Dental website project brief: what to send before asking for a quote

Before asking for a dental website quote, send a short project brief that explains what the practice needs the website to do. A useful brief can fit into an email. It should let a designer distinguish a five-page information website from a larger project involving multiple locations, content writing or a booking integration. You do not need finished copy to start; label the gaps so they can be included in the estimate.

1. Explain the practice and the immediate problem

Give the practice name, country, location count and current website address. Describe one problem someone can inspect: the mobile phone link is difficult to find, new patients cannot see opening hours, or appointment requests reach the wrong inbox. Separate observed problems from assumptions. If you do not know how visitors currently find you, say that instead of estimating traffic or lost appointments.

• Audience: new patients, existing patients or both; include required languages.
• Main action: call the reception team, request an appointment or use an existing booking service.
• Priority: describe the one change the first release must deliver.
• Decision maker: name the person who can approve scope and consolidate feedback.

2. List pages and identify who supplies each asset

Start with page names rather than a target page count. A practice may need Home, Treatments, Our Team, Your First Visit and Contact. If each treatment needs its own page, list those separately. For each page, mark the copy and images as ready, needing revision or missing. Ask the designer to price writing and photography support separately when they are required.

The practice should supply and review clinical explanations, practitioner credentials, opening hours and any treatment claims. Identify who checks accuracy and approves publication. Supply photographs and other materials you have permission to use. A designer can organise the information and flag missing items, but should not invent patient stories, qualifications or results to fill the layout.

3. Describe what happens after an appointment request

Write the workflow in plain language: a visitor chooses a location, sends a request, receives an acknowledgement and waits for the reception team to confirm availability. State which inbox receives each location's requests and who follows up. If you want confirmed online bookings, name the scheduling product and ask whether the quote includes connecting it, its recurring charges and a test of the completed flow.

For the initial quote, share public website and product names rather than passwords or patient records. List access that will need to be arranged later. Agree the information the enquiry form actually needs and have the practice review its handling requirements before implementation. An appointment request should not be described as a confirmed booking unless the scheduling system confirms it.

4. Explain the design direction with a specific example

Use the Polar Bear Dental concept linked with this guide to describe a layout preference, such as separate location information or a clear introduction to the team. Write what you want to borrow as a design principle and what should be different for your practice. It is an independent prototype, not evidence of a paid client relationship or patient results. View its screenshots for planning; its external demo contact buttons may reach the featured business.

5. Include migration, accessibility and handover responsibilities

For an existing website, list pages and downloadable documents that must remain available. If URLs will change, ask the designer to include an old-to-new URL map and appropriate redirects in scope. Google Search Central recommends URL mapping and redirects for site moves involving URL changes. This is a planning requirement, not a guarantee of unchanged rankings.

Agree who will check accessibility and maintain it after launch. W3C's accessibility planning guidance recommends assigning responsibilities and evaluating early and regularly. In your brief, request defined checks for navigation, form labels, keyboard use and readable content, and identify who approves them. These checks are a starting point rather than a claim of certification or legal compliance.

Also identify the owner of the domain, hosting and content, the person who updates the site, and the handover you expect. Ask for third-party costs and ongoing support to be stated separately. The linked W3C and Google guides are the primary sources for the accessibility and migration recommendations above; the brief structure here is our practical project-planning guidance.

6. Copy this short brief and replace the example details

Illustrative example only: the following describes a fictional single-location practice, not a client or a completed project. Replace every detail with your own situation before sending it to a designer.

• Practice and audience: one independent dental practice in the UK, serving new and existing patients in English.
• Current site: [insert URL]. Priority: make the first-visit information and appointment request easy to find on a phone.
• Pages: Home, Treatments overview, Our Team, Your First Visit and Contact. Separate treatment pages are outside the initial scope.
• Content: practice manager supplies hours, location details and licensed photographs; the clinical lead supplies and approves treatment copy and credentials.
• Enquiry: send appointment requests to reception. Show an acknowledgement; staff confirm availability. No live scheduling integration in the initial scope.
• Design reference: the Polar Bear Dental concept's location and team sections. Adapt the structure to one location and our own branding.
• Existing content: retain useful page addresses where possible; quote separately for any required redirects and document migration.
• Acceptance: check agreed pages on desktop and mobile, keyboard navigation, form validation and a labelled test received in the reception inbox.
• Budget and date: [insert budget range and desired launch date]. Confirm feasibility after reviewing content, access and scope.
• Approval and handover: practice manager consolidates feedback; owner approves scope. Specify revision rounds, source-code delivery, hosting ownership and optional maintenance.

Use the brief to compare proposals fairly

Send the same brief to each designer and ask them to identify inclusions, exclusions, dependencies and recurring costs. Compare the answers against your required workflow, not just the headline price. An estimate that excludes writing, migration or booking setup may cover a different project from one that includes them.

For a First Look Sites estimate, use the private dental preview link alongside this guide. Start with your current website, location and main project goal; keep the fuller brief ready for the scope discussion. We confirm suitability, deliverables and written terms before preparing a private preview. A launch date or lead target should not be treated as agreed until the relevant scope and dependencies have been reviewed.