Create a website briefing: in 8 steps a new website

Introduction

Many business owners underestimate the importance of a clear briefing for their new website. The result? Unnecessary delays, unexpected costs and loss of SEO positions. With a good website briefing, you can avoid these problems and lay a solid foundation for online success. In this article, you'll learn step-by-step how to easily create an effective briefing yourself-so that your new website delivers results from day one.

You'll learn exactly:

• What an effective website briefing consists of.
• What practical steps you can take to clearly formulate your goals.
• How to mitigate SEO risks when revamping your website.

Step 1: Set clear goals for your new website

Clearly define what you want to achieve with your new website. Make your goals specific and measurable.

Sample goals for business owners:

• More online inquiries through contact forms (+25%).
• Higher conversion rates on product pages (from 2% to 3.5%).
• Improve SEO positions for top 5 service pages.

Checklist:

• Are the goals concrete and measurable?
• Are the goals realistic within the available budget?
• Have all stakeholders approved the goals?

Step 2: Define your target audience and desired actions

Be specific in who your target audience is and what you want them to do on your website.

Sample Brief:

• Target audience: owners of SMEs (5-50 employees), North Brabant region.
• Desired actions: request a quote, schedule a demo, download a white paper.

Checklist:

Target groups clearly described?

Desired actions clearly and clearly defined?

Website elements aligned with desired actions (CTA buttons, forms)?

Step 3: Create a practical content and page list

Clearly map out what pages are coming and what content you need.

Sample content list:

Checklist:

• Are all the necessary pages included?
• Is it clear what content still needs to be created?
• Have you checked existing content for SEO value?

Step 4: Choose the desired functionalities

Determine which functionalities are essential for your website.

Examples of functionalities:

• Contact forms with automatic email confirmation
• Integration with CRM or accounting software
• Online payment system (e.g. iDeal)
• Newsletter signup via Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign

Checklist:

• All desired functionalities mapped out?
• Functionalities prioritized (must-haves vs. nice-to-haves)?
• Discussed technical feasibility with website builder?

Step 5: Agree on design and usability (UX)

Provide clear agreements on appearance and user experience.

Practical examples:

• Collect examples of websites that appeal to you (references).
• Create a mood board of desired colors, fonts and imagery.
• Have early design proposals tested with real users.

Checklist:

• Design preferences set?
• Inspirational examples shared with website builder?
• Agreed when to provide design feedback?

Step 6: Clearly define budget and schedule

Avoid misunderstandings by making clear agreements about budget and schedule.

Sample schedule:

Checklist:

• Clear agreements on costs?
• Concrete deadlines agreed upon?
• Who is responsible for providing content and feedback?

Step 7: Provide a professional migration plan

Avoid loss of traffic and SEO positions when migrating from your old site to your new one.

Sample migration plan:

• Inventory current pages and SEO rankings.
• List 301 redirects to new URLs.
• Make backups before you migrate and test extensively beforehand.

Checklist:

• Current SEO positions established?
• 301 redirects planned?
• Test plan for migration established?

Step 8: Setting up tracking and analytics properly

Make sure you have immediate insight into website performance after going live.

Practical steps:

• Set up Google Analytics (4) and Google Tag Manager properly.
• Check forms, downloads and conversions after going live.
• Verify search traffic and positions with Google Search Console.

Checklist:

• Analytics set up and tested correctly?
• Conversion goals set?
• Tracking codes placed correctly?

Conclusion

A clear website briefing will help you avoid delays, unexpected costs and loss of online visibility. Want to make sure your briefing includes everything needed for a successful new website? Then contact our specialists for advice or let us check your briefing.

In need of a new website? See how we as a web design agency can take many worries off your hands. Feel free to contact us.

Resources

Krug, S. (2014). Don't Make Me Think, Revisited. A Common Sense Approach to Web and Mobile Usability.

Google. (n.d.). Website migration guidelines. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes

Chaffey, D. (2024). Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice (8th ed.). Pearson Education.

Nielsen Norman Group. (n.d.). Website Redesign Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/website-redesign/

MarketingSherpa. (2023). How to Create an Effective Website Brief. https://marketingsherpa.com/article/how-to/website-brief-example