The one-page website brief, before you ask for a quote
In France the document is called a "cahier des charges", and the name alone frightens people: it suggests thirty pages, tables, technical vocabulary. Many business owners postpone their website project for months because they believe they must produce that monster before daring to write to anyone. Good news: to make contact, check feasibility and get a first estimate, one well-prepared page is enough. Professionals call it a project brief; the detailed cahier des charges comes later, to price and steer the project. Here are the seven blocks of that page, a template to copy, what you should definitely not put in it, and how you will recognise a good provider by their reply.
Why one page, and what it can and cannot do
A quote is built on a scope. Without information from you, the provider guesses, and a guessed quote is wrong in one direction or the other: too broad "to be safe", or too narrow to win the job, with extras later. A well-prepared page transforms the conversation: you see how each provider understands your need, which assumptions they make, what they include and what they leave out. It does not, by itself, guarantee final quotes you can compare line for line, but it makes the differences readable, and that is already the best return on one hour of work in your whole project. The price brackets to hold them against are in our article How much does a website cost in France.
One honest limit: this page is a brief, not the full cahier des charges. France Num, the French state's digital service for businesses, puts a real cahier des charges at around five to ten pages even for a very small company, with integrations, timeline and technical constraints. That document is usually written with the provider you choose, once the scoping is agreed, not before first contact. E-commerce, online booking or business tools to connect will necessarily go through it.
The seven blocks of the page
Each block takes two to four sentences. Write the way you speak, and in whichever language is easiest; nobody is grading your style, and a good bilingual provider will work with either.
- Who you are, and who your customer is. Your business, your area, and above all the person who needs to find you: the gîte guest, the family renovating a house, the client looking for a practitioner. One sentence for each.
- The site's mission, in one sentence. Not "present my business": what should happen because the site exists? Receive quote requests, fill the booking calendar, reassure people before a first appointment. If you cannot choose, that is already an excellent question for the first conversation.
- What the visitor must be able to do. The concrete actions: call, send an enquiry, book, download, buy. Three at most, in order of importance.
- The pages you imagine. A simple list: home, services, work, contact... It will be reworked together, but it gives the scale of the project.
- What you already have. Text, photographs, logo, client reviews, an existing site and its address, a domain already bought. And, just as important, what is missing: that is often the hidden line in the budget, as we explain in the pricing article. If your business is bilingual, say which languages the site needs and who will maintain the second one.
- Two or three examples, loved or hated. Website addresses with a word on what appeals to you or puts you off. "I hate this" teaches as much as "I love this".
- Your budget bracket and your timeline. The block everyone skips, for fear of "naming the number first". That is a miscalculation: without a bracket, you will receive proposals needlessly far from your means, in both directions. A bracket is not a commitment, it is a filter that saves you weeks.
The template, to copy and fill in
Here it is, ready to use. Copy it into an email or a document, replace the dots, delete what does not apply, and write it in English or French, whichever is easier.
Project brief, one page
1. Our business and our customers. We are... Our area is... Our main customers are...
2. The expected result. Thanks to the site, we mainly want to...
3. The visitor's actions. The visitor must be able to: 1... 2... 3...
4. Pages and known constraints. Pages we imagine... Languages... Booking or payment... Tools already in place to connect...
5. What we already have. Text... Photos... Logo... Client reviews... Domain... Current site (address)... We are missing...
6. Our references. We like [address] because... We dislike [address] because...
7. Budget and timeline. Our bracket is... to... €. We would like to launch around... because...
You bring the context of your trade. The provider brings the solution. A good brief does not do their job for them.
What not to write in it
The most common mistake is not saying too little, it is answering questions that are not yours to answer. Do not impose a technology or a CMS out of habit, or because someone close to you recommended it: if you have a real constraint, a business tool to connect, a team already trained, state it; otherwise, describe the need and let the provider justify their recommendation. You can attach a sketch or a page list to explain your idea, without freezing the future structure: it will be reworked around the visitor's journey. And do not write "I want to be first on Google": state the services, customers and areas you want to be visible on, and let the provider check how your customers actually search. The rule fits in one line: describe the problem and the expected result, never the solution.
How to recognise a good provider by their reply
Once your page is sent, watch the reaction: it tells you more than a portfolio. A good provider asks questions back, because one page always raises points to clarify; whoever quotes without asking anything is quoting at random. They rephrase your need in their own words, and you recognise yourself in it. They dare to push back on a point in your document when your interest calls for it, for example a page you do not need. And their proposal answers your page: the scope, the deliverables, what is included and excluded, the timeline, the recurring costs and the exit terms, instead of a generic package that could have been sent to anyone. The other selection criteria, and the questions to ask at that stage, are in our guide to choosing a web agency in Provence.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a brief for a simple showcase website?
Yes, but one page is enough: who you are, who your customer is, what the site must produce, the visitor's actions, the pages you imagine, the materials you have, a few commented examples, and your budget bracket with a timeline. It is not a formality: it is what makes the quotes you receive comparable with one another.
Should I state my budget in the brief?
Yes, as a bracket. Without one, you will receive proposals needlessly far from your means, too high or too low, and lose weeks going back and forth. A bracket is not a commitment: it says what size of project you are talking about, and it filters out irrelevant offers from the start.
Should I specify the technology or CMS I want?
No, unless you have a real constraint on your side, for example a business tool already in place. The technical choice is a consequence of your needs, not a starting point: it is precisely the expertise you are buying. Describe the problem and the expected result; let the provider propose and justify the solution.
Is one page really enough to get a quote?
For a first conversation and a scoping quote, yes. For e-commerce, online booking or integrations with your tools, a more detailed document will be needed, but it is usually written with the provider you have chosen, once the scoping is agreed, not before first contact.
How does a good provider react to a brief?
They ask questions back, rephrase your need in their own words, dare to challenge a point when your interest calls for it, and answer line by line rather than with a generic package. A provider who quotes without asking anything is quoting at random, and the quote will show it sooner or later.
More questions ? Many answers are already gathered on our FAQ page.
Your page is ready, or almost ?
Send it to us as it is, even imperfect, in English or French: we check that the project fits our scope, point out the missing questions and give a first honest bracket. When deeper scoping is worth it, that is the role of the digital diagnostic, from €250 deducted from the project: it turns the brief into a prioritised scope, with a document that stays yours.