What Silicon Valley Founders Should Include in a Website Redesign Brief Before Talking to Agencies

Introduction

A website redesign can either unlock faster growth or create months of churn if the brief is vague. Silicon Valley founders often move quickly, but agencies still need clear inputs to scope accurately, price correctly, and ship on time. This guide shows what to include in a redesign brief so you get tighter proposals and a smoother build.

Quick Answer

Silicon Valley founders should include business goals, target audiences, positioning and messaging inputs, current site performance and pain points, a prioritized sitemap and template list, content and asset readiness, SEO and redirect requirements, required integrations and tracking, design constraints and inspiration, technical constraints and platform preferences, decision-makers and timeline, and a clear definition of what “done” means before talking to agencies.

1. Project context and why you’re redesigning now

Start with the story behind the redesign so agencies understand the stakes.

Include:

• What triggered the redesign (new positioning, new product, funding round, new ICP, brand refresh, poor performance)
• What is not working today (confusing navigation, low conversion, slow site, hard to update, inconsistent visuals)
• What you do not want to repeat (scope creep, endless revisions, unclear ownership, platform regret)

This section helps agencies avoid proposing a generic build that ignores your real problem.

2. Goals, success metrics, and primary conversion actions

Agencies can’t design for outcomes if you only say “make it modern.”

Specify:

• Primary goals (pipeline, demos, trials, recruiting, partnerships, fundraising credibility)
• Secondary goals (education, support content, thought leadership)
• Conversion actions you want to prioritize (demo request, signup, waitlist, contact, download)
• What success looks like 30, 60, and 90 days after launch

If you can, include current baseline numbers (traffic, conversion rate, top landing pages) so improvements are measurable.

3. Target audiences, ICP, and messaging inputs

A redesign brief should make it easy for agencies to understand who you serve and what you need to communicate quickly.

Include:

• Primary and secondary audiences (buyers, users, investors, candidates, partners)
• ICP notes (company size, industry, job titles, key pains)
• Your value proposition in plain language
• Top objections and how you handle them
• Proof points (logos, testimonials, case studies, metrics, awards, security/compliance claims)

If positioning is still moving, say so, and define what is stable versus what is in flux.

4. Current site audit: what to keep, fix, remove, or add

Make your brief actionable by mapping what exists today to what should happen next.

Include:

• Top pages by traffic and by conversions
• Pages that must be preserved or improved (pricing, product, integrations, careers)
• Pages you want to delete, merge, or rewrite
• Technical pain points (slow edits, broken components, inconsistent layout, mobile issues)
• Brand and UX issues (unclear hierarchy, too much text, poor scannability)

This helps agencies scope migration, redesign effort, and content work without guessing.

5. Sitemap, templates, and components for version one

This is one of the most important parts of the brief because it controls scope and pricing.

Provide:

• A prioritized sitemap (must-have pages vs nice-to-have)
• A list of required templates (homepage, product, solution, pricing, about, careers, blog, case study, resource)
• Component needs (feature sections, pricing tables, comparison blocks, testimonial modules, FAQ module if you use one, forms, CTAs)
• Localization or multi-audience needs if relevant

Agencies price predictably when templates and components are explicit.

6. Content, assets, and ownership responsibilities

Redesigns stall when content is unclear. Make responsibilities explicit.

Include:

• Who is writing and approving copy
• What content already exists and what must be created
• What assets are available (brand guidelines, imagery, videos, product screenshots)
• Any legal/compliance review requirements for claims, logos, or testimonials
• Whether the agency is expected to populate the site or only deliver designs and a build

If content is not ready, say whether you want a phased launch or copy support.

7. SEO migration, redirects, and technical requirements

Redesigns can hurt search performance if migration is sloppy. Your brief should set expectations early.

Include:

• Whether the redesign replaces an existing domain or structure
• Redirect expectations (preserve key URLs, map changes, prevent 404s)
• Requirements for metadata and headings
• Sitemap and robots expectations
• Performance targets and mobile expectations
• Accessibility expectations (and any target standard)

If you have a history of high-performing pages, call them out so they receive extra attention.

8. Integrations, forms, analytics, and measurement

Most redesigns fail to measure impact because tracking is bolted on at the end.

Include:

• Form destinations and routing rules (CRM, email, Slack alerts)
• Tools that must be supported (scheduling, chat, email capture, experimentation)
• Analytics requirements (baseline tracking, key events, attribution preferences)
• Consent needs if relevant
• Any dashboards or reporting expectations

Define what events matter most so agencies set up tracking correctly.

9. Platform preference, technical constraints, and handoff expectations

Pick a platform that matches how your team works after launch.

Include:

• Current stack (Webflow, WordPress, custom, headless) and what you like/dislike
• Your preferred approach and why (speed, maintainability, performance, security)
• Hosting constraints and deployment preferences if custom
• CMS needs and editorial workflows
• Handoff expectations (documentation, training, access, design files, component library)

If your team wants to ship new landing pages weekly, say that, because it changes how the site should be built.

10. Timeline, budget range, stakeholders, and approval process

A good brief makes decision-making easy, which prevents delays.

Include:

• Launch date and why it matters (fundraise, event, product launch)
• Budget range or constraints (even a broad range helps)
• Stakeholders and who has final approval
• Revision expectations and meeting cadence
• How feedback will be collected and resolved

Agencies scope faster when they know how your team makes decisions.

11. Creative direction, brand constraints, and examples you like

You do not need a full brand book to start, but you should give direction.

Include:

• Current brand assets and what must remain
• What can change (typography, color, layout, illustration style)
• Examples of websites you like and why (structure, simplicity, motion, clarity)
• Examples you dislike and why
• Competitors to avoid resembling

This reduces wasted cycles on subjective iteration.

12. Definition of done and launch requirements

End your brief with what completion means so agencies align on finish lines.

Include:

• Deliverables expected (templates, components, CMS setup, content population, training)
• QA expectations (devices, browsers, bug triage)
• Launch requirements (staging review, redirects, analytics verification)
• Post-launch stabilization window
• Ownership and access requirements

A clear “definition of done” prevents the most common redesign conflict: one side thinks it’s finished, the other thinks it’s still in progress.

Final Tips

Keep your redesign brief short but specific by focusing on templates, CMS types, integrations, SEO migration expectations, and who owns content, because those items drive scope and pricing more than aesthetics. If positioning or copy is still evolving, say what is stable and plan a phased launch so the project doesn’t churn. Finally, include your timeline, decision-makers, and a clear definition of done so agencies can propose a realistic plan that matches Silicon Valley speed without cutting critical launch details.