A good brief turns opinions into decisions. You do not need a polished document—answers in an email can work—but you should cover the topics below. Pair this guide with our plain-text brief template.
Business snapshot
What you sell, to whom, and what success looks like in the next 12 months. Mention if you trade only in the UK or in specific nations or regions—delivery and language choices follow from that.
Audience and positioning
Who is the primary visitor: consumer, business buyer, public sector? What do they worry about before they enquire? Who do you lose deals to, and why? Honesty here prevents generic “corporate blue” solutions when your buyers expect warmth, speed, or authority.
Goals and metrics
Pick one primary goal—qualified enquiries, bookings, brochure downloads—and one secondary. If you cannot measure it, reconsider. For many UK SMEs, the metric is inbound calls or form submissions from the right postcode or sector.
Content and assets
What copy, photos, and reviews already exist? What must be written from scratch? If you are migrating an old site, say what to keep, merge, or retire. Note regulated wording where a sign-off loop is required.
Functional needs
Forms, CRM handoff, booking tools, payments, member login, multilingual—list Must-have vs Nice-to-have. Each integration adds setup and testing time; be explicit so estimates stay honest.
Brand and design direction
Share examples you like (even from other sectors), colours you cannot use, and accessibility needs. If you do not yet have a brand, say so—identity work may belong in the same project or a prior phase.
Timeline and constraints
Launch windows, upcoming marketing pushes, and “never ship before” dates matter. Budget ranges also belong here: a bracket is enough to filter realistic approaches without boxing you in unfairly.
Sending a brief to Shoreline Systems? We work with UK-based organisations only —tell us your sector, geography, and the outcome you need the site to support.