The specifications document is what turns your project into concrete expectations. It serves as a shared reference between you and the provider, avoids misunderstandings and makes it possible to compare quotes on the same basis. Here is how to build it, even without technical skills.
What specifications are for
A specifications document describes what your future website must do, for whom, and within what framework. It is not about describing how the site will be built technically, but about expressing your needs clearly. A provider can then price the work accurately and offer you suitable solutions.
Without this document, every exchange relies on memory, expectations drift apart and the project risks slipping in both schedule and budget. A specifications document, even a short one, greatly reduces these risks.
Defining the objectives
Start with the purpose of the website. A website is not an end in itself: it serves a commercial or organisational objective. Express it in one or two simple sentences.
- Raising awareness of your business and reassuring new customers.
- Generating contact or quote requests.
- Selling products or services online.
- Offering a reserved area to your customers or members.
These objectives guide every subsequent decision: the content to plan, the useful features and the indicators of success.
Describing the audience and the content
Specify who the website is aimed at: individuals, professionals, a geographical area, an age group. The clearer the audience, the better the tone, structure and user journey can be adapted.
Then list the planned pages and content: home, about, services or products, references, blog, contact. For each page, state whether the content already exists, whether it needs to be rewritten or created, and who is responsible for it. Producing the text and images is often an underestimated part of the work.
Listing the features
Distinguish what is essential from what would be desirable. This prioritisation helps to frame the budget and to plan for possible future developments.
| Essential | Contact form, website usable on mobile, basic SEO |
| Desirable | Blog, customer portal, online appointment booking |
| Later | Online payment, multilingual version, automations |
For each feature, describe the expected result from the user's point of view, rather than the technical solution. For example: a visitor must be able to request a quote by filling in a short form.
Setting out the project framework
A few practical details complete the document and avoid surprises.
- The available budget, even as a range, to guide the proposals.
- The desired deadline and any important dates.
- Your visual preferences: logo, colours, examples of websites you like.
- Specific constraints: an existing visual identity, regulatory obligations in your sector.
A useful specifications document sometimes fits in two or three pages. Clarity matters more than length.
Keeping it alive
A specifications document is not set in stone. It serves as the starting point for the discussion with the provider, who may suggest adjustments based on their experience and your budget. What matters is keeping a written record of the decisions made, so that everyone moves in the same direction.
If you are unsure about the level of detail to provide or about which features are really necessary, a first conversation with a studio often helps to see things more clearly. You can contact us to prepare the scoping of your project together.