief. But
before skipping over any of the suggested questions in this document, ask yourself this:
are you skipping parts just because you don’t feel like answering? And is not answering
worth the risk of blowing your budget?
You do not need computer or software skills to write the brief yourself. Marketing skills
are useful but not essential. Knowledge of your company, its offerings and its target
customers is all that really matters.

3. A GOOD LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP

One of the criticisms that marketers and software developers face is that they lack
accountability for the very significant sums of money they spend.
To be fair, they operate in areas that have significant uncertainty and often trial and
error is a necessary part of the process. However, you need to act professionally by
reigning them in early. The project brief is an essential start.
Of course, you want results. But payment based on results is impossible without fully
defining your business objectives, your project objectives, and outlining how you plan to
measure success. And let’s face it, without the ability to measure/demonstrate
effectiveness, you will feel you are paying too much for what you get and the agency will
feel they earned too little for their efforts.
Putting an agency through the process of developing a solution repeatedly, without
concrete direction, wears on the relationship and is costly in wasted staff time (on both
sides).

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BRIEF?

There is a consensus on what makes a good brief among larger companies and the
agencies they hire. It contains 3 elements:
1. A written then verbal brief.
2. Clarity of thought.
3. Clearly defined objectives.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

1. A WRITTEN BRIEF
Anecdotal evidence shows that the combination of a written and verbal briefing is the
ideal. There are enormous benefits to starting with a written document (produced by
you, the client), which is then analysed by the agency and inconsistencies discussed by
both parties at the subsequent verbal briefing. The process of developing, discussing and
agreeing the brief in this manner in itself adds value.
If you encounter an agency that says “we don’t need all that stuff” or gives the impression
that they haven’t studied your brief, then my best advice is to run in the other direction.
The industry has its fair share of so called ‘experts’ who think they know your business
and your customers better than you do. They will ignore everything you tell them.
Therein lies the source of the second major reason for failed web development projects
(the first being your failure to prepare an adequate brief).
A written brief is also vital to ensure the ‘buy-in’ of other key people in your company, in
enterprise support agencies, on your board and amongst investors, suppliers and other
business partners. This buy-in is essential to avoid the waste of time and resources that
can happen when others challenge the key assumptions during or after the project build,
leading to belated changes in direction. Ideally, your written brief should have the buy-
in of all interested parties before it is delivered to potential agency partners.

2. CLARITY OF THOUGHT
A good brief is not the longest or most detailed document. It’s the one whose clarity and
focus allows the agency to understand your customers, and what an effective solution
for them will entail.

“I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
― Mark Twain

Briefs are called ‘briefs’ because they are meant to be brief! They are a summation of
your current thinking. Too much information can confuse the process. Relevance and
context are more important than reams of data. However, you should attach all relevant
supporting information as appendices.
Your brief should contain key nuggets of information and it should set out the objectives
of your product or service, which the website development project is to play a key role
in achieving.
This clarity and objectivity is not an attempt to reduce your creativity, or indeed that of
the agency. Emotive and dramatised descriptions of your company and the key issues it
faces make it memorable and can spark off great creative thinking and solutions you had
not considered. And it can challenge, inspire and excite those creative types in the
agency you hire.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
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3. CLEARLY DEFINED OBJECTIVES

Ultimately the purpose of your brief is to get your chosen agency to provide you with a
solution. But what problems should this solution solve? That is the basis of a project
brief. Everything else is detail.
Start by making sure that your objectives are crystal clear. Use concrete business
objectives like ‘to double online revenue’ rather than woolly suggestions such as ‘to
improve brand image’. Remember that SMART acronym? Objectives should be Specific,
Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely… and remember, every objective starts
with the word ‘to’...
That’s not where it ends. You need to spell out exactly how you plan to measure those
SMART objectives. No contract that expects to pay based on results can be made to work
without appropriate measures of performance. So, clearly defining the objectives
(‘success criteria’), what that success will look like and how will it be measured is the
number one requirement for writing a good brief.

