Who is the website for?

Name your primary buyer and the question they need answered. A procurement manager comparing suppliers may need specifications, capacity and a clear contact route. A returning customer may need support instead. List the three tasks each audience comes to complete, then give the priority audience a clear route from the homepage. Avoid a menu organised only around your internal departments.

What should a useful visit lead to?

Choose the main action for each page. A service page might lead to a project enquiry, while a guide helps someone understand a decision before contacting you. Write the information needed before that action: service scope, suitable projects, process and genuine evidence. Example: a manufacturer’s product page could offer specifications and an enquiry about availability rather than a generic “learn more” button.

What content do you already have?

Inventory the current URLs and mark each keep, improve, combine or remove. Save any available Search Console performance before changing URLs. Collect approved copy, original brand files, useful photographs and permission for client examples. Assign a writer and approver to each missing page. A redirect plan belongs in the brief, not in a rushed launch-day task list.

Who will maintain it?

Name the person who edits content and how often they publish. Ask them to try a realistic editing task in the proposed CMS. Record ownership of the domain, hosting, repository and paid plugins. Agree training, backups and update responsibilities. If the site depends on custom software, include documentation and a way for another developer to operate it.

How will you know it is working?

Set a baseline for relevant search visits and confirmed enquiries when data is available. Keep email and WhatsApp clicks separate from actual conversations. Your brief should say who reviews the numbers and when. After launch, check priority URLs, forms, analytics and redirects before interpreting short-term traffic changes. A redesign is a release to evaluate, not a guarantee of more sales.

Your practical checklist

  • Primary audience and its three important tasks
  • One useful next action per page
  • URL inventory and redirect owner
  • Content writer, approver and missing assets
  • Editing, hosting and maintenance responsibilities
  • Baseline and date for the first post-launch review

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