Digital Presence Preparedness

# Website & digital presence preparedness — sample

_Template general_smb_v1 v1 · General SMB_

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# Decision snapshot

**Primary decision:** Confirm priority sequence and owners before next planning cycle.

**Why now:** The current brief reflects your latest inputs and should guide near-term execution.

**Expected impact:** Faster alignment on what to execute first and what to defer.

**Owner:** Report owner

**Due window:** Next planning checkpoint

# At a glance

**Organization:** Harborline Studio (sample)

**Primary headline:** A stakeholder-ready brief before you write a line of code.

**Mission / purpose (why you exist):** Help small teams ship credible web projects with a single, reviewable brief—so scope and messaging stay aligned from day one.

**Primary public email address:** hello@harborline.example

**Regions or countries you serve (customers or audience):** Canada, United States, EU / EEA

**What makes you different:** - Human-in-the-loop review, not just forms
- BRD-shaped output for agencies
- Canada-first defaults where helpful

**Accessibility target (intent):** WCAG 2.1 AA

**SEO summary (topics, geography):** Primary geography: Ontario and Canada English. Topics: website brief software, SMB discovery, agency handoff.

_This lead section is auto-generated from Essential and selected Core fields. Confirm details in the full brief below._

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# Full brief

# Branding details

You don’t need a full brand agency deck—rough notes are fine. This section tells designers and writers what to call you, how you sound, and what assets already exist.

### Company or project name

Harborline Studio

### Brand assets (where you are today)

We have a logo and basic colours

### Link to logo or brand folder (optional)

https://harborline.example/internal/brand-assets

### Industry / business model(s) (optional)

B2B SaaS — website brief and handoff tooling for SMBs and agencies

### Tagline or slogan (optional)

Clarity for teams shipping their first serious site.

### Brand voice (how you sound)

> Warm, direct, confident. Avoid jargon like “synergy.” Prefer short sentences and concrete examples.


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# Hero (message & picture)

### Primary headline

A stakeholder-ready brief before you write a line of code.

### Headline audience (who this is for)

_To be confirmed_

### Headline outcome (core result)

_To be confirmed_

### Headline proof style

_To be confirmed_

### Supporting line / subheadline

The Business Cocoon helps small teams capture brand, standards, personas, and marketing intent in one place—then review it with a human before handoff.

### Hero image brief

Wide hero, 16:9 safe crop. Subject: diverse team at a whiteboard + laptop. Natural light, teal/navy accents matching brand. Text overlay zone left third.


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# Domain & routing

Capture owned domains and which one should be canonical at launch. Secondary domains should 301-forward to the primary domain.

### We already have one or more domain names procured

_To be confirmed_

### Procured domains and registrar

_To be confirmed_


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# Contact

### Primary public email address

hello@harborline.example

### Primary email owner (person or team)

_To be confirmed_

### Target first-response SLA for primary email

_To be confirmed_

### Phone (optional)

+1 (555) 010-0199

### Primary URLs today (site, social, maps)

https://harborline.example
LinkedIn company page (draft)
Google Business profile


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# User value signals

Capture what customers, clients, or users are trying to do, where they get stuck, and what success looks like so delivery choices stay outcome-focused.

### What is the customer/user trying to accomplish right now?

> _To be confirmed_

### Confidence in primary user goal (1-5)

_To be confirmed_

### Evidence sources for primary user goal

_To be confirmed_

### What blocks users at this step?

| Blocker | Where it occurs | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  |  |  |

### How confident are users/customers they can complete this flow?

_To be confirmed_

### What does success look like for users in this workflow?

> _To be confirmed_

### What information do users/customers wish they had before starting?

_To be confirmed_

### Which step takes the longest or feels most unclear?

_To be confirmed_

### If users could improve one thing, what would it be?

> _To be confirmed_

### Should the team provide a quick recommendation based on these answers?

_To be confirmed_


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# Markets & regions

Where you operate, languages, and where data is hosted—so legal, SEO, and hosting choices line up.

### Regions or countries you serve (customers or audience)

Canada, United States, EU / EEA

### Other regions (detail)

_To be confirmed_

### Regions / countries (ISO codes, optional)

_To be confirmed_

### Site languages you need (locales)

English, French

### Locale codes (optional)

_To be confirmed_

### Primary data hosting region (intent)

Canada

### Markets, privacy, or localization notes (optional)

> HQ in Ontario; EU customers via reseller. Confirm DPA and subprocessors with counsel before launch.