LET’S FACE FACTS

Many agencies complain that the briefs they receive from clients are often inadequate
and missing key information. In particular, the criteria for success and the metrics or
measurements of that success are often completely ignored. It's also rare to find one that
provides all the necessary market data, the full scope of the business objectives, and
discusses the various media channels that might be used to drive people to the site.
Rectifying this, or worse forcing the agency tease out and write the complete brief
themselves, requires considerable work by the agency. If they’re not getting paid to
undertake this work, then why should they spend much time on it?
If proper time and attention has not been given to a brief before the project starts then
the chances of success probably equate to the chances of winning the lottery. There are
huge quantities of anecdotal evidence that show the best way to brief an agency is a
combination of documentation and verbal discussion, with the documentation provided
first and time given to allow the agency to review and ask questions.
If a development company or agency you approach suggests skipping the brief because
they know what you want, alarm bells should be ringing. You might be a small company
but this is procurement and involves a significant sum of your own and perhaps other
people’s money. Taking shortcuts will place you in a very unenviable position later.
When you do prepare your brief, you may find that some agencies have a tendency to
ignore your brief and write their own, thus apparently duplicating effort and perhaps
even misinterpreting your requirements. In truth they are not ignoring your brief nor
intentionally misinterpreting your requirements (in most cases at least).
The truth is that they need to consider the project from their perspective, which will be
technology and delivery focused. If they don’t do this step then they are operating on a
wing and prayer and again, this is not what you want to see. They don’t have to be a big
company to act professionally so insist on it with whomever your chosen partner is.
People who act professionally care about doing a good job, care about pleasing
customers and care about their reputations – others think there are many fish in the sea
so it doesn’t matter. Which do you want to risk your money and the future of your
business on?

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If it looks like the agency’s brief is misinterpreting something, or it missed something

key in your brief, point it out. More often than not it was a misunderstanding or an
oversight. Getting these things cleared up before a projects starts is vital, so be prepared
to spend more time on these initial stages of the project than you originally planned –
this is where the success of your project lies.

FINAL WORDS
Don’t forget… you need to consider the ‘words’ (known as copy) that will appear on your
website. Ideally this should be ready, or at least drafted, before you start building
anything. If you are writing it yourself or hiring another party to prepare it then get that
moving, or better yet completed, before starting work on the technology. To allow this to
happen you can look at other websites and prepare similarly sized ‘chunks’ of text that
the website developers can simply paste in.
Keep in mind that people don’t read long-winded websites nowadays; they consume
information in small chunks. So copy the approach of proven winners and don’t try
reinventing the wheel.
Something I personally do is look through website templates on themeforest.net and
decide on the one or two I like best. Then I prepare the words/copy and supply sample
images to suit my chosen templates.
I then go out looking for agencies that are prepared to use the themeforest.net template
because I know that will save us considerable time (don’t believe anyone who tells you
otherwise). That equates to saved money, which allows me to do more. Usually I will
insist on getting the template up and live with my copy and the images we chose
together as my first milestone. At that point I know I have a website that is, presumably,
bug-free and looks like it cost a fortune to design and build. Other things I want to
achieve with the website come later as subsequent delivery and payment milestones.
This ensures that I have something live and useful every step of the way, and that I can
test before we move on.

CONCLUSION
We have now discussed the key sections in a best practice project brief and why you
should write one. The key sections should be completed for every brief you write. The
detail within each section will vary according to your circumstances and your project
requirements.
Generally your brief should focus on defining ‘where we are now’ and ‘where we want
to be’. It is then the job of the agency to bridge the gap between the two. How they go
about that is their specialism, or it should be, and it should happen within the context of
your ‘what we are doing to get there’ description.
A crucial point is to be as explicit as possible about the measures of success, i.e. “how we
will know we’ve arrived”. And then there are the final operational details about project
management and practicalities. So enough talk, let’s get started…

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

TEMPLATE

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT BRIEF
The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

CONTENTS

1. PROJECT CONTEXT 1

2. WEBSITE REQUIREMENTS 5

3. COMPANY OVERVIEW 7

4. SPECIAL FUNCTIONALITY 8

5. GRAPHIC DESIGN 10

6. WEBSITE ANALYTICS 12

7. WEBSITE ADMINISTRATION 14

8. ADDITIONAL DETAILS 16
The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

1. Project Context
The Project Context (also know as Context, Setting or Prerequisites) is the
circumstances, facts or events that influence the project.
They explain the general idea and key prerequisites of the project, including
problems to be addressed, objectives, desired results, and parties interested in
and/or impacted by the project. It also describes the financial elements,
resources, timelines and other possibilities and limitations of the project.
The purpose of this section is to give an overview of the project, to provide initial
impressions about the project and to initiate the planning process. It does not
cover specific requirements, methods to be used or any other more detailed
information.

What is the main objective/outcome of your project?

Let the provider know what you are aiming to achieve from the project and how you see its
end results. Clarity here goes a long way to prevent project failure, misunderstandings or
incorrect expectations.

