How to write a technical specification for a website so that everyone understands what it is about? In fact, it’s simpler than it seems. A technical specification is a document that describes exactly what needs to be created, why, and by what means. No complicated terms — it’s a translation of your business goals into a language developers can understand without clarification.
Imagine the situation. You say: “I need a website to sell products.” And that’s it. For business, this sounds logical. But for the team that will build the site, questions pour down like rain: do you need a shopping cart, which payment methods will be connected, what will the product page look like, should there be integration with CRM? If these answers are not in the technical specification, the process resembles a game of “broken telephone.” Someone misheard, someone assumed, someone did it “as they saw fit” — and instead of a clear product, you end up with complete chaos.
The right technical specification for creating a website saves both time and money. When there is no document, every new detail becomes a surprise: the client remembers an extra feature, the developer reworks it, deadlines fly out the window, the budget grows. And no one is really to blame — it’s just that the agreements were never fixed.
Typical mistakes in a technical specification for a website are overly general phrases. For example: “make it modern design” or “add a form for clients.” For business, this may sound clear, but for the developer, these are empty words. What kind of form? A callback, a product request, or a newsletter subscription? And what is “modern” design — minimalism, bright colors, or a copy of competitors? It is precisely this uncertainty that leads to endless revisions.
When there is a clearly written structure of the technical specification for website development — with blocks for functionality, design, integrations, goals — the process becomes manageable. Developers know what to do, the client knows what to expect, and there is no feeling that the project is living its own life.
A technical specification for a website, an example of which we will analyze further, shows a simple truth: a well-prepared document is not bureaucracy but insurance against chaos. With it, the website is delivered faster, clearer, and without unnecessary costs.
A Technical Specification as a Bridge Between Business and Developers
Any website does not start with design or even with programming. It begins with a document that becomes the “translation language” between the business and the contractors. A technical specification is precisely that bridge which allows the business to formulate its goals and the team to understand exactly what needs to be done.
How to Write a Technical Specification for a Website Correctly
The first and most important thing is not to hide business goals behind vague words. If a company wants to sell online, it should state it directly: an online store with a cart, payment system, delivery, and CRM integration. If the task is to increase brand awareness, then it is about a corporate website with an emphasis on history, team, and case studies.
The right technical specification for creating a website always starts with the answer to the question “why?”. An informational resource, a commercial platform, an internal portal for employees — different tasks require different logic and functionality.
Typical Mistakes in a Technical Specification for a Website
Mistakes arise when the goal sounds too vague. For example: “I want a website to sell products.” But what exactly to sell? How should the catalog look? Is filtering by characteristics needed? Without these answers, development turns into endless revisions.
A Technical Specification for a Website: Example from Practice
Imagine a company that decided to create a site for online sales, but in the technical specification did not specify the functionality of the cart and payment methods. As a result, after the first release it turns out that there is no cart, and payment works only partially. Customers leave purchases unfinished. The team goes back to work, adds new blocks, deadlines shift. And all this could have been avoided if the structure of the technical specification for website development had included the necessary details from the start.
Why a Clear Technical Specification Saves Resources
A technical specification for a website is not a formality but a tool that saves time, budget, and nerves. The clearer you explain business goals, the faster the team will turn them into a working product.
Essential Elements of a Quality Technical Specification
Business Goals and Target Audience
The first thing that should appear in the document is the answer to the question: “Why are we even making this website, and for whom?” If business goals are not defined, everything goes in different directions: the owner thinks about sales, the marketer about image, and the developer imagines an internal portal. The right technical specification for creating a website begins with a clear formula: what the project’s goal is and who exactly will use the resource.
Imagine you are opening a coffee shop and building a website. For you, the priority is online drink orders. But without a technical specification, developers decide the “About Us” page is more important because “the brand story matters.” And now the site looks nice, but it doesn’t sell.
Next comes the logic. Which sections, which pages, what kind of menu. This is the foundation, without which even the best design looks chaotic. The structure of the technical specification for website development should be like a house plan: you don’t just build walls at random, you draw where the kitchen is and where the bedroom is.
Typical mistakes in a technical specification for a website are obvious here: the absence of a scheme or overly general instructions such as “make a few pages.” As a result, one team imagines five pages, another imagines twenty, and deadlines fall into an abyss.
Functionality
Forms, cart, CRM integrations, online chat — all of this must be written down. And preferably in detail. Not just “make a form,” but “an order form for coffee with size, syrup, and payment method options.” Otherwise, you’ll end up redoing it ten times.
A technical specification for a website, an example I saw from colleagues: the client wrote “need a store.” And that was it. As a result, developers created a product showcase, but with no buying function. Because for some, “store” means catalog, while for others it means full e-commerce.
You don’t need to describe every button here, but you should provide guidelines: colors, style, examples of websites you like. Otherwise, you expect minimalism and get neon shades and lots of animations.
The right technical specification for creating a website accounts for even small details: fonts, spacing, desired tone. This way developers are not “guessing” but working with clear reference points.
