You explain your idea on a call. The developer nods, sends a quote, and three weeks later shows you something that is clearly a website, just not the one you had in your head.
Nobody lied and nobody was lazy. The picture in your head never made it onto paper, so the developer built their own picture instead. That gap is where a lot of budget overruns, delays and awkward conversations come from.
A website brief closes that gap. It does not need to be long or technical. One clear page is enough, and this article gives you the template.
Why a one-page brief saves you time and money
When five studios receive five different verbal explanations, you get five quotes for five different websites. Comparing them is impossible.
When they all receive the same written brief, the quotes suddenly line up. You can see who included content writing, who priced the Arabic version, and who left out the booking system entirely.
A brief also protects you after you hire someone. If the finished site does not do what the brief says, you have a clear, shared reference instead of "but I told you on the phone".
What a website brief is not
Some people avoid writing a brief because they think it must look professional. It does not.
- It is not a design. You do not need sketches or colour palettes.
- It is not a technical specification. You do not need to choose a programming language or a hosting plan.
- It is not a contract. The studio will turn it into a proposal with scope and price.
Think of it as the email you would send a smart friend who is about to build your website. Plain words are perfect.
The ten sections of a good website brief
1. Your business in three sentences
What you do, where, and for whom. "We are a physiotherapy clinic in Sheikh Zayed treating sports injuries, mostly for adults aged 25 to 45."
2. The one main goal
Pick one: more bookings, more enquiries, online sales, recruiting, or credibility with partners. Then add how you will know it is working, for example "ten booking requests a week from the site".
3. Your audience
Who visits, from which device, in which language, and what they need to find quickly. A Gulf customer looking for prices behaves differently from a local customer looking for your address.
4. The pages you expect
A simple list is fine: Home, About, Services, Prices, Gallery, Contact. The studio may suggest changes, which is useful.
5. Features, split by priority
List what the site must do at launch and what can wait. Booking, payments, a customer login and a blog are features, and each one changes the price.
6. Content and languages
Who writes the text, who provides photos, and which languages you need. If you need Arabic and English, say whether both must be ready at launch.
7. Look and feel
Share two or three websites you like, from any industry, and say exactly what you like: the calm layout, the big photos, the clear prices. Add your logo and brand colours if you have them.
8. Technical situation
Do you already have a domain, hosting, a current site, business email, or systems the site must connect to, such as WhatsApp, a payment provider or accounting software? Also say who currently holds the logins.
9. Budget range and timeline
Give a range and a realistic launch date, and mention any fixed event such as a season opening or a campaign start.
10. Decision maker and contact
Who approves designs and pays invoices? Projects slow down badly when approvals wait on someone who was never in the conversation.
A fill-in website brief template
Copy these rows into a document and answer each one in a few lines.
| Section | Answer in a few lines | Example prompt |
|---|---|---|
| Business | What you do, where, for whom | "Family furniture workshop in Damietta, selling to homes and hotels" |
| Main goal | One goal plus how you will measure it | "20 serious enquiries a month" |
| Audience | Who, which device, which language | "Mostly mobile, Arabic first, some Gulf buyers in English" |
| Pages | Simple list | "Home, Collections, Custom Orders, About, Contact" |
| Must have at launch | Features needed on day one | "Catalogue with filters, WhatsApp enquiry button" |
| Later | Features that can wait | "Online payments, customer accounts" |
| Content | Who writes and photographs | "We supply photos, need help with the English text" |
| Look and feel | 2–3 sites you like and why | "Clean white space, large product photos" |
| Technical | Domain, hosting, logins, integrations | "Domain exists, in our name, no hosting yet" |
| Budget and date | Range and target launch | "A range, plus a launch before a trade fair" |
| Decision maker | Name and role | "Owner approves design, manager handles content" |
A worked example, briefly
That is about 120 words, and any studio reading it can already give a meaningful quote.
Common brief mistakes
- Listing ten goals. "Sales, bookings, branding, recruiting and a blog" means no clear priority. Pick one main goal.
- Describing the design instead of the problem. "Make it modern with a slider" says little. "Customers cannot find our prices" says a lot.
- Hiding the budget. Without a range, a studio has to guess between a template and a platform, and one of those guesses will waste both your time.
- Forgetting content. If nobody owns the text and photos, the project will wait for them.
- Leaving out the Arabic version. Adding Arabic later costs more than planning it now.
- Sending it to one person only. Send the same brief to everyone you are considering.
What should happen after you send it
Once the brief is out, expect a short call or a list of questions, then a proposal that restates your scope in their words, lists what is included and excluded, and gives a price and timeline.
Read that proposal against your brief line by line. If something from your "must have" list is missing, ask. To judge whether the price fits the scope, compare it with the ranges in how much a website costs in Egypt, and use our guide on choosing a web development company for the questions to ask next.
Questions people ask
How long should a website brief be?
One to two pages is ideal. Longer briefs are fine for complex platforms, but the first page should still summarise the goal, key features, budget and timeline.
Do I need to know technical terms to write a brief?
No. Describe what you need in plain language. It is the studio's job to translate "customers should book a time with a specific doctor" into a technical solution.
Should I really share my budget?
Yes, as a range. It lets a studio suggest the best approach for your money, whether that is a template, a focused custom site or a phased build.
What if I do not know which features I need?
Describe the problem instead. "We lose bookings because people cannot reach us at night" is enough for a good studio to suggest options.
Can I write the brief in Arabic?
Of course. Write in the language you think in. A clear brief in Arabic is far more useful than an unclear one in English.
Your next step
Block one hour, open a blank document and answer the ten sections above in plain words. Do not polish it. Clarity beats presentation.
When it is ready, send it to the studios you are considering. If Unilira is one of them, you can send it with a meeting request and we will come back with questions before we come back with a price. If you are still weighing the approach itself, our honest comparison of custom code and templates is a good read first.