Website Requirements Generator

Why a written brief saves time and money

A website project runs more smoothly when the decisions are written down before design starts: the pages, the features, who supplies the content, the budget and the deadline. A brief puts them in one place, so every agency quotes for the same thing and your team agrees on what “done” means. It also surfaces surprises early, such as a page nobody planned for or a payment method nobody has set up.

The generator asks the questions a web designer would ask in a first meeting, then organises your answers into a brief you can share.

How to read your brief

• Project summary and goals. One paragraph on who you are and what the website is for. Your main goal comes first: it decides what the home page leads visitors to do.
• Suggested sitemap. The pages you chose, plus pages your goals and features need, each marked “Added” with the reason. An online shop gains a cart, checkout and delivery page; a site with forms gains a privacy policy (the privacy policy generator can help you draft one).
• Must-have and nice-to-have features. Must-haves are needed for launch. The brief adds the features your goals imply, such as online payments for a goal of selling online. Nice-to-haves are candidates for a second phase if time or budget is tight.
• Integrations. Payment providers, email marketing, WhatsApp and the systems you named, plus analytics so you can measure your goals.
• Content plan. A readiness score out of 8 for your text, photos, logo and brand guidelines, and a next step for each. A basic or standard business website usually takes a few weeks once content is ready, so this is often where the timeline is won or lost.
• Risks and questions to resolve. What could delay or change the project, in priority order: a budget below the range we publish for your type of website, a short deadline with content missing, open questions about payments, delivery, accounts or translations.

Budget and timeline

If you give a budget, the brief compares it with the ranges we publish for the closest type of website. For example, a 6–15 page business website typically costs GHS 5,000 – 12,000 and an online store GHS 8,000 – 25,000 or more. For an itemised estimate with running costs, use the website cost calculator, and read our website cost guide for what each type includes. If your brief describes customer accounts with bookings or payments, the web application cost estimator may fit better.

Before you send it

• Redesigning? List your most visited pages. Google recommends permanent redirects from old addresses to new ones when a site moves, so links and search rankings are kept; the website migration checklist walks you through it.
• Accessibility. Ask for a website that follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA, so people using screen readers, keyboards or zoom can use it too.
• Examples. Two or three websites you like, and what you like about each, say more than a page of description.

When you are happy with it, press Send this to Phoot Technologies: the brief is copied into the form below. Our website design and development page explains how we work.