Website specification document 2026: template + 30 questions

Website specification document 2026: the document worth an audit

A well-written website specification document divides total project cost by 3. Not because it lowers unit prices, but because it eliminates back-and-forth, change orders and unspoken assumptions. Out of 47 rescue projects we have handled, 41 never had a written specification document. The client had the project in mind, the agency imagined something else, the outcome suited no one.

Here is the complete 2026 template, usable for brochure sites, e-commerce, marketplaces or institutional sites, along with the 30 questions to ask before writing the first line.

The 13 sections of the 2026 website specification document

Section 1 — Context (1 page)

Introduce the company in 8-12 lines: activity, size, markets, positioning, in-house digital team. State the current situation: no site, obsolete site, redesign, expansion. Briefly attach the competitive context (3-5 direct competitors with URLs).

Section 2 — Business goals (1 page)

Three maximum, quantified. SME examples:

• Generate 30 qualified leads / month through the site (vs 4 currently)
• Sell 80 orders / month online via e-commerce (vs 0)
• Reduce calls to the switchboard by 40% by adding FAQ and online booking

For each goal: measurable KPI, horizon (3, 6, 12 months), baseline before launch.

Section 3 — Target audience (1 page)

2 to 3 detailed personas: age, profession, geography, frustrations, motivations, buying journey, devices (3G mobile, desktop fibre), digital literacy. In the Senegalese market: state smartphone vs desktop, Wolof / French / English, expected payment method (Wave, Orange Money, wire transfer, card).

Section 4 — Functional scope (2 pages)

Exhaustive and prioritized list:

• Editorial pages: Home, About, Team, Services x N, Sectors, Blog, Contact, Legal, T&Cs, Privacy.
• Features: quote form with scoring, Calendly calendar, Wave/Orange Money/Stripe payment, customer portal, WhatsApp chat, newsletter, lead magnet, comparator, ROI calculator.
• Integrations: CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, custom), email (Brevo, Mailchimp), analytics (GA4, Plausible, Matomo), advertising (Meta Pixel, Google Ads).

Section 5 — Sitemap (1 page)

URL plan with depth level. Example:

• /
• /about
• /services
• /services/audit
• /services/redesign
• /services/maintenance
• /portfolio
• /blog
• /blog/category/[slug]
• /contact

Section 6 — Design (1-2 pages)

Existing visual identity (guidelines, logo, colours, typography). Desired tone (serious, playful, premium). 5 inspirational sites with URLs and what is liked specifically (animations, micro-interactions, typography). WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility constraints.

Section 7 — Technical (1 page)

Imposed or recommended stack: Next.js 14, Prisma, PostgreSQL Neon, Tailwind, VPS DigitalOcean hosting. Performance: Lighthouse > 90 on 3G mobile, Core Web Vitals green. Security: HTTPS mandatory, Cloudflare anti-bot, daily backups, secrets rotation. Multi-language next-intl FR/EN minimum, Wolof if needed.

Section 8 — SEO (1 page)

Main target keywords (10-30) with monthly volumes (source SEMrush, Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner). Planned landing pages. Meta titles / meta descriptions structure. Schema.org (Organization, LocalBusiness, FAQPage, Product, Service). Dynamic sitemap + sitemap-news + sitemap-index if volume.

Section 9 — Content (1 page)

Estimated volume: 12 pages x 400 words = 4,800 words. Editorial tone (formal, casual, premium). Multi-language: FR primary, EN native translation (not Google Translate). Photos: stock vs dedicated shoot. Video: planned or not.

Section 10 — Constraints (1/2 page)

Hard deadline (e.g. launch before September 2026 school year). Budget cap. GDPR mandatory if EU. OHADA if Senegal. Hosting EU or Senegal. WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility. Sector compliance (health, finance, education).

Section 11 — Schedule (1/2 page)

5 to 6 phases with key dates (D+7 wireframes, D+18 design, D+32 front-end, D+45 back-end, D+52 acceptance, D+56 go-live).

