What to Prepare Before Your Website Is Built: A Content and Access Checklist

A website is built faster and turns out better when the person commissioning it comes prepared. It's rarely the design that holds a project up: it's the texts that don't arrive, the photos that are missing, or the domain password nobody can find. This checklist helps you prepare before the first call.

1. Define the goal

Answer in one sentence: what do you want a person to do when they visit your site? Message you on WhatsApp, ask for a quote, book, buy. The whole design starts from that answer.

2. Think about your customer

• Who is your ideal customer and what problem do they want to solve?
• What questions do they always ask before buying?
• What makes them hesitate and what convinces them?

3. Gather your brand identity

• Logo in the best format you have (ideally vector: SVG, AI or PDF).
• Colors and fonts, if you already use