Technical Requirements
This is the least “glamorous” section, but it’s the one that saves you from problems. CMS, programming languages, responsiveness, SEO settings — all of this must be in the document. Otherwise, you’ll get a beautiful website that doesn’t open on a smartphone.
Theoretical example: the technical specification forgot to include responsiveness. The website looks great on a computer, but on a phone the text overlaps, buttons merge, and it’s unusable. And now the budget is spent, the deadlines are gone, and the product is useless.
Conclusion: Details Decide Everything
A quality technical specification is not a hundred pages of bureaucracy. It’s a document that includes business goals, structure, functionality, design, and technical requirements. These five blocks turn chaos into a plan and help build a website quickly and painlessly.
Common Mistakes When Creating a Technical Specification
Overly General Formulations
The phrase “the website should be beautiful” sounds nice, but for developers it means absolutely nothing. Beauty for some is Apple-style minimalism, for others — bright colors and dynamics, and for someone else — vintage and “coziness.” So the design team makes one version at their own discretion, while you expected something completely different, and the endless cycle of revisions begins. Typical mistakes in a technical specification for a website always start with vague descriptions.
Lack of Detail
“Add a form” — and that’s it. But what kind of form? Callback? Event registration? Product order with size and color selection? The less specific the task, the longer the development takes. In one case, the team creates a simple “name + phone” field, but what you actually meant was CRM integration and automatic SMS confirmation. As a result — more rework, wasted time, and a blown budget. The right technical specification for creating a website always describes details: from the field names in the form to the logic of how they should work.
Unrealistic Expectations
Another common problem is the desire to get a “website on the level of a global brand” with a budget that barely covers a simple landing page. Imagine going to a car dealership and saying you want a Tesla, but at the price of an old bicycle. Is that realistic? It’s the same with development. It’s important to honestly align your resources with expectations. Otherwise, the project starts, stalls halfway, and ends in disappointment.
Theoretical Example
A company wants “a site like a global brand.” In the technical specification, they write a few general points: a product page, news, contacts. Everything looks superficial. But when it comes down to it, they actually expect interactive 3D models, automatic product recommendations, and constant updates. The problem is that they don’t have the budget or the team to support such a system. The result: the project drags on, deadlines shift, everyone is frustrated.
Why It’s Worth Avoiding These Mistakes
How to write a technical specification for a website so this doesn’t happen? With details. The clearer the business goals, functionality, and design are described, the fewer chances there are for misunderstandings. The structure of the technical specification for website development is like a map. If it’s clear, the road is straight. If it only has vague directions, you risk wandering for a long time and paying dearly for it.
How a Technical Specification Helps Avoid Delays
Website Development Is Like Renovating an Apartment
Website development is like renovating an apartment: if the workers don’t have a plan, they first paint the walls and then remember they didn’t lay the wiring. The same goes here. The right technical specification for creating a website sets the logic: first design, then layout, followed by programming and testing. Everyone understands what to do, and there’s no situation of “we were almost done, but now we need to start over.”
Deadlines with Real Criteria
Another thing that saves nerves is setting clear deadlines and acceptance criteria at each stage. Not just “it should look nice” or “it should work,” but specific items: design approved, Figma mockups finalized; layout displayed properly on all screens; shopping cart and payment working in programming; testing passed with no critical bugs. This makes the process transparent, and no one gets lost in expectations.
Theoretical Example: When There Is No Technical Specification
Imagine a client decides to launch a site “on the fly.” No technical specification, just “we’ll agree as we go.” The design is made, the layout done, and everything is ready for launch… but then the client remembers: “Oh, we also need CRM integration so that requests automatically go into the system.” Developers roll back several steps, integrate the new functionality, test everything again. And instead of launching in two months, the site comes out in five. This is a classic scenario where the absence of a technical specification turns into serious delays.
A Technical Specification as Insurance Against “Forgotten Details”
A technical specification for a website, an example we looked at earlier, is a kind of insurance policy. It records everything: functionality, integrations, even small wishes. And when the team follows this plan, timelines remain predictable. Of course, changes can always occur, but they are already built into the project’s logic, not dropped like a snowball out of nowhere.
Conclusion: Time = Money
In business, delays always mean wasted resources. Clients don’t see the new product, competitors pull ahead, and the budget grows. And this is exactly where it becomes clear how to write a technical specification for a website to save time: outline the stages, deadlines, and acceptance criteria. It’s not a formality but a tool that keeps the project within a healthy schedule.
Technical Specification and Flexibility: Can Requirements Be Changed?
Why Flexibility Is Essential
Any business is alive. Ideas change, new services appear, clients start demanding things you hadn’t even thought about at the start. That’s why the right technical specification for creating a website should not be a stone tablet that no one is allowed to touch. It must leave room for additions. Otherwise, you’ll end up either with a website that is outdated before launch or with endless conflicts between client and developers.
