You have a business to run. Clients to look after, staff to manage, deadlines to meet. Somewhere on the list is a website that no longer reflects the business you've built.
So you contact a web design company.
Back comes a lengthy questionnaire asking about brand personality, preferred typography, competitor analysis, content strategy and twelve websites you admire.
You've barely said hello, and already you've acquired homework.
No, you don't usually need a 20-page website brief for a first conversation. A short account of your business, customers, current website and priorities is enough to begin. More detailed planning comes once the work is understood.
A first conversation doesn't need every answer
At the beginning, a web designer needs to understand a few fundamentals.
What does your business do? Who needs to use the website? What's wrong with the current one? What would you like to change?
For an established accountancy practice, that might be straightforward: the firm has expanded its advisory services, the current website still concentrates on tax returns, and the partners would like something that better reflects their work.
That's already a useful starting point.
The designer can review the existing website, identify obvious gaps and discuss whether the job looks like a focused redesign or something more substantial.
You don't need to arrive with a complete sitemap, professionally written copy and a folder of annotated competitor screenshots.
Those things may become useful. They needn't be the price of admission.
Your designer should help make decisions, not simply collect them
A good website project requires input from both sides.
The business understands its customers, services, priorities and commercial realities. The designer brings expertise in structure, presentation, usability and the practical work involved in building the site.
Neither side should be expected to do the other's entire job.
If you're asked which navigation structure you prefer before anybody has discussed your customers, the process may be starting in the wrong place.
A more useful question is: "What do prospective clients need to understand before they're comfortable making an enquiry?"
For a building products supplier, the answer might include product applications, technical documentation, availability and evidence of previous projects.
That gives the designer something meaningful to work with.
You supply the knowledge. The website process helps turn it into a clear structure.
There is a time for a more detailed brief
Not every project can be defined over a fifteen-minute conversation.
A multilingual manufacturing website with hundreds of product records, technical downloads and CRM integration needs considerably more discovery than a five-page professional services website.
Responsibilities must be agreed. Existing pages may need protecting. Integrations, access requirements and content ownership need proper consideration. Our guide to choosing what belongs in a B2B redesign helps separate launch essentials from work that can wait.
The point isn't to avoid detail. It's to introduce detail when it helps make a decision.
For a substantial project, a paid discovery stage may be perfectly reasonable. It should have a defined purpose, deliverables and price.
For a relatively straightforward rebuild, a shorter route may be enough.
Our guide to writing a website brief explains the information worth preparing once you know the shape of the project.
Watch out for meetings without decisions
A meeting should move the project forward.
That might mean agreeing the pages to build, approving the visual direction or resolving an outstanding content question.
It shouldn't simply produce a second meeting to revisit the first.
Before agreeing to another call, ask what needs deciding, who must attend and what can be handled in writing.
A short email containing three clear questions can sometimes achieve more than an hour of discussion involving six people.
Equally, don't mistake fewer meetings for no communication. You still need a named contact, a sensible review arrangement and a way to raise questions.
The aim is to reduce unnecessary administration, not to make the project mysterious.
What to send when you're ready to enquire
If you're considering a new website, start with a few practical details:
- The address of your current website, if you have one.
- A short explanation of what the business does and who it serves.
- What feels outdated, confusing or difficult to use.
- Any important deadline, existing content or special requirement.
- Who will make the final decision.
That is usually enough to begin a meaningful conversation. A reliable quotation may require further discussion and a defined scope, but you can establish whether the project is a sensible fit without completing a small dissertation.
At Smartcon Works, we welcome an existing website link and a few notes as a starting point. We can then discuss what needs to change, what the work involves and a realistic timetable.
Because the first step towards a better website really shouldn't be another project in itself.