Getting started

A better website starts with a clearer brief.

The hard part is rarely finding another template. It is deciding what the website needs to say. A short, useful brief keeps that decision from getting lost in the design.

Start with the person on the other side

Describe the visitor in a sentence. What brought them here? What do they already understand, and what might make them hesitate? A site for someone choosing their first accountant needs different explanations from one for an experienced procurement team.

Name the one useful next step

Pick the action that matters most: read a service page, enquire about a project, find an opening time, or explore a collection. Other actions can exist, but the page should have a clear centre of gravity.

Separate facts from ambitions

List the things you can support today. Keep planned services and hoped-for results in a different list. This makes it easier to write confident copy without promising more than the business can deliver.

Describe a feeling with examples

“Modern” is a broad instruction. “Warm colours, compact navigation, and enough space for project photographs” gives a designer something useful. Choose a few references and explain the part you like in each.

Keep the first brief short

Aim for a useful starting point, not an exhaustive specification. Audience, offer, next action, essential pages, and a visual direction will usually reveal the questions that need a second conversation.

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