Short answer
A brief does not need to prescribe the design. It should explain the business, audience, offer, evidence and constraints.
Describe the decision
Explain what the customer should understand and do after visiting the site. “Make it modern” is a preference; “help procurement compare three services and request a quote” is a task.
List the priority audiences and the questions each one asks before contacting you.
Collect useful source material
Provide current texts, presentations, documents, brand assets, analytics access and examples of sites you like or dislike. Explain what exactly you respond to in each example.
Identify who approves content and how quickly decisions can be made. This affects the timeline as much as development.
Be open about constraints
Share the budget range, launch date, required platform, legal requirements and integrations. Constraints help the team propose a realistic route.
A good brief is the start of a conversation, not a contract written by the client alone.
A useful next check
- Can the right customer recognise the offer in the first screen?
- Are price, timing and scope explained clearly enough to qualify an enquiry?
- Do forms, phone links and WhatsApp work on a real mobile device?
- Is there evidence behind the main claims?
- Can search systems access a complete, stable page?