Launch planning / DOGO Studio / Updated 18 September 2026
A startup website brief that makes decisions easier.
A useful website brief names one priority audience, one business milestone and one primary action. It also identifies the evidence, approved materials, decision-maker and dependencies needed to deliver the work.
Start with the business moment.
“We need a better website” describes a task, not the reason to do it. A launch, a new buyer segment or a change in the offer gives the project a decision to organise around.
Write what has changed, what needs to happen next and what is already fixed. A real launch date should include the reason behind it; an arbitrary date should not silently become a production promise.
- Milestone: what will the site support?
- Audience: who needs to understand or choose the offer?
- Primary action: book a demo, request a proposal, explore a product or start a trial?
Write the promise in plain language.
Explain who the product helps, what it allows them to do and why that matters. Then name the alternative: another product, an internal process or doing nothing.
If the promise cannot yet be agreed, settle that before approving a visual direction. The positioning work may be a separate first engagement, not an extra round hidden inside a website project.
- The product is for…
- It helps them…
- They currently solve this by…
- The reason to choose it is…
Match the promise to evidence you can use.
A claim needs something a visitor can inspect: a product view, a working example, a precise deliverable or a customer statement you are permitted to publish. Do not replace missing evidence with invented metrics.
Tempus Fugit, in our portfolio, brings a watch’s details and its enquiry route together. The transferable principle is context at the point of decision. It is not evidence of a startup conversion uplift.
- List approved product screenshots and demonstrations.
- Identify customer quotes and the permission to use them.
- Separate measured results from intended outcomes.
Draw the line around delivery.
List the pages, integrations, languages and content owners. Distinguish a marketing site from the application itself: authentication, billing logic and the product backend may belong to a different team.
Agree who approves the work and how feedback is consolidated. A defined scope with clear review rounds is easier to schedule than an open-ended request to keep improving everything.
- Page list and purpose of each page
- Existing brand files, copy and image rights
- Integrations, access and third-party costs
- Decision-maker, review rounds and handover needs
Project briefing checklist
A brief you can act on.
- What is the product and its current URL?
- Who is the priority buyer?
- What milestone should this site support?
- What should the visitor do next?
- What proof is available and approved?
- Which pages and integrations are essential?
- Who supplies content and approves decisions?
- What timing and investment range are realistic?
Your next move
Turn your brief into a defined website project.
A scoped conversation, not an automatic purchase. We confirm fit, deliverables and availability before any agreement.
