Why a detailed brief gets you a more accurate quote and a better website

"How much will it cost?" is the first thing most people ask us, and it's a fair question. Our honest answer is on our prices page: it depends what you need. That's why the most useful thing you can bring to a first conversation isn't a budget. It's a detailed brief.

A quote is only as accurate as the brief behind it

A quote is a prediction of the work involved. If the request is "a new website for my business", there are several very different projects that could fit those words: a few pages of information, an online shop, or a site that connects to the systems you run your business on.

When the detail is missing, whoever is quoting has two options. They can guess low and add costs later, or they can guess high to cover the risk. Neither is fair on you, and it's why we don't publish a headline starting price. A detailed brief removes the guesswork, so the price reflects your actual project.

It also makes quotes easier to compare. If you send the same detailed brief to three studios, you can see what each one is really offering, rather than comparing three different guesses.

Three things a detailed brief changes

The same request, two very different projects

Here's an example of how much a few extra details can change. Imagine a local company asks for "a website with a booking form".

That could mean a simple form that emails the office, which then rings the customer back. Or it could mean live availability, online payment, automatic reminders and a link to the company's diary. Both are "a booking form", but they aren't the same size of job, and a quote for one would be wrong for the other. A couple of sentences in the brief are enough to tell them apart.

What to include in your brief

You don't need technical language or a long document. Plain answers to these questions will do, and "we're not sure yet" is a useful answer too.

1. Your business and your goal

   What do you do, and what should this project achieve? More enquiries, online sales and fewer hours of admin all lead to different solutions.

2. Your customers

   Who are you trying to reach, and what do they need to find or do when they arrive?

3. The size of the job

   Roughly how many pages do you need? Do you need to sell online, take bookings or give customers a login?

4. Words and pictures

   Who is writing the words and supplying the photos? This is easy to overlook, and it can have a big effect on the work involved.

5. What you already have

   Are you moving from an existing website? Does it need to connect to other systems, such as your CRM, accounts software or spreadsheets?

6. How your process works today

   For business software, describe what happens step by step, who does each step and where it goes wrong. The workarounds are often the most useful part.

7. What you like and what you don't

   Share a few websites you like and a few you don't, and tell us why. "Why" is more useful than the link.

8. Timing, budget and what happens after launch

   Is there a real deadline? Do you have a budget range in mind? Would you like us to host and look after the site, or help with SEO and Google Ads?

Don't have all the answers? That's normal

A brief is a starting point, not an exam. Many of our best conversations begin with "I know something isn't working, but I don't know what I need". Write down what you do know, and we'll help with the rest. We'd much rather ask questions now than make assumptions that cost you later.

Ready to start? Our prices page explains what shapes a quote, and its free estimate form asks many of the questions above. There's no hard sell and there are no salespeople.

See how our pricing works Talk to us about your project

Website brief: quick answers

the cirrus newsletter/ october 2026

Also in this newsletter

If you're planning a new website or system, these articles may help.

You may also find your website questions answered and our case studies useful.