A clearer WordPress brief makes a better agency handover

Describe the build, not just the appearance

A polished design file is a strong starting point. A development brief connects that design to the way the finished website needs to work.

Describe the WordPress stack, required page templates, content structure, and integrations. If a decision is still open, mark it as a question. A visible question is easier to resolve than an assumption discovered during review.

Good handover information reduces the number of decisions that have to be made halfway through a build.

Make the responsive and interactive details visible

Share approved desktop and mobile layouts where available. Call out menus, hover and focus states, accordions, forms, and any scroll effects. Explain what a component should do when the content is longer than the sample.

When a design only shows one screen size, agree how the missing layouts will be interpreted and who approves them. Keep animations specific: what moves, when it moves, and how the page behaves when a visitor prefers reduced motion.

Plan the content and the editing experience

Clarify whether the copy and assets are final, who supplies them, and who checks permission to publish. Identify pages that share a template and sections that will be reused.

Describe what the client should be able to change. Text and image updates are different from rebuilding a layout. Agreeing the expected editing workflow helps decide which components and fields the website needs.

• List the content needed for each page or template.
• Identify reusable sections and repeatable content.
• Mark unfinished copy, missing assets, and owner responsibilities.
• Describe the everyday edits expected after handover.

Agree how reviews and changes work

Define milestones, review rounds, and acceptance checks before development. Collect feedback in a shared place and provide a consolidated set of comments for each review.

Distinguish corrections to the approved scope from new requirements. A new integration or changed page structure can affect cost and timing. Agree the change before asking the development team to implement it.

Make the white-label relationship explicit

Agree who can contact the end client, how the work is attributed, what confidentiality applies, and which accounts the development team can access. The agency’s client relationship should be clear from the start.

Define the launch and handover tasks: final approval, domain and hosting responsibilities, editing guidance, documentation, and any support period. Starting with a small paid pilot can help both teams understand the collaboration before discussing ongoing capacity.