---
title: "Website brief template"
description: "A free website brief template in Markdown: goals, audiences, pages, content you have, who updates it, and launch dates. Fill it in before you call a studio."
canonical: "https://goodtogrid.com/resources/website-brief-template"
updated: "2026-10-02"
---

# Website brief template

> A free website brief template in Markdown: goals, audiences, pages, content you have, who updates it, and launch dates. Fill it in before you call a studio.

URL: https://goodtogrid.com/resources/website-brief-template · Resource · Published: 2026-10-02 · Updated: 2026-10-02 · By goodtogrid studio

A website is mostly content. This brief asks about the people who visit, the questions they arrive with, and what you already have written, before anyone talks about colours.

- **Format:** Markdown · website-brief-template.md
- **Sections:** 7
- **Backed by:** 1 case study · 1 for a client
- **Updated:** 2026-10-02

## What’s inside

1. **Why the site exists.** What the site has to do for the business. Get enquiries, take bookings, sell, answer the same questions so the phone rings less.
2. **Who visits.** Each audience and the one question they arrive with. A parent asking what a day looks like is a different visitor from a teacher looking for a job.
3. **Pages and sections.** A rough list of what goes on the site. It doesn't need to be a sitemap yet; we shape it from the questions above.
4. **Content you already have.** Copy, photos, a deck, a brochure, the old site. Say what is ready, what needs rewriting, and who will write it.
5. **Keeping it current.** Who updates the site, and how often. This decides whether you need a CMS at all.
6. **Languages and search.** Which languages, and the few searches you most want to be found for.
7. **Dates and budget.** A launch date if one exists, why it matters, and a budget range.

## The template

```markdown
# Website brief

## Why the site exists
What should it do for the business? (enquiries, bookings, sales, fewer phone calls…)

## Who visits
| Audience | The question they arrive with |
| --- | --- |
|  |  |
|  |  |

## Pages and sections
-
-
-

## Content you already have
- Ready to use:
- Needs rewriting:
- Still to write, and by whom:
- Photos and video:

## Keeping it current
- Who updates it:
- What changes, and how often:
- Anything edited daily (news, listings, products):

## Languages and search
- Languages:
- Searches you want to be found for:

## Things it must connect to
Forms, booking, payments, a newsletter, an existing system:

## Sites you like, and why
-

## Dates and budget
- Launch date, and why it matters:
- Budget range (USD):

## Where it is now
No site yet / a site that needs a rebuild / content in a deck or PDF
```

## How to use it

Fill in the audiences first. Every page on a good site answers a question someone arrives with, so the list of questions does most of the work of a sitemap.

Be honest about content. If the copy doesn't exist yet, say who will write it and when; that date usually sets the launch more than the build does.

You don't need every section. A half-filled brief with the audiences and the content answered is enough for us to reply with a plan and a range.

## Related work

- **[KYZN Preschool](https://goodtogrid.com/work/kyzn-preschool)** — Website for a preschool with campuses in Kuningan and BSD. _Client project · Education · Website · 2026_

## Frequently asked questions

### How is this different from the app brief?

An app brief starts from what people do. A website brief starts from what people want to know, so it asks more about audiences, content and who keeps it updated.

### What if our content is still in a slide deck?

Say so in the content section. Turning a deck into sections people browse is work we've done before, for KYZN Preschool, and it shapes the plan.

### Where do I send it?

Paste it into the brief on the start a project page, or email it to hello@goodtogrid.com.

## Read next

- [Custom website vs website builder](https://goodtogrid.com/compare/custom-website-vs-website-builder) (Comparison) — A custom site or a website builder, side by side, and when a builder is the better call.
- [App requirements template](https://goodtogrid.com/resources/app-brief-template) (Resource) — The questions we ask at the start of an app or web project, as a template to fill in.
- [Web development](https://goodtogrid.com/services/web-development) (Service) — Marketing sites, web apps and dashboards, designed and built by the same team.

[Start a project](https://goodtogrid.com/start-new-project#brief) · [All resources](https://goodtogrid.com/resources)