What challenge/opportunity gave rise to the project?

It is helpful to the provider to understand where you are coming from. Are you facing
competitive challenges, launching a new product, seeing a downturn in revenues, or
measuring a potential opportunity?
For example, ‘our old website was hacked so we need something new that is secure’; ‘our
new Chairman of board is a marketing guru and wants a whole new image’; ‘we are
launching new products and thought this would be a good time up replace/update the old
website’...

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The Website Development Brief
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What is the budget for project?

This is a thorny subject. At the very least you need to tell the provider if your budget for this
project has been approved, if it will only be approved after their quotation is received, or if
it will only be approved when something else happens e.g. grant approval.
You may be uncomfortable stating your budget upfront believing that the web
development agency will simply ask for it all. That is understandable, but put the shoe on
the other foot for a moment. If the tables were turned would you not want to give your new
client the best possible result you could within their budget? Would you not want to do
everything you could to demonstrate they can trust you and that you are genuinely there
to help them?
Despite what we might think sometimes, that is the norm in business. Of course there are
always greedy people, but if you have prepared a detailed brief, the questions they fail to
ask and their proposed solution will usually reveal their true character. Not demonstrating
trust in the suppliers you approach is a little disrespectful at best. At worst, it can lead to
time wasted and disappointing results.
Overall, it is better if you can supply an indication of budget from the outset. A technique
often used is ‘scenario budgeting’. For instance, you might supply one or more hypothetical
budgets e.g. ‘What would your recommendations on budgets of €x, €y, and €z be?’
An upfront understanding of budget will allow the agency to accurately describe
anticipated results. It also affords them the opportunity to consider different approaches
and different sequences that allow them to provide you with the best possible outcome for
your budget. Remember ‘best’ is not ‘most’; it is what achieves your objectives successfully.
Alternatively, you can request the agency’s recommended budget to achieve your set of
given measurable objectives. More often than not however this wastes everyone’s time
annoys people when you later come back to advise on a realistic budget.

Are subcontractors allowed?

Many providers use outside contractors they trust for certain project activities. Let them
know if you have any constraints here.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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Are there project documentation requirements?

Let the provider know if you need any project documentation (e.g. status update, user’s
manual, etc.) and/or presentations prepared for the project.

Do you have a firm deadline for project delivery?

Tell the provider if there are any specific dates or events that constrain the project’s
timeframe.

Will there be revisions during the project?

Do you anticipate clarifications/revisions during the project? If yes, explain what and why.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
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Any other practicalities?

Is this website part of a media strategy/plan? Explain how it ties into these other activities;
are there any legal constraints in your market? Do you have a set of brand guidelines that
must be complied with? Are you receiving support from a source that requires the use of
their logo on the site? Where will the provider obtain it and any guidelines associated with
its use?

Who is responsible for approval/acceptance?

Who in your business has the authority to sign off the work that the agency produces. How
will they review, test staged deliveries, and sign each off as complete?

Will you need support after completion?

Is on-going support required from the agency following completion of the project to
maintain the website (e.g. security upgrades, etc.) and/or to make occasional changes to
the site?

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

2. Website Requirements
This is a detailed explanation (also known as Project Needs or Project
Specifications) of what is needed or demanded from the project. In essence it is
where you want to be post-project.
This section is used to define the business needs, the problems to be addressed,
the implementation methods and approaches to be applied, and your desired goal
for the project. The goal should be set in the context of your overall business and
marketing plan, as well as what you believe will be achievable by this specific
project within your proposed timeframe and budget.
This definition of requirements is the most crucial part of the project. Incorrect,
inaccurate, or excessive definition of requirements may result in schedule delays,
wasted resources, or your dissatisfaction with the final outcome.
Every website is different but a single-minded and measurable objective is usually
a pre-requisite for success. Typical objectives are to increase sales by a factor of
‘x’, to increase usage by ‘y’, awareness, image, reputation, profitability, customer
profile, shareholder value, response levels, etc.

What website development services do you need?

What kind of website design services are you looking for? A brand new first time website, a
complete re-design of an existing website, maintenance of or small upgrades/corrections
to an existing website?

What are the goals of the website?

What are your specific short, medium and long-term goals for the website?

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How will the website be structured?

What pages do you have in mind for your website? For example, a home page, products
page and individual product pages, about us, contact us. How many overall pages with how
many different structures?

Do you require optimization for mobile devices?

Would you like your website to be optimised for mobile users in any specific way or will a
typical device and orientation responsive site suffice?

