Denali Web Services

Website brief

Everything we need to build your website.

These are the questions we’d ask in a first meeting. Answer what you can and skip what you can’t. Rough notes are fine, and there are no wrong answers.

0 of 84 answered · 0 of 15 key questions

Website brief

Denali Web Services
sales@denaliws.com · denaliws.com

How this works

Questions marked Key matter most. If you’re short on time, press “Key questions only” and answer those first.

Your answers are saved in this browser as you type. When you’re done, press “Save brief” to download a file, then email it to sales@denaliws.com. You can open that file here again later to carry on.

1Your business

The basics. These appear on the site exactly as you write them, so match what’s on your signs and your Google listing.

Exactly as it appears on Google and your signage.

A sentence or two, the way you’d say it to someone you just met.

Leave blank if it’s the same as above.

If you work from home or go to your customers, say so and we won’t show a street address.

Towns and areas you serve, or “anywhere, online”.

Include seasonal changes, or “by appointment”.

Only if you’d like it mentioned.

Find your business on Google Maps, press Share and copy the link. Write “none” if you don’t have one.

One link per line.

2What the site needs to do

A good website has one main job. Everything on it is arranged to get that job done.

What’s the one thing the site most needs to do? Key

For example: call us, book online, ask for a quote, order.

A second, smaller job. For example: newsletter sign-ups, job applications.

For example: “We call back the same day and come out to quote within the week.” Visitors like knowing this.

Numbers help: “15 quote requests a month”, “fill Tuesday classes”.

Word of mouth, Google, Facebook, walk-ins, ads. Roughly how many a month, if you know.

3Your customers

The site is written for them, in their words, so the more specific the better.

Their situation, age, type of business, where they live.

One per line. For example: “emergency plumber Fairbanks”, “kids yoga near me”.

Price, trust, timing, not sure it’s for them.

One per line, with your usual answer if it’s quick.

Names or websites. Who shows up when you search for what you do?

Jobs too small, areas too far, the wrong kind of enquiry.

4What you offer

One per line, with a short description. Put the ones you want more of first.

Usually the most profitable or the most enjoyable.

How should prices appear on the site?

Specifics beat adjectives: “same-day callouts”, “the owner does every job”, “we’re the only one in town that…”.

Refunds, cancellations, workmanship guarantees.

5Proof

Real proof, placed next to the button, is what turns a visitor into a customer. We only ever use real reviews and real numbers.

Can we quote your public reviews on the site?

With their name only if they’re happy to be named.

Jobs done, customers served, years, response time. Only real ones.

Only with their permission.

Before and afters, a project story, a customer you helped.

6Look and feel

Do you have a logo?

Colour codes if you have them, or “the green on our van”.

For example: calm, local, expert.

For example: corporate, cheap, pushy.

How should the writing sound?

Any industry. One per line: the link, then what you like.

7Photos and words

Your own photos beat stock photos every time. Phone photos are fine to start, as long as they’re sharp and well lit.

What photos do you have?

Team, premises, work, products. If a photographer took them, do you have the right to use them online?

Name, role and a line or two about each.

How you started, why you do it. Rough notes are fine.

Who’s writing the words?

8Pages and tools

Which pages do you think you need?

A starting point. We’ll suggest what works best for your goal.

You write posts in the editor, much like a document, and publish them yourself. Say if you’d like us to write some, or bring posts over from an old site.

Which forms do you need?

Booking (Mindbody, Square, Calendly, OpenTable), newsletter (Mailchimp), payments, point of sale. Say which should appear on the site.

Do you want to take payments online?

Member areas, client portals, staff pages. Leave blank if not.

9Your current website and domain

This keeps your email working and your Google rankings intact when the new site goes live. Never put passwords in this form.

Leave blank if you don’t have one.

Do you own a domain name?

For example: yourbusiness.com

GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace, your old web designer, not sure…

Gmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, your web host, not sure. We make sure it keeps working.

10After launch

How often do you expect to change things?
Would you like to make changes yourself?

Every site comes with a simple editor for its words, photos, prices and lists. Bigger changes you can send to us.

Names and roles, like “me, and Sam at the front desk”. Each person gets their own sign-in.

Services, team members, locations, menu items, links in the menu. Roughly the fewest and the most you can picture, like “4 to 10 services”. We design the pages to look right at both ends.

For example, legal wording, or the booking setup.

Menus, hours, promotions, classes.

11Timing, budget and decisions

And what’s driving it, like a season, an opening or an event.

What’s your estimated budget?

Licence numbers that must be shown, health privacy, legal advertising rules, alcohol, financial disclaimers.

12Files to send

This form can’t hold files. Tick what you’ll send, then email them or share a folder (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive).

What will you send?

For example: a Google Drive link, or “emailing them now”.

All done?

Press “Save brief” to download your answers, then email the file to sales@denaliws.com along with your logo and photos (or a link to a shared folder). We’ll read it before we talk, so the first call is about ideas, not paperwork.