> Introduction

This should be enough of a template / checklist to get a solid response back from any design and build partner. The more detail you can put into it, the better.

So answer these questions and send off your brief to your 'long-list' of partners - or your favourite one if you have already got a relationship. Don't make that long list too long though - agencies and freelancers alike are talented, busy folk and no one likes a pitch list of twenty. And you've got more things to do than time allows I'd wager, so reading through lots of proposals is bad news all round. Ask about, look for recommendations and hand-pick a small number of potential partners to talk to.

Don't request or expect finalised interface designs back in the first response. A good agency / freelancer will go through various stages before they get to pixel-perfect, on-brand designs. You're selling yourself short if you ask them to come back with great interface designs on receipt of this initial brief.

“Design’ covers the range of objectives to meet: marketing, technology and brand / creative expression within an engaging interface (and increasingly across a range of devices including smartphone and tablet).

Lots of planning and decision making comes further down the line from the web team you commission e.g they'll plan out things like site visitor personas (from any research if you have it), they'll devise site maps, wireframes and technical / functional specifications, consider usability and accessibility etc - before coming back with designs.

Note that questions about budget and timescales are up front.. this can save a lot of the ‘dance’ clients and agencies can get into, that ‘piece of string’ conversation needs to start somewhere..

Feel free to copy and paste this into your package of choice to add your answers or additional info.

Good luck with your project! Mark, 2013.

http://markkellynet.com @markkelly333

> 1. Budget guide

It can be a difficult to provide a guide but this will really help the design partner look at realistic creative / technology / content solutions for you.Allow for ongoing costs (hosting, content load, content creation) as separate budgets lines if applicable. If you have no fixed budget the design partner will of course create an estimate but a guide upfront helps with realistic proposals from them.

> 2. Timescales

Are there set timings in place e.g to coincide with a product launch or Ad campaign that need to be considered?

> 3. Web site objectives

What’s the site for? What is the overall purpose of the site?

Do you have any specific metric objectives / KPIs?e.g to create x number of sales enquiries, to convert x % of site visitors to an online (shop) sale, to change how your business / brand is perceived, to make company literature easily available to download and / or share (via social platforms) etc.

http://markkellynet.com @markkelly333

> 4. About the website:

Is this to be a new site?

Or a refresh / rebuild of an existing site?- Why does the old site need refreshing or rebuilding?

If there is an existing site/s, list the urls in section 12.

Should this site stay live or redirect to a holding page during rebuild?(The design partner can advise in any SEO implications on this.)

Please provide any analytics (Google or other) / reports that available for interrogation by the design partner (spotting current blocks to conversion or interaction, site visitor stats, mobile usage etc is good at this stage.)

> 5. Background to your business or brand:

What do you do? (what are your services / products)Listing these out will help with an initial site map - ensuring all aspects are covered in the architecture of the site.

Are you UK based (or one country - add as applicable) or have international markets (and does the site need to be multilingual)

Do you operate from multiple offices and will each office need to update content on the new site?

http://markkellynet.com @markkelly333

> 6. Target Audience

Who is this site for? If you have a range of potential site users / customers - please provide any quantitative or qualitative research material you have available that describes each segment.If you're not sure, think about who your ideal customer would be and describe them.

Will they be coming to the site for different reasons?(What do we want them to do?)

Are there any typical user journey / visitor scenarios you have already documented, that you can share?

> 7. Competitor set

List out competitors (websites) in your sector that you are aware of.

If you have any insight / research into on how these sites are perceived please provide this.

Please also provide your views on those you like and why.(not just the design but also the content they offer.)

http://markkellynet.com @markkelly333

> 8. Marketing considerations

Do you have segmented marketing / advertising campaigns running that require specific landing pages (e.g based on a specific offer / product.)

When people land on the home page , what are the primary calls to action we need to address?(e.g ‘Buy Now’, sign up for a newsletter etc.)

Do you have existing brand / marketing videos (now or planned) we should feature? (if you have a youtube channel, provide the url here.)