How will you measure success?

Describe the form success and failure in this project will take. How will success be
measured? Who will measure it? Are there specific ‘objective’ measurements that can be
used? How will payments be tied to those measurements?
Remember that your website is only part of the marketing and communications strategy
for your business. It is a step on the path of a longer journey. It cannot achieve miracles in
and of itself; it merely provides progress towards your bigger and longer-term company
goals and should be measured accordingly.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
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3. Company Overview
The Company Overview (also referred to as Product & Market) should contain the
following information, where relevant: product or service description (including
key attributes and benefits); manufacturing or service delivery; distribution
channels; market size (volume and value); customer usage data if available; your
company brand’s positioning; its history of brand communications, etc.
This section is used to define a more specific context for the project and to
determine the most suitable approaches and methods to be used.
Above all, remember that despite every website being different, they are all
intended to elicit some form of response from a particular group of people. Your
target groups should be clearly defined and prioritised as accurately as possible -
use demographics, lifestyle, product usage, attitudes, etc.
Equally and perhaps more important are the insights that you have about these
target groups. These insights can be used as a platform to build on and as a guide
for the various decisions that need to be made, in a way that will create the
desired reaction.

What is the website’s primary audience?

Define your website’s target audience. Include as much detail as possible. If your website
audience is different from your current customer/user/ purchaser profile describe what
the difference is. For example, parents, particularly mothers of children aged 0-5 years;
retirees in the 55-65 age group.

How do you want people to perceive your website?

Write down 3-5 adjectives that describe how a user should perceive your site. For example,
conservative, progressive, friendly, formal, professional.

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4. Special Functionality
The Special Functionality (or Additional Functionality) section of the brief is an
overview of specific features that you might wish to have on your website, and
that might increase the budget and time for the project.
It is used to plan and budget for features such as an online shop, customer portal,
member interaction, networking, etc.
Planning website functionally helps to see how your website can become more
than just a platform for promotion and selling. With time, it can become a tool to
build relationships with your customers and to improve your service delivery.

Do you need a feedback form?

Would you like to include a feedback form capturing some user details on your website?

Do you require eCommerce functionally?

Do you require an online store on your website?

Do you require a member’s area?

A member’s area provides members with specific tools and resources that are not available
to non-members. Would you like to have a member’s area on your website?

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Do you require a search facility?

Would you like to have a search facility on your website?

Any other tools / features?

Would you like to include any specific tools in the website? For example:
 A Content Management System (CMS) to allow you or others to quickly and easily
manage, modify, edit, upload/remove/replace the information on the website.
 The ability to change special offers on products.
 Shopping cart functionality to enable a site visitor to browse and add products to
their cart and later to complete the purchase.
 An interactive online quotation builder to enable site visitors to select products
they want and to get a quote based on various bulk quantities.
 Training/online learning functionality to show videos and to supply training
materials.
 Community features or a forum to enable users to interact with each other.
 Other features – what and where can the web development company see a good
example?

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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5. Graphic Design
Graphic Design (also known as Website Design or Visual Design) is the process of
arranging website content to enhance your visitor’s online experience, to transmit
your company values and to evoke or reinforce a desired emotional response.
It is used to optimize communication with your visitors, to organize information
in a cohesive and pleasing layout, and to improve the efficiency of content
presentation.
Website design encompasses information architecture, interaction, interface,
navigation, information and visual design. It is much more than colours and fonts.

What is your company logo?

Do you have a logo? Do you have it in digital format? Can you get the original files from
whoever supplied it?

What are your colour preferences?

Do you have any colour preferences for your website design?
It might interest you to know that different colours have different associations for us. You
should try to use colours that reflect how you want your business to be represented:
 White: Innocence, cleanliness, space, neutrality, purity;
 Black: Authority, power, strength, intelligence;
 Grey: Neutral, timeless, practical, functional;
 Red: Love, warmth, energy, intensity, blood;
 Orange: Happy, excitement, enthusiasm, warmth, stimulation, prosperity;
 Yellow: Laughter, optimism, warmth, hunger, attention-getting;
 Green: Natural, growth, money, health, tranquillity, fertility;
 Blue: Serenity, cold, wisdom, loyalty, truth, focus;
 Purple: Wealth, sophistication, exotic, spiritual, creative, mystery;
 Brown: Stability, friendship, sadness, security, organic;
 Pink: Romance, gentle, calm, feminine, love.

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Do you have icons, favicons or images to use?

