Website Technical Specification: How to Create It Right

Why you need a technical specification

A technical specification (spec) is a document that describes what needs to be built. Without a spec a project turns into chaos: endless edits, missed deadlines, conflicts. A good spec saves time and money for both sides.

What a spec should contain

1. General information

• Project name
• Goals and objectives of the site
• Target audience
• Competitors (example sites)
• Timelines and budget

2. Site structure

A sitemap with all pages:

Home
├── About
│   ├── History
│   ├── Team
│   └── Vacancies
├── Services
│   ├── Service 1
│   ├── Service 2
│   └── Service 3
├── Portfolio
│   └── Case (template)
├── Blog
│   └── Article (template)
├── Contacts
└── Privacy Policy

3. Page descriptions

For each page describe:

• The page’s purpose
• Blocks and their content
• Functionality (forms, filters, sliders)
• Content sources

4. Functional requirements

A detailed description of the functions:

• Forms: which fields, validation, where the data goes
• Client account: registration, login, features
• Catalog: filters, sorting, pagination
• Search: across which fields, suggestions
• Integrations: CRM, 1C, payment systems

5. Design requirements

• Brand identity (logo, colors, fonts)
• References (examples of sites you liked)
• Special wishes

6. Technical requirements

• CMS or framework
• Hosting and domain
• Browsers and devices to support
• Loading speed requirements
• SEO requirements

7. Content

• Who provides the texts?
• Who provides photos/videos?
• Is copywriting needed?

An example page description

The “Services” page

Purpose: Presenting the company’s services, converting into a request.

Blocks:

1. Hero section with a heading and a short description
2. List of services (cards with an icon, name, short description, “from” price, a “Details” button)
3. Advantages (4 items with icons)
4. Request form (name, phone, email, message)
5. FAQ (an accordion with 5–7 questions)

Functionality:

• Clicking a service card → go to a detail page
• Form → send to email + into the CRM
• FAQ → expand/collapse answers

Common mistakes in a spec

• ❌ “Make it beautiful” — subjective, you need references
• ❌ “Like the competitor” — unclear without a link
• ❌ Missing site structure
• ❌ No description of functionality
• ❌ Contradictory requirements

Who writes the spec

There are two approaches:

1. The client — knows the business, but may miss technical details
2. The contractor — knows the technology, but needs a brief from the client

Optimal: the client fills out a brief, the contractor turns it into a spec, the client approves it.

Conclusion

A good spec is 50% of a project’s success. Spend time writing it, and development will go smoothly. We help clients write a spec based on a brief — it’s included in the project cost.

Don’t know where to start? Fill out our brief and we’ll prepare a spec for your project.