When a website project drags from four weeks into ten, it is almost never the build that is slow. It is the brief that was unclear. We have built a 1-page brief that we ask every client to complete before we quote. Filling it in takes 30 minutes. Skipping it costs weeks.
The seven sections, in order
1 · One-line positioning
Finish this sentence: 'We do [what] for [who] in [where].' If you cannot finish it in one sentence, your homepage will not finish it either. Spend ten minutes on this. It is the single highest-leverage thing on the page.
2 · Three competitors you would not mind being mistaken for
Three URLs. Not aspirational competitors at the top of the market. Adjacent businesses you respect. We will study them for visual language, structure, and positioning gaps.
3 · The one action a visitor should take
Pick one. Book a call. Request a quote. Phone you. Whatsapp you. ONE. Multiple primary CTAs is the most common cause of low conversion on a small business site.
4 · The proof you have
Real photos? Reviews? Case studies? Years trading? Press mentions? Numbers (jobs done, average rating)? List what exists. We will not pretend you have proof you do not. We will design around what is real.
5 · Pricing direction
Floor, range, or 'from'. Not exact pricing if your work is bespoke — but a number. 'From £8,000 for a full bathroom.' 'Kitchens £15k-40k.' This single line filters tyre-kickers before they fill in the form.
6 · What you do not do
Maybe you do not do council work. Or social housing. Or jobs under £5k. Or anything outside Somerset. List them. The site should turn the wrong leads away on the homepage, not on a phone call three days later.
7 · Vibe — three adjectives
Confident, modern, warm? Quiet, premium, restrained? Bold, energetic, no-nonsense? Three adjectives. We pick palette, typography, and motion language from these three words.
What the brief unlocks
- , No back-and-forth on copy direction in week 2
- , No mid-build positioning rewrites
- , No "we forgot to mention" features after launch
- , A 24-hour build is realistic — clients with tight briefs almost always hit the SLA
The brief we hand back
After the client fills in the seven sections, we send back a one-page summary in our own words. If we have understood it correctly, we go to design. If not, we have a 15-minute call to clarify. The cost of this clarity round is half an hour. The cost of skipping it is a project that drifts.
Every hour you spend on the brief is an hour you do not spend in revisions. The trade is unfair in your favour.
Luca Planchais
Steal the template. Use it for any agency you hire — us, someone else, a freelancer. Any agency that does not want a brief this tight is going to bill you for the confusion later.