Write a useful website brief

Start with one visitor question

Begin with the decision your visitor should be able to make. “A modern website” describes a preference but says little about content. “Understand whether our renovation advice suits an apartment in Brussels” gives useful direction for examples, service explanations and practical information.

Choose one primary action, such as requesting an introductory conversation or viewing a portfolio. You can offer a secondary action without giving it equal weight everywhere. Also record situations where your offer is unsuitable. This helps you set expectations clearly before anyone spends time contacting you.

Gather facts before requesting copy

Create a small source folder containing your correct business name, services, working area, contact details and available images. For every project example, explain what you actually contributed. Without permission to use a customer name or photograph, leave it out of the evidence you publish.

Separate confirmed information from open questions. A price still under discussion belongs on the decision list. Do not ask AI to fill gaps in experience, credentials, reviews or availability. A visible “to be confirmed” note is more useful during drafting than a plausible but invented statement.

Turn the brief into usable instructions

Plan pages only when they have a clear job and enough material. A small service website might begin with a homepage, a service page and contact details. Describe the question each page answers and what the visitor should be able to do afterwards.

Specify the tone and language. The Flova editor operates in Dutch, while generated websites support 24 languages. Your specialist terms, contact information and translations still need your own review. Reserve time to read every language version you actually intend to use, including navigation and button labels.

Record practical boundaries

List what is ready and what is missing: logo, pictures, text, domain access and the person responsible for approval. Keep requested functionality separate from ordinary content. A “Book a call” button does not create a booking integration, and contact details do not provide a working form backend.

Manual editing is free in Flova. A successful saved AI command costs one credit. Complete missing facts first, then group related changes into a clear instruction. Review the result before moving on and keep your final source information somewhere outside the design, where you can reuse it later.

• The audience and main visitor question are specific.
• Services, working area and contact details are confirmed.
• Every planned page has a distinct job.
• You have permission for images and evidence.
• Missing functionality and decisions are listed separately.

Test the brief with another reader

Ask someone to read your brief without a spoken explanation. Can they describe what you offer, who it serves and how to continue? If not, clarify those points before choosing colours and typefaces. This small exercise makes later design feedback considerably easier to interpret.

Treat the first website version as a discussion draft. Compare it with the brief and change the actual gaps. Keep a short decision log with dates and an owner, so feedback from several people does not become a sequence of contradictory instructions that repeatedly undoes previous work.