Do you have animation, infographics or diagrams (now or planned) we should feature?

Do you have specific environmental, terms of use, privacy and / or accessibility notices (pages) we should?(The design partner can also advise on this and would suggest mandatory pages on the draft site map).

If you have existing or planned Social Media profiles (including a blog) for the business, please list urls here.(The design partner will also normally incorporate social share features on the site.)

> 9. Content

Do you have ‘raw’ content available electronically?(e.g pdfs or docs describing services products, company history etc) No need to share at this stage but helps with the cost estimate.

Do you require the design partner to rewrite this with search engine optimisation in mind (recommended and very often the case.)

http://markkellynet.com @markkelly333

> 10. Creative Guidance

Do you have a single proposition and/or brand positioning to reflect?

We you be able to provide any mandatory brand assets - logos, colourways, any brand bibles or style guides and / or links to a marketing asset library or photography archive etc? (Actual assets not required yet but it would be good to know if they are available in a coherent form.)

If original photography is to be commissioned - do you have a style guide?Or do you want the design partner to include a look and feel in their proposals?If required, the design partner will look at costs for origination and / or usage of stock images and applicable usage fees for online.

Is there a desired Tone of Voice for the site?

As well as competitor sites (see section 7), do you like particular site designs/look and feel that you have seen? List these out.(Whilst it's good to be aspirational, some features on sites you admire may not meet your budget - add them in but be aware, complicated functionality and rich content requires skill and resource, so won't (rightly) be a cheap option.)

> 11. Desired site functionality

If you plan to manage content changes (e.g to a News section, About Us, product pages etc) please state (a Content Management System can then be scoped / estimated by the design partner).

Does the site require eCommerce functionality?

Any other functionality that is desirable?(e.g ‘configurator' / calculator tools, interactive maps, data capture forms etc).

http://markkellynet.com @markkelly333

> 12. Technical considerations

Will the website need to link in with any existing databases or back-end (e.g stock control) platforms you already use?

Do your I.T / I.S team have a preference for a build or hosting environment that the design partner should be aware of?

Will the design partner need to consider site hosting or do you have your own servers / providers?

Please list out any domain names owned by the business and where they should direct to on the new site (if known at this stage).(e.g if multiple domains are in use for different markets, products, sub-brands or services etc.)

That's it. Attach any additional overview documents that you think are useful on your email to the design partner/s .. they'll come back with questions and / or an estimate.And then you should (a) meet up and talk it through with (say) 3 potential partners or (b) if you need to choose a partner quickly (route (a) is better!) select the best response but still meet and 'workshop' any Q&As, initial thoughts etc with those guys before they start to deliver concrete solutions.

Good luck with the project!And if you need any advice please just shout.Mark.

http://markkellynet.com @markkelly333

Mark KellyDigital Marketing

Consultant | Producer | Trainer

http://www.markkellynet.comhttp://www.twitter.com/markkelly333

http://www.linkedin.com/in/markkelly333

I help my clients get the most from digital marketing in all its forms- so they make money or save money or both (and save a lot of time having to figure it all out).

Training

I run digital / social media training workshops for companies & agencies.

I've lectured for the IDM.

I worked with MMU School of Business tocreate and deliver an accredited digitalmarketing training course to agency staff.Won Gold accreditation from the IPA.

Consultancy

I work for Agencies and direct clients, advising on digital strategy and growth(amongst other things).

25 years experience of client facingmarketing services, strategy dev and project management. The last 14 in online/digital.

I have been involved in and run a huge range of digital B2C and B2B campaigns for well known brands.

Previously head of large digital divisionin a global agency; directing creative, code and client services teams.

Producer / Project Director I project manage web site builds, social media campaigns and digital content creation forclients.

I've project managed work big and small:multi-country, multi-lingual large website builds as well as UK microsites, flashgames, email, rich media and social media campaigns etc.

I've managed in-house teams and 3rd party/freelance specialists

I also speak tech.