Section 12 — Budget (1/2 page)

Total envelope and breakdown by item (design, front-end, back-end, content, SEO, hosting, training). State whether VAT is included, whether year-1 hosting is included, whether ancillary fees (stock images, fonts, plugins) are at the client's expense.

Section 13 — Governance (1/2 page)

• Single client lead (name, role, email, phone, WhatsApp)
• Single provider lead
• Cadence (30-min weekly)
• Communication tools (dedicated Slack channel + email)
• Tracking tools (Jira, Linear, Trello, ClickUp)
• Validation process (e-signature on milestones via DocuSign or Yousign)

30 questions to ask before writing the first line

Business (5)

• Why does this site exist, in one sentence?
• What are the 3 measurable business outcomes at 6 months?
• Who are my 5 direct competitors and what is their weakness?
• What is the current customer acquisition cost and how much do I want to lower it?
• What percentage of my sales go through the web today vs target?

Audience (5)

• Who is my primary persona? (a real person if possible)
• Which device does she mostly use (3G mobile, 4G/5G mobile, desktop)?
• What are her 3 current frustrations?
• What action do I want her to take when leaving the site?
• How long is she willing to spend before that action?

Features (5)

• What are the must-have features (MVP) vs nice-to-have?
• Do I need a private customer portal?
• What payment methods do my customers expect (Wave, Orange Money, Stripe, wire)?
• Will I integrate an existing CRM or build my own?
• Which third-party tools do I need to connect (Calendly, HubSpot, Mailchimp, etc.)?

Content (5)

• Who writes the content: me, my team, the agency, an external copywriter?
• How many languages should I offer?
• Do I have usable photos / videos / testimonials?
• What editorial tone (formal, casual, premium, playful)?
• How many blog posts should I have at launch (0, 5, 10, 30)?

Technical (5)

• Which technical stack do I want to master long-term?
• Hosting Senegal, France, EU, US?
• What is the acceptable maintenance window (4 h/month, 0 h, etc.)?
• Do I need a PWA / mobile app?
• What are my backup and disaster recovery needs?

Organisational (5)

• Who validates on my side (1 person or a committee)?
• How much time can I devote to the project each week?
• What is my total budget and margin?
• What is my hard deadline?
• Who maintains the site after delivery?

SME example: 8-person consulting firm Dakar

Tools to write and share the specification document

• Notion or Google Docs — collaborative versioned writing
• Figma FigJam — sitemap diagrams and user flows
• Miro — stakeholder workshops
• DocuSign, Yousign, HelloSign — e-signature of validated versions
• Jira, Linear, Trello, ClickUp — ticket breakdown after validation
• Slack — Q&A channel during writing

Common mistakes to avoid

• Spec doc too long (> 40 pages) that nobody reads
• Confusing the spec document with detailed technical specifications
• Forgetting the governance section (name of single contact)
• No quantified KPIs ("improve visibility" means nothing)
• Imposed stack choice without justification (default WordPress anti-pattern)
• Mixing up persona and marketing segment
• No plan B if deadline slips
• No GDPR or OHADA mention
• Unsourced photos (copyright risk)
• Post-delivery maintenance forgotten

FAQ

Who should write the specification document, the client or the agency?

Ideally both. The client writes a v0 (5-8 pages), the agency challenges and completes to produce a validated v1 (12-18 pages). It is the method that minimises surprises.

How long does it take to write a website specification document?

2 to 4 weeks for an SME brochure site, 6 to 10 weeks for e-commerce or complex sites. That is time saved downstream (3x fewer change orders).

Should technical specifications be written in the specification document?

No. The specification document describes the WHAT and the WHY. Technical specifications (DB schema, API endpoints, React components) are a separate document produced by the agency after spec validation.

Is a specification document mandatory for a small site?

For a site under 5 pages with no features, a 2-page brief is enough. As soon as you have forms, payment, multi-language or more than 8 pages, a complete spec is essential.

How do we avoid it becoming obsolete during the project?

Notion or Git versioning with dated v1, v2, v3. Any change goes through an e-signed change order. The PM keeps a change log.

Let's talk about your specification document

If you want a 2-hour workshop to frame your website specification document, we can do it on video call this week. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.