---

# Canada follow-up

### PIPEDA / Canadian privacy (discussion)

Plan aligned with counsel

### Bilingual / French requirements

French required (federal / Quebec / marketing)

### Canada-specific notes (optional)

_To be confirmed_


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# EU / EEA follow-up

### GDPR / EU privacy posture (discussion)

Need legal review

### EU representative / establishment

_To be confirmed_

### EU-specific notes (optional)

_To be confirmed_


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# United States follow-up

### US state privacy (CCPA-style) posture

Disclosures / processes planned with counsel

### US-specific notes (optional)

_To be confirmed_


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# About / story

Mission is your north star in one or two sentences; origin is how you got here. Both can be rough—your team will polish.

### Mission / purpose (why you exist)

> Help small teams ship credible web projects with a single, reviewable brief—so scope and messaging stay aligned from day one.

### Origin story (short path OK)

Founded in 2024 after the team repeatedly saw SMBs lose weeks to rediscovery in web projects. Harborline builds tools that front-load alignment.

### What makes you different

- Human-in-the-loop review, not just forms
- BRD-shaped output for agencies
- Canada-first defaults where helpful

### Primary CTA for About area

Book a 15-minute fit call


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# Colour & Type

Build your palette row by row—pick colours with the swatch or paste hex codes (like a brand guidelines page).

### Primary colours

| Colour | Name | Where it’s used |
| --- | --- | --- |
| #0D47A1 | Harbor blue | Headers & navigation, Primary buttons & CTAs |
| #212121 | Charcoal | Body text, Footer |

### Secondary colours

_To be confirmed_

### Fonts in use (or desired)

_To be confirmed_

### Accessibility / contrast notes

> _To be confirmed_


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# Website requirements

You don’t need to be technical—pick the closest options and add notes where you can. Your team or partner can refine details later.

### Accessibility target (intent)

WCAG 2.1 AA

### Mobile-first is a priority

Yes

### Performance expectations

_To be confirmed_

### Performance — optional extra detail

_To be confirmed_

### We sell products/services online or take orders digitally

Yes

### We run events, workshops, or dated offerings

Yes


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# Trust & compliance (discussion)

This section is for discussion with qualified counsel—not a substitute for legal advice. If you’re unsure, use the multiple-choice prompts and short notes; your lawyer or DPO can fill gaps.

### Privacy policy — status

Need one

### Analytics, cookies & marketing tags (your situation)

_To be confirmed_

### Cookies / consent tooling notes

_To be confirmed_

### Commerce terms, refunds & warranties — status

_To be confirmed_

### Commerce terms, refunds, warranties — notes (if applicable)

_To be confirmed_


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# Privacy policy — starter resources (pre-counsel)

Shown when your privacy status is Need one or Unsure. Orientation only—not legal advice. Use with your Markets & regions answers to see what might apply.

### Drafts & questions for counsel (optional)

> _To be confirmed_


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# Digital & sales personas

Who influences or signs off on choosing you, and what they try to accomplish on your site and funnel—so messaging, IA, CTAs, and SEO match real journeys.

### Audience mix (how you sell today)

B2B

### Buyers & decision-makers

| Role or segment | How they find you (typical) | Buying goals | Blockers & trust gaps | Decision power | Typical buying window | Primary objection type | Source role | Last verified date | Assumption status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Owner / GM | Non-branded search + partner referral | Ship a credible site without becoming the project manager. | Limited time; needs plain language and one path to a human. |  |  |  |  |  |  |

### On-site jobs & conversion paths

| What the visitor is trying to do | Best next step (conversion) | What your page must provide | Journey stage | CTA type | Success metric | Source role | Last verified date | Assumption status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Compare plans and start trial | Start trial (no card) | Clear pricing table, security FAQ, obvious primary CTA. |  |  |  |  |  |  |

### Persona assumptions to validate (research / sales)

> _To be confirmed_


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# Marketing & growth

Keyword seeds first help the SEO summary (and Draft with AI) reflect what you actually want to rank for.

### Keywords / phrases

| Phrase | Intent | Funnel stage | Priority | Target page | Source role | Last verified date | Assumption status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| website requirements template | Commercial |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| small business website brief | Informational |  |  |  |  |  |  |

### SEO summary (topics, geography)

Primary geography: Ontario and Canada English. Topics: website brief software, SMB discovery, agency handoff.

