Website Redesign Requirements What To Capture

Don't have time to read this? Schedule a 30-minute call and we will walk you through exactly how this applies to your business. Book a call

Key Takeaways

• A requirements document is different from a creative brief. It is the technical and functional specification that vendors price against.
• Incomplete requirements produce inaccurate proposals. Accurate requirements produce proposals that can actually be compared.
• Every requirement that is not captured before the project starts will surface mid-project as a scope dispute or cost addition.
• The time spent on requirements upfront is returned many times over in reduced revision cycles and vendor misunderstandings.

Requirements vs. Brief: What Is the Difference?

A creative brief communicates strategic direction: the business problem, the audience, the goals, the messaging.

A requirements document communicates functional and technical specifics: every page, every integration, every content type, every standard the build must meet.

Both are necessary. The brief informs the strategy. The requirements define the scope.

When a vendor receives only a brief and no requirements document, they fill in the gaps with assumptions. Those assumptions are priced into the proposal, and they are almost never in the client's favor.

Section 1: Site Structure Requirements

Document every page or template that must exist on the new site.

Use a spreadsheet or table format:

For each template type, note whether it is a static page, a CMS-driven page, or a hybrid. This affects development scope significantly.

Section 2: CMS Requirements

The CMS requirements define what your team needs to be able to manage after launch, without developer involvement.

Document each content type the CMS must support:

For each content type, note who should have edit access and what approval process, if any, is required before publishing.

Section 3: Integration Requirements

List every third-party system the site must connect to.

For each integration, document:

• The specific platform and version in use
• Whether authentication or API keys are required
• Who is responsible for providing access during the build
• Whether there is existing documentation or a previous integration to reference

Integrations are one of the most common sources of mid-project scope surprises. A complete list provided at the start of the project prevents the "we forgot to mention" conversation that arrives after development is underway.

Section 4: Performance Requirements

Specify the performance benchmarks the site must meet before it can launch.

These benchmarks matter for two reasons. First, Google uses Core Web Vitals as ranking signals. Second, slow sites lose visitors before they engage. Specifying performance requirements in the requirements document means they are a contractual deliverable, not a post-launch hope.

Section 5: SEO Requirements

Document the SEO work that must happen as part of the build.

URL and redirect requirements:

• List every URL on the current site that receives organic traffic
• Specify the destination URL for every URL that is changing
• Specify whether the redirect should be a 301 (permanent) in all cases

Metadata requirements:

• Title tag specified for every page before launch
• Meta description specified for every page before launch
• Open Graph tags configured for all pages (for social sharing)
• Schema markup type specified for each page template (Article, Organization, BreadcrumbList, etc.)

Sitemap and robots.txt:

• XML sitemap must be generated automatically and submitted to Google Search Console at launch
• Robots.txt must be reviewed and confirmed before launch
• No pages that should be indexed must be accidentally blocked

The scope of work document is where these SEO requirements get converted into specific deliverables with a responsible party and a deadline assigned to each.

Section 6: Accessibility Requirements

Specify the accessibility standard the site must meet.

The baseline for most USA business sites is WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. This covers:

• Color contrast: Text and background combinations must meet minimum contrast ratios
• Keyboard navigation: All interactive elements must be reachable and usable via keyboard
• Screen reader compatibility: Proper heading hierarchy, alt text for images, aria labels for interactive elements
• Focus indicators: Visible focus states on all interactive elements
• Form accessibility: Labels associated with all form fields, error messages linked to their fields

Document whether an accessibility audit and remediation report is required as a formal deliverable before launch, or whether the standard is a development target without formal documentation.

Section 7: Browser and Device Support Requirements

Define what the site must support:

Browsers (current version and one version prior):

• Chrome
• Safari (macOS and iOS)
• Firefox
• Edge

Devices:

• Desktop: 1920px, 1440px, 1280px breakpoints
• Tablet: iPad Pro, iPad standard (landscape and portrait)
• Mobile: iPhone 15, iPhone 13, Samsung Galaxy S22 at minimum

QA documentation required:

Specify whether the development team must provide a formal cross-browser testing report as a deliverable, or whether testing against these requirements is a build standard without documentation.

Section 8: Security Requirements

Document any security requirements specific to your business or industry:

• SSL certificate type required (standard DV, OV, or EV)
• Privacy policy and cookie consent requirements (GDPR, CCPA)
• Form spam protection requirements (reCAPTCHA, Honeypot, etc.)
• Any data handling or privacy requirements related to form submissions
• Whether penetration testing is required before launch

Section 9: Post-Launch Requirements

Requirements do not end at launch.

Document what must be delivered at go-live and in the weeks following:

• Analytics configuration: Google Analytics 4 with specific conversion events firing and verified
• Search Console setup: Site submitted, sitemap submitted, indexing confirmed
• Redirect verification: Every redirect in the redirect map tested and confirmed
• Handoff documentation: Written documentation for how to update every content type in the CMS
• Team training: Who needs to be trained on the CMS, and what is the expected format (recorded, live, written)?
• Post-launch monitoring period: How many weeks of vendor availability are included for bug fixes after launch?
• 30/60/90-day review: Is a formal performance review included in scope?

Before finalizing requirements, preparing all internal stakeholders to contribute their input in a structured way produces a more complete requirements document and surfaces gaps before work begins.

When requirements are complete, a structured website redesign engagement can price accurately against them, set realistic timelines, and hold both parties accountable for every deliverable.

Webflow Development Services

Webflow Experts On-Demand

Whether you're starting fresh or need a full revamp—we create fast, modern Webflow sites built for growth.

Let's talk

Want a Requirements Checklist That Works?

LOW/CODE Agency is a leading AI product team for SMBs and startups. We have shipped 450+ products for companies including Medtronic, American Express, and Sotheby's. Our discovery process produces a requirements document that covers everything in this list and surfaces what the client has not thought to include.

We build in Webflow, which reduces the number of technical unknowns in a requirements document because the platform's capabilities are well-defined and the development team knows exactly what is possible and what is not.

• CMS requirements defined in discovery: Every content type, every field, every permission documented before development begins.
• Integration requirements mapped upfront: Every third-party tool documented with access requirements before the build starts.
• Performance requirements as launch criteria: Core Web Vitals targets agreed on before design begins, not discovered during QA.
• SEO requirements built in: Redirect map, metadata, and sitemap all in the project scope from day one.
• Post-launch requirements included: Handoff, training, monitoring, and 90-day review all scoped before the contract is signed.

Website projects start at $10,000+. Every project starts with a 30-minute call.

If you want a requirements process that prevents surprises, let's talk.