What to prepare before a website project

The quickest website projects are the ones where the client arrives prepared. Before you speak to any designer, write down what the site must achieve, list the pages, gather your words, photos and logo, confirm who controls your domain, collect a few examples you like, decide who approves the work and keep the feature list realistic. None of it needs technical knowledge.

You don't need everything polished on day one. A rough version of each item below gives your designer something solid to work from, and makes any quote you receive far more accurate.

Decide what the website must do for you

Begin with the outcome, not the look. Ask yourself what a visitor should do after reading your site. For most businesses the answer is one of a handful of things: call, send an enquiry, book, buy, or visit in person.

Then think about who those visitors are. A company selling to engineers needs different words from a salon selling to local customers. Note down:

• the main action you want visitors to take;
• the customers you most want to reach, and what they usually ask before buying;
• the questions your staff answer again and again by phone or email;
• how you will know the site is working, for example more enquiries through the contact form.

A short page of answers here will shape every later decision, from the menu to the wording on the buttons.

List the pages you need

Sketch your site as a simple list before anyone designs anything. Most business websites start with a home page, an about page, a page for each main service or product group, and a contact page. Add pages only where they help a customer decide.

For each page, jot down a sentence on what it is for. If you can't say why a page exists, you probably don't need it yet. A clear page list also helps your quote: designers price by the work involved, and a list removes guesswork on both sides. Our website design page shows what a business website includes from the start.

Gather your words and photos

Content is where most projects stall. Designers can build the frame quickly, but they can't invent what makes your business different. Start collecting early.

Words

Write in your own voice about what you do, who you do it for and why customers choose you. Rough notes are fine; a good designer or writer can shape them. Avoid lifting text from competitors or old brochures you don't own. Google's guidance for site owners says helpful content is easy to read, well organised and original, and suggests splitting long text into sections with headings.

Photos

Real photos of your team, premises, products and finished work build trust faster than stock images. Gather the sharpest versions you have, and note what each one shows. Google recommends placing clear images close to related text and giving each one alt text, a short written description that helps search engines understand the picture. Your notes make that easy later.

Check you have the right to use every photo. Pictures taken from other websites, or by a photographer who kept the rights, can cause problems after launch.

Find your logo and colours

Look for the original logo files, not a copy saved from your social media profile. Ask whoever designed it for a version that scales cleanly and a version that works on a dark background. Also note:

• your brand colours, ideally as exact colour codes;
• any fonts used on your signs, documents or packaging;
• anything you want to avoid, such as a colour a competitor uses.

If you don't have a logo yet, or it no longer fits the business, sort that out first so the website and the brand match. We cover this on our branding and graphic design page.

Confirm who registered your domain

If you already have a domain, find out exactly who registered it and which company it is registered with. Many businesses discover that a former web designer, an employee who has since left or a relative registered it years ago in their own name.

This matters. ICANN, which oversees the domain name system, says the person who registers a domain takes on responsibility for its registration and use, and must keep the contact details accurate. Registrants are also entitled to clear instructions from their registrar on how to manage, transfer and renew the domain. In practice, the person or business named as registrant holds the keys.

Before your project starts, try to:

• log in to the account where the domain is registered, or find out who can;
• make sure the registrant is your business, with an email address you check;
• note when it renews;
• check whether your business email runs on the same domain, so nothing breaks when the new site goes live.

If you don't have a domain yet, that's fine. Our website packages include your domain and hosting for the first year, registered so that it's yours.

Collect examples you like and agree who signs off

Find a handful of websites you like, from any industry, and write a line on each saying what appeals: the layout, the photos, the tone, how easy it is to find prices. Add one or two you dislike, with reasons. This tells a designer more than any description of your taste. Our portfolio is another place to look for ideas.

Next, decide who approves the work. Projects slow down when feedback comes from several people who disagree, or when a senior person appears at the end and asks for changes. Agree in advance:

• who gives feedback during the build;
• who makes the final decision;
• how quickly you can respond, so the timeline you agree stays realistic.

Keep the feature list realistic

Write down every feature you think you need, then sort them into must-haves for launch and nice-to-haves for later. Typical must-haves are a contact form, click-to-call and messaging buttons, a map and clear service pages. Bigger items, such as online payments, bookings, customer accounts or an app, change the size of the project, so name them early.

If you're unsure whether you need an online shop, an app or a portal at all, read website, online shop or app: which does your business need? before you finalise the list. Launching with the essentials and adding more later is often the sensible route.

Once your notes are ready, you're in a strong position to compare companies; our guide on how to choose a web design company lists the questions to ask. When you're ready, request a quote and send us what you've gathered.