# Website project brief checklist Canonical: https://beyondphp.com/insights/website-project-brief-checklist/ Language: English Reviewed: 2026-10-23 Insights / BeyondPHP Bring enough clarity to start a productive conversation without writing a technical specification yourself. The short answer A website brief should explain the business outcome, the visitors it serves and the tasks the website must support. It also needs practical constraints: available content, decision-makers, timing and budget context. Clear unknowns are more useful than invented certainty. Published 22 October 2026 · Reviewed 23 October 2026 · [BeyondPHP editorial review](https://beyondphp.com/editorial/) ## Start with a specific business outcome Describe what is difficult about the current situation and what a better website would help visitors do. Identify the primary audience and the most important enquiry or decision. Avoid a list of fashionable visual effects without a purpose. Reference sites are helpful when you explain the particular layout, clarity or tone you want to learn from. ## List content and functions separately Outline the main information areas, languages and any product or project catalogue. Then describe forms, booking, payments or account requirements as visitor journeys. Include the existing site and any URLs that matter. Mark material that is ready, needs revision or does not exist yet. This separates production effort from functionality. ## Make the approval process workable Name the person who can approve scope, content and design. Share meaningful deadlines and dependencies, such as a product launch or a photographer’s schedule. Provide budget context if available and identify firm constraints. Keep passwords and private customer data out of the initial brief; access requirements can be handled later through an appropriate authorised process. ## A decision that makes the brief useful Instead of asking only for a modern website, identify one audience and its primary task: understand a specialist service, compare an approved product range or request a suitable project discussion. Then name the content owner and receiving channel. This gives design, accessibility and contact checks a concrete purpose without inventing a conversion target. A practical next step ## What to prepare. - **Outcome and audience** Write one primary goal and the visitor group it serves. - **Material inventory** List existing pages, images, documents and missing content. - **Decision route** Confirm approver, feedback timing and any fixed launch dependency. ## Questions worth asking. Do we need to know the technology? No. Describe the business requirements and operating needs; implementation choices can follow discovery. Can the brief contain unknowns? Yes. Label them and explain which decisions depend on resolving them. Should we send login details? No. An initial brief should describe access needs without including credentials or sensitive records. ## Sources & further reading. Primary documentation for the factual background. Our project recommendations depend on your requirements. [**W3C WAI: Planning and managing web accessibility** Accessibility belongs in planning, implementation and ongoing review. This is process guidance, not a market price benchmark.](https://www.w3.org/WAI/planning-and-managing/) Continue with the right context ## Useful next reads. [Services Website redesign Rethink your website around clearer content, a stronger visual identity and a practical transition plan. Preserve what works and improve what holds it back.](https://beyondphp.com/services/website-redesign/) [Insights What affects the cost of a business website? Understand the content, design, integration and ownership decisions that shape a website quotation and its ongoing costs.](https://beyondphp.com/insights/what-affects-website-cost/) [Migration Website migration assessment Get a practical assessment of content, functionality, URLs and ownership before committing to a website migration.](https://beyondphp.com/migration/website-migration-assessment/)