Website Planning Guide and Requirements Checklist
Plan your business website around customer actions, pages, content, proof, features and ownership before requesting a development quote.
A useful website brief states who the website is for, what visitors need to understand or do, which pages and features are needed, and who will provide the content. It can be short. Clear priorities help a website team recommend the right scope and quote.
Pick the primary customer action
Is the main goal an enquiry, booking, purchase or explanation of a complex service? Write down the questions people ask before taking that step. A website can support several actions, but one clear priority helps organize the homepage, navigation and calls to action.
Draft the page and content list
List services, audiences, service areas, proof, team information and contact details that visitors need. Mark what exists, what needs updating and what must be written or photographed. You do not need perfect copy before the first conversation, but content responsibilities should be agreed before the quote is fixed.
Flag the special requirements early
Mention bookings, payments, customer accounts, product catalogues, CRM connections, multilingual content, accessibility needs and an existing website that must be moved. These can affect platform choice, testing, timing and price. Avoid buying a feature simply because it sounds advanced.
Decide who approves and owns the result
Name one person who can consolidate feedback. Agree on revision rounds, domain and hosting access, licenses, editing responsibilities, launch checks and post-launch support. A written scope can then turn the brief into deliverables, a schedule and a final price.
What to keep in view.
01Primary business goal
02Audience and services
03Required pages
04Content and proof owners
05Integrations and forms
06Launch and ownership requirements