Most bad website quotes start with a bad brief. Not a bad developer, a bad brief. If you tell three people "I need a new website" and nothing else, you get three guesses back, and the guesses are priced differently because each person has filled the gaps with their own assumptions.
I would rather get a clear brief than a long one. Half a page is plenty, as long as it answers the right questions. Here is what I would put in it, and why each part changes the price or the result.
Say what the website is for
Start with the job, not the pages. "Get more enquiries from people in Hull looking for a plumber" is a job. "Five pages and a gallery" is a shopping list. The job tells a developer what to build first and what to leave out, and it gives you something to judge the finished site against.
If you can put a number on it, do. Maybe you get four enquiries a month now and you want eight. Maybe the website is only there so people trust you after a recommendation. Both are fine. They lead to different sites.
List what you already have
A developer needs to know what they are inheriting. Write down the domain name and who it is registered with, where the site is hosted, what it is built on if you know, and who holds the logins. A domain registered under someone's old email address is one of the most common causes of delay.
Be honest about the existing site too. If it ranks for anything on Google, say so, because moving it carelessly can lose that. I covered the mechanics in moving off a website builder without losing your SEO, and the same care applies to any rebuild.
Describe who has to be able to edit it
This one changes the build more than people expect. If you want to change prices, add a news item or swap a photo yourself, say so, and say how often. A site you can edit comfortably is a different piece of work from one that only the developer touches.
For most small businesses I would point at WordPress done properly, because the editing side is mature and anyone can hire help for it later. That is the thinking behind my WordPress development work, and it is why I ask about editing before I ask about design.
Name the things that must work
Write a short list of the features you would be unhappy to launch without. A booking form. A way to take payment. A map and opening hours. A login area. Each one is a separate piece of work with its own price, and a vague "contact functionality" can mean anything from a form to a full booking system.
Then add a second list of nice-to-haves. When every developer prices the same must-have list, the differences between the numbers start to mean something.
Share what you like and what you hate
Send three links to websites you like and one you cannot stand, with a line on why. Nobody needs a mood board. A sentence such as "clear prices on the front page" or "too many pop-ups" saves a round of revisions later.
Be upfront about timing and the number you have in mind
Give a date if you have a real one, such as a trade fair or a busy season. Real deadlines change how work is scheduled.
On money, I would give a range, or at least say what the website is worth to you. People worry that naming a figure means it gets spent. A rough number makes the quote more honest, because the developer can say what fits inside it and what does not, rather than quoting for the biggest version of the job. My own approach to pricing is written up in how I quote a website.
Put it together and send the same brief to everyone
The point of a brief is that every developer reads the same thing. Send it to two or three people and you will get answers you can line up side by side. If one reply asks sharp questions about your brief and another just sends a price, that tells you something before you have even looked at the number.
Once the quotes arrive, my post on how to compare website quotes walks through lining them up. And if you are still deciding who to ask, the questions to ask a WordPress developer before you hire is a good list to have open.
A quick checklist
What the site is for, in one sentence, ideally with a number.
Your domain, hosting and logins, and who holds them.
Who needs to edit the site and how often.
Must-have features, then nice-to-haves.
Three sites you like, one you do not, and why.
A real deadline if there is one, and a rough price range.
Want a second pair of eyes on your brief?
If you are in Hull or East Yorkshire and you would like someone to read your brief before you send it out, I offer a free 30 minute surgery. Rough notes are fine, and I will tell you what is missing. You can book it through the contact page.
Free 30-min surgery
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