How to write a website brief for a service firm

Why a brief matters for a service firm

Most web projects go wrong for the same reason: the provider builds what they assume you want. Without a brief, assumptions fill the gap. You get a generic layout, a home page that says "welcome", stock photos and a contact page with fields nobody fills in.

A brief replaces assumptions with decisions. It also protects you commercially. If two providers quote on the same brief, you can compare them. If they quote on a conversation, you are comparing guesses.

Part 1: The goal, in numbers

Start with what the website is for. For almost every service firm the answer is enquiries: calls, texts and emails from people who want work done. Write it down as a number.

Here is a worked way to do it:

1. Find your current monthly website enquiries. If you don't track them, estimate from your call log: how many new customers mention the website?
2. Note your close rate. If you win 4 in 10 quotes, it is 40%.
3. Note your average job value.

Suppose you get 8 enquiries a month, close 40% and average $5,000 a job. The site produces about $16,000 of work monthly. If the goal is 14 enquiries, the new site needs to produce about $28,000, an extra $12,000 a month. That number tells you, and any provider, what the site is worth and what a sensible budget looks like.

Write one line in the brief: "Goal: grow website enquiries from about 8 to about 14 a month within six months of launch."

Part 2: The services that matter most

List every service you offer, then mark the two or three you most want to sell. These deserve their own pages, written in depth. Lesser services can share a page or be mentioned in passing.

For each priority service, note:

• the typical job and its price range
• the questions customers ask before booking
• the reasons you lose quotes
• any licence or regulator that applies, so the site can mention it accurately

If your trade is licensed by a regulator such as ESA or TSSA in Ontario, check with them what they expect to see in advertising. We don't advise on compliance, but your provider needs to know the question exists.

Part 3: Coverage, honestly

Write down where you actually work and where you want more work. Be specific. "Oakville" is not enough. A firm whose best jobs come from Old Oakville and Bronte should say so; a firm that rarely crosses Dundas Street should not imply that it covers North Oakville.

Then list nearby towns you serve regularly, such as Burlington, Milton or Mississauga, and those you only take occasionally. The site's coverage page and your Google service area should match this list. Our Oakville coverage page shows how we break the town down.

Part 4: Proof you can show

Proof is what turns a nice-looking site into a persuasive one. List what you have:

• Project photos. How many real before-and-after sets? Twenty good ones are enough to start.
• Project stories. Which five to ten jobs best represent the work you want more of?
• Reviews. Where are they, and roughly how many?
• Credentials. Licences, trade association memberships, warranties you actually offer.
• Years in business and anything else you can prove.

If the list is thin, say so in the brief. A good provider will plan how to build proof rather than paper over the gap.

Part 5: The page list

A typical service-firm site needs fewer pages than owners expect. Here is a starting list you can adapt:

That is often 12 to 25 pages. Resist the temptation to add a page for every street or neighbourhood. Near-identical pages are treated as spam by search engines and do nothing for customers.

Part 6: Ownership and access

Settle this in writing before work starts:

1. The domain is registered in your company's name.
2. You hold admin access to the website, hosting, analytics, call tracking and Google profile.
3. Design files, photos and copy belong to you on payment.
4. If you part ways, the provider hands everything over in a usable form.

If a provider resists any of these, treat it as a warning.

Part 7: How you will measure success

Decide this before launch, not after. A simple set of measures:

• monthly calls, texts and emails from the site
• enquiry rate: enquiries divided by visits
• which pages visitors were on before they made contact
• quotes won that started on the website

Ask the provider to record a baseline before launch so the comparison is fair.

A fill-in brief

Copy this into a document and fill it in:

Firm: [Business name], [trade], based in [community or town]. Goal: grow website enquiries from about [current number] to about [target number] a month within [months] of launch. Priority services: [service 1], [service 2], [service 3]. Coverage: mainly [communities]; also [nearby towns]. Proof available: [number] photo sets, [number] project stories, reviews on [platforms]. Must be able to do ourselves: [for example, add project photos]. Budget range: [range]. Ownership: domain and all accounts in our company's name. Measures: enquiries, enquiry rate, pages before contact.

Using the brief

Send the same brief to each provider you are considering, including us if you like. Compare their answers on the goal, the page list and ownership, not only on price. If you would like us to quote, the contact page explains what to send, our websites service explains what we build, and the pricing page shows the plans. If your current site already ranks, read our rebranding and migration guide before switching anything off. We build websites and brands; we are not a contractor and never quote trade work.