How to Document Changes Without Missing Deadlines
It all comes down to process. If changes are documented, they don’t become a disaster. For example, in the technical specification for a website you wrote: “the structure consists of the homepage, catalog, and contacts.” But during development you decide to add a blog. If you have a clear scheme, it’s not “stop everything and start over,” but simply a new item: an additional section, an adjusted deadline, an updated budget.
The structure of the technical specification for website development should always include the procedure for making changes: who initiates them, how they are approved, at what stage new functions can be added without breaking everything. It may sound dry, but in practice it saves weeks.
Theoretical Example
Imagine a company that decides to add a blog during the process. Without a technical specification — it’s a disaster. The design has to be redone, the layout rewritten, programmers grumble that everything is “breaking.” As a result, the website launches with delays. Now a different scenario: in the technical specification it was clearly stated from the beginning that changes would be documented. When the idea of a blog came up, the team added it to the plan, set a new deadline, and calculated the extra time. And most importantly — the project stayed on schedule.
Conclusion: A Technical Specification as a Flexible Framework
How to write a technical specification for a website that can withstand reality? Add clear rules for changes. It’s like a house framework: the walls are solid, but you can still move a partition or change the wallpaper color. Typical mistakes in a technical specification for a website are exactly when changes are “shoved in” chaotically. But when they are built into the document, the work runs smoothly. And you end up with a website that not only follows the plan but also keeps up with new needs.
A Technical Specification as “Insurance Against Chaos”
How Chaos Looks Without a Technical Specification
How many times have you seen a situation where a website seems to be in progress, but everything stalls? Today the design is drawn, tomorrow the layout is rewritten, the next day someone remembers that the application form was forgotten. And after a month it turns out that the main function — the one everything started for — isn’t there at all. This is what working without a technical specification looks like. Like building a house without a blueprint: the walls are standing, but the doors lead to nowhere.
The right technical specification for creating a website works like a navigator. You enter the address — and the system shows the route. Same here: the document clearly outlines business goals, website structure, functionality, design, technical requirements. Everyone on the project understands exactly what needs to be done, which stages, which deadlines. The result doesn’t come as a surprise — it is predictable and manageable.
A Technical Specification as a Control Tool
Here’s the important part: a technical specification for a website is not only for developers. It’s a document that helps the business keep the process in hand. At any moment, you can open the file and see: here are the functions, here is the structure of the technical specification for website development, here are the deadlines. There is no feeling that the project “lives its own life” and you’re just watching. You are managing.
An Example of How Not to Do It
Imagine a company that decided to build a website without a technical specification. They started quickly, because “there’s no time for paperwork.” Three months passed — and suddenly it turned out that the site looks great on a computer but “breaks” on a smartphone. This is classic. Typical mistakes in a technical specification for a website or its complete absence always lead to delays and extra costs. Now another scenario: the company prepared a clear technical specification, an example of which even included responsiveness. Thanks to this, development went smoothly, the site worked on all devices, and clients were satisfied.
How to Write a Technical Specification for a Website to Save Time and Nerves
Simply pay attention to details at the start. It may feel like extra hassle, but in reality, a technical specification is insurance. Without it, you get chaos and endless revisions. With it — a clear route, a predictable result, and a tool that works not only for developers but also for the business.
From Plan to Action Together with COI.UA
When a business starts thinking about how to write a technical specification for a website, there is almost always the temptation to do it “in-house.” It seems simple enough: describe what you need and hand it off for development. But practice shows that without experience it’s easy to make mistakes: forget small features, misidentify the target audience, or even prepare a document in the style of “the website should be beautiful.” Such typical mistakes in a technical specification for a website are costly — delays, rework, wasted money.
How COI Marketing and Software Works
Our team helps businesses go through this stage without unnecessary stress. We start with an audit: breaking down business goals, analyzing competitors, reviewing user scenarios. Then we create the right technical specification for building a website — with a clear structure, straightforward requirements, and specifics that eliminate questions even before the project begins.
Next comes development. We have experience in creating turnkey websites of any complexity: from simple corporate pages to large e-commerce with CRM integrations. But the key is that the process is transparent. You always know which stage the project is at, which tasks have been completed, and what comes next. This removes the feeling that the site “lives its own life.”
Imagine a company that came with the idea: “we want a site for online sales.” If they had written the technical specification themselves, it would have included only general words: catalog, product page, contact form. As a result, the site would have needed to be redone several times. Together with COI.UA, we clarify: which payment methods are needed, what the shopping cart should look like, whether responsiveness is required, how exactly to integrate CRM. Thanks to this, the structure of the technical specification for website development was clear, and the project moved forward without delays.
A technical specification for a website is an example of how a document can change the entire course of work. It saves time, money, and nerves. And if you need help preparing it or executing the project itself, turn to the team at COI marketing and software.
We will help prepare a clear technical specification, avoid unnecessary costs, and deliver the project without delays. Do you want a website that works for your business, not the other way around? Then let’s talk. At COI.UA you’ll find partners who understand both business and technology.
