Planning
A construction website brief that starts with the jobs you want
Decide what a prospective customer needs to understand before asking for a quote. Then use that decision to shape the website.
Published · 7 min read
The starting point
Start with one type of project you want to attract, one customer and the decision they need to make. Choose approved projects that demonstrate relevant work, explain the services behind them and agree which details an initial enquiry should contain. A useful brief gives the designer this context before discussing colours or animation.
Choose a customer and a project type
“We need a better website” leaves most of the important decisions open. A residential builder might want extension enquiries from homeowners in its actual service area. A refurbishment contractor might need commercial buyers to understand the kinds of premises it works on. Write that difference down.
Describe what the customer is trying to decide: whether you undertake the work, whether your experience is relevant and whether it is worth starting a conversation. Avoid a page plan that gives every visitor the same vague promise.
Write a simple brief sentence: “The website should help [customer] understand [specific work], review [relevant evidence] and request [next step].” This is a planning statement, not a forecast of enquiries.
Choose three projects you can explain
For each candidate project, gather the brief, your role, the work undertaken, useful photographs and permission to publish. Explain the parts you were responsible for; do not let a broad “we delivered” caption suggest you performed work belonging to another contractor.
A small set of well-explained projects gives the designer more useful material than a folder of unexplained photographs. Include a caption explaining what a visitor should notice. If the client, exact address or project value cannot be published, use approved wording with the right level of detail.
Keep qualifications and accreditations accurate and current. Mark missing evidence as a question to resolve, rather than filling the gap with a badge or an invented result.
Give each page a distinct purpose
Start with the homepage, the important service pages, selected projects, business information and contact. A service page answers whether the work fits; a project page shows what you did. The two should link to each other when that connection genuinely helps.
For a modest page allowance, a project overview may be more sensible than separate pages for every job. A larger archive, CMS and filters change both the content workload and the build scope. Decide who will add the next completed project before choosing an editing system.
Use the language customers use for the work. Google recommends content that benefits the intended reader. That supports clear service explanations, rather than repeating an industry keyword in every heading.
Ask for the information your team can use
Write the smallest set of questions that makes an initial conversation useful. Project type, broad location, current stage and a short description may be enough. Ask a budget question only when your team will use the answer and can explain why it matters.
A form is not a tender portal. If visitors need to send drawings, specify permitted formats, limits, handling and access before adding uploads. Sensitive project documents and custom CRM routing require an agreed implementation scope.
Read the completion message too. It should explain that the visitor has sent an enquiry and what happens next. Avoid implying that a price, appointment or start date is confirmed. Test one fictional submission only with the recipient’s agreement.
Worked example: a refurbishment business
Put the brief into a reviewable record
Use the worksheet to record the customer, project type, page purpose, evidence, owner and enquiry question. Leave missing facts visible. Someone in the business needs to approve them before publication.
Choose one representative project and one customer route for the first design review. On a phone, find the service, read the project information and reach the enquiry. Use the accessibility review for keyboard, enlarged-text and form checks.
Keep the current website in the plan
A redesign also needs existing URLs, domain access, email arrangements and a launch owner. Keep useful old pages accounted for and map genuine replacements. Google’s site-move guidance explains the role of URL mapping and redirects; a new sitemap alone does not preserve an old customer link.
Agree the page count, content-editing allowance, tools and review dates in the written proposal. Our construction website service starts with that scope. Compare the fixed website packages, explore the labelled portfolio, then send the current site and the work you want it to present.
Sources and scope
The linked Google guidance was checked on 13 October 2026. The brief, example and worksheet are original planning aids from Charlie’s Web Design. They do not claim client outcomes, establish a tender qualification or predict search rankings.