Do you have specific images or icons that you wish, or do not wish, to have in your website?

Any other colour/style ‘don’ts’?

Are there any colour or style elements that you would like to avoid in the design? A link to a
photo or a website would be helpful too. For example, “A colour we want to avoid is bright
orange because it seems to be overused by our competitors at present.”

Can you provide examples of compelling websites?

List at least 3 websites that you find compelling and state what interests you about the
sites. It doesn’t matter if they are related to your business or not - it’s about the navigation
elements, style, colours, typography and other visual concept and why you like them.

Can you provide links to your competitors’ websites?

List at least 3 competitors’ websites. Discuss why you think they have taken a particular
approach and what your think works or does not work about each site e.g. their message,
the site structure (pages), the navigation elements, style, colours, typography and other
visual concepts of note.

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6. Website Analytics
Website Analytics (also referred to as Google Analytics) is the functionally used
for measuring website traffic. It’s also useful for business research and market
research, and for determining and improving upon the effectiveness of your
website.
This section is used to define the requirements of the analytics functionality for
your website and to decide on the most appropriate vendor for those analytics.

Which website analytics tool do you want to use?

Would you like to have an analytics tool? Are you already using a tool, if so which one? Do
you have a particular preference for a tool you would like the web development agency to
use?

What are your search keywords?

What keywords might your typical customer use when searching for your products of
services? List as many as you can think of in order of importance.

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… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

Should comprehensive keyword research be performed?

Experts say that proper keywords take precedence over all other online marketing
techniques. The position of your website in a search engine’s list of results will depend
largely on your keyword choices. Would you like the provider to conduct comprehensive
keyword research to refine your keywords and key phrases?

Is your metadata ready?

Most websites include metadata (information about the length of documents, size of an
image, author, publication date, summary, etc.). Search engines use this data when adding
pages to their search index. That is why metadata will have a significant impact on the
visibility of your website in search engines. Let the provider know where you are planning
to source it, if you already have it, or if you want them to source it.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

7. Website Administration
This is the specific information needed by the provider to make changes to your
existing website or to make a new one live. They need this information to allow
them to import, export, upload, make changes and edit information in your
website databases, CMS and other systems.
Typically you will have one location where your domain name (the www address
or URL you will use) is hosted and a separate location where your website (the
pages, copy and images they agency will build) will be hosted. They may be at the
same place, but either way you will need to supply the login credentials to enable
the provider to do their job.
You might also have an account with someone like CloudFlare to enhance your
site’s performance and security, or an account with Google Analytics to monitor
and measure site statistics. Again, login credentials are essential.

Can you provide account credentials?

List all the relevant accounts that the agency will require access to and supply the login
credentials they will need.
It is quite common for web development companies to retain this information to allow
them to provide ongoing support and changes. If you are uncomfortable with this, you can
always change the passwords when the job has been completed.
Always, always ensure that you have the login credentials for every account when the
project is completed in the event that there is a dispute with the supplier or that they go
out of business. I have seen too many small businesses suffer, or get blackmailed for more
money to hand the details over. You need access to your own accounts to allow others to
take over any maintenance and upgrades so ensure that you have the credentials yourself
at all times and insist that the agency do not change your passwords. These are assets of
your business.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

Which technologies do you want to use?

If you already have a website and know which technologies were used (e.g. Wordpress,
PHP, Laravel, Node.js, MongoDB, MySQL, etc.) then inform the agency. If there are
technologies you particularly want them to use then tell them and explain why. The agency
may suggest alternatives, and they may be better, or they may just be their preference. Too
often, they are just the ‘flavour of the month’, so beware.
If you are getting into discussions about technologies then find yourself a broadly
experienced techie who understands business decisions, or post questions on Quora.com –
you need independent people giving you advice on this. Even when they do, you are often
left with conflicting recommendations so always go with the one that makes the most sense
for your business.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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The Website Development Brief
… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies

8. Additional Details
The last section in any brief is where you document any further information that
might influence the project.
It enables you to supply complete project information and enhance the agency’s
understanding of the project.
Additional Details may take the form of brief comments, longer supporting
documents or any other information worth considering before starting the
project.

Any final comments?

If you have any final comments or instructions for the provider, please add them here.

Additional Information?
If you have any additional documents that may be of use to the provider, please add them
here as appendices. Alternatively, mention each one and put them in an online/offline
folder you can share with the provider. This could include user manuals, functional
specifications, designs, or even memos and e-mails.

© 2016 Patricia O’Sullivan

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