### SEO primary geographic focus

_To be confirmed_

### SEO primary language/locale

_To be confirmed_

### SEO focus balance

_To be confirmed_

### Confidence in SEO summary (1-5)

_To be confirmed_

### Evidence sources for SEO summary

_To be confirmed_

### Analytics & consent approach

_To be confirmed_


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# Social & media

One row per place you show up online. Pick preset channels from the list or type your own (forum, marketplace, community, etc.).

### Social & media channels

_To be confirmed_


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# Recommendations (for discussion)

### Suggested owner actions

1. Confirm legal review of privacy.
2. Approve hero copy.
3. Assign launch comms owner.

### Owner action plan (priority and timeline)

_To be confirmed_

### Suggested web team actions

_To be confirmed_

### Web team action plan (priority and timeline)

_To be confirmed_

### Suggested growth actions (90-day focus)

_To be confirmed_

### Growth action plan (priority and timeline)

_To be confirmed_

### Add glossary of terms to the brief

Yes


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# Glossary

### Terms and definitions

| Term | Definition |
| --- | --- |
| Digital presence | How your organization shows up online overall: website, listings, social profiles, reviews, email, and ads—seen as one connected picture, not only the homepage. |
| SEO (search engine optimization) | Improving content and technical setup so pages are more likely to appear in unpaid (“organic”) search results for relevant queries. |
| SERP | Search engine results page—the list of links and snippets returned after someone runs a search. |
| CTA (call to action) | A clear next step you want the visitor to take (book, call, subscribe, buy), usually a button or prominent link. |
| Landing page | A page built for one focused offer or campaign, often aligned to a specific ad, email, or search intent. |
| CMS (content management system) | Software for editing site pages and posts without changing code each time (e.g. WordPress, Webflow, Shopify admin). |
| Analytics | Measurement of how people find and use the site—traffic sources, popular pages, funnels, and goal completions (often GA4 or similar). |
| Conversion | A tracked meaningful action: lead form submitted, purchase completed, call clicked, or other goal you define. |
| Responsive / mobile-friendly | Layout and interactions that work well on phones and tablets, not only large desktop screens. |
| Accessibility (e.g. WCAG) | Design and code choices that support people using assistive tech or different abilities—keyboard use, contrast, labels, focus order. WCAG is a common standard (e.g. Level AA). |
| Domain & DNS | Your site’s address (domain) and the DNS records that point it to hosting, email, subdomains, and verification tokens. |
| SSL / HTTPS | Encrypted connection between browser and server; browsers show a lock icon. Expected for trust and modern SEO. |
| Local SEO | Visibility in map packs and “near me” queries—often tied to Google Business Profile, consistent name/address/phone, and local landing pages. |
| Meta title & meta description | HTML fields that often become the clickable headline and snippet in search results; usually editable in the CMS or SEO plugin. |
| Schema / structured data | Machine-readable tags (often JSON-LD) that describe business type, hours, products, FAQs, etc., to help search engines understand the page. |
| Backlink | A link from another website to yours; one signal search engines use alongside content quality and relevance. |
| Cookie consent / CMP | Banner or tool that records visitor choices about cookies and trackers, often required for analytics and ad pixels depending on region and setup. |


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# Business offerings & value

Define what you actually offer and why customers choose you. This section is important even if you do not process payments online.

### Core offerings (products / services)

| Name | Category | Price band | Currency | Starting price | Delivery model | Primary region | Notes | Source role | Last verified date | Assumption status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Growth | Subscription | Contact for pricing |  |  |  |  | Checklist + Markdown export. |  |  |  |

### Value proposition (why customers choose us)

> For SMB owners and marketing leads, Harborline turns fragmented website planning into one decision-ready brief.

### Confidence in value proposition (1-5)

_To be confirmed_

### Evidence sources for value proposition

_To be confirmed_

### Proof points that support value (optional)

_To be confirmed_


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# Events & pricing

Use this only if you run workshops, webinars, courses, or other date-based offerings. It helps the team plan event pages, calendars, registration flows, and pricing details.

### Events / tiers

| Type | Tiers / pricing | Geography | Currency | Price model | Starting price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |


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# Supplemental offerings

Use this for extra offering areas that do not fit your core offerings (for example partner hubs, member areas, franchises, or microsites). Skip if your main sections already cover everything.

### Extra hubs or offering areas

_To be confirmed_