How Much Does a Website Cost in the UK?
DIY, freelancer and agency prices compared, plus the running costs to budget for.
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Key takeaways
- A website design brief explains your goals, audience, content and budget.
- Clear briefs get more accurate quotes and fewer surprises.
- Focus on outcomes and customers, not just how the site should look.
- Share examples you like and dislike, and say why.
Why a website design brief matters
A website design brief is a short document that explains what your new website needs to achieve, who it's for and what it should include. It's the single best way to get accurate quotes, compare suppliers fairly and avoid a project that drifts over time and budget.
You don't need technical knowledge to write one. A good brief is mostly about your business and your customers. The designer's job is to turn that into pages, layouts and features.
What to include
- About your business: what you do, who you serve and what makes you different.
- Goals: what the website must achieve, such as more enquiries, online sales or fewer phone calls about basic questions.
- Audience: who your customers are and what they need to know before they buy.
- Pages and content: the pages you expect, and who will write the words and supply photos.
- Features: forms, bookings, ecommerce, integrations with other systems.
- Look and feel: your brand guidelines, plus websites you like and dislike.
- SEO and existing site: current traffic, important pages and keywords to protect.
- Budget and deadline: a realistic range and any fixed dates.
- After launch: who will update the site, and what support you need.
Share your budget. It can feel risky, but it lets suppliers recommend what's achievable for that amount instead of guessing, and makes quotes much easier to compare.
Free website brief template
Copy the questions below into a document and answer each one in a few sentences. Short, honest answers are more useful than long ones.
| Section | Questions to answer |
|---|---|
| 1. Your business | What do you do? Who are your main competitors? Why do customers choose you? |
| 2. Goals | What should the website achieve in the next 12 months? How will you measure it? |
| 3. Customers | Who are they? What questions do they ask before buying? What puts them off? |
| 4. Pages | Which pages do you need? Which are the most important? |
| 5. Content | Who will write the text? Do you have professional photos or video? |
| 6. Features | Forms, bookings, payments, ecommerce, live chat, integrations? |
| 7. Design | Brand guidelines? Three sites you like and why? One you dislike and why? |
| 8. Current website | What works? What doesn't? Which pages bring the most visitors? |
| 9. Budget and timing | What's your budget range? Is there a launch deadline, and why? |
| 10. After launch | Who will update the site? Do you need hosting, maintenance or SEO? |
How to describe what you like
"Modern and clean" means something different to everyone. Instead, share examples and explain them:
- "I like how this site shows prices clearly on each service page."
- "This site's booking process is quick: three steps and done."
- "I like the photography here because it shows real staff, not stock images."
- "I don't like this site because I can't find the phone number."
"The best briefs we receive talk about customers, not colours. Tell us who you're trying to win and we'll design the site around them."
Yasir Latif, Founder, AY Experts
Replacing an existing website?
If you already have a website, include anything that helps protect what's working: your most-visited pages, pages that bring enquiries, and any rankings you rely on. A redesign without a plan for redirects can lose traffic overnight. Our website redesign SEO checklist explains what to protect.
Send us your briefWe'll reply with a fixed-price proposal and a realistic timeline.
Get my free quote Brief mistakes that cause delays
- No clear goal, so every design decision becomes a matter of taste.
- Leaving content to the last minute, which is the most common cause of delays.
- Too many decision-makers giving feedback separately.
- A long wish list with no priorities.
- No budget range, so quotes can't be compared.
Agree ownership upfront. Your brief should say that your business will own the domain, hosting account, website and content once the project is paid for.
Once your brief is ready, our guide to website costs in the UK will help you sense-check the quotes you get back.
Website brief FAQs
How long should a website brief be?
Two to four pages is usually plenty. Clear answers to the key questions matter more than length.
Do I need a sitemap before I brief a designer?
No. A rough list of the pages you expect is enough. A good designer will help you plan the final structure around your services and what customers search for.
Should I include my budget?
Yes. A realistic range helps suppliers recommend what's achievable and makes quotes easier to compare like for like.
What if I don't know what features I need?
Describe what you want customers to be able to do, such as book, pay or get a quote. The designer can then suggest the right features to make that happen.
The bottom line
A clear website design brief is the cheapest way to get a better website. Explain your goals, customers and content, share examples with reasons, give a budget range and plan for life after launch. You'll get more accurate quotes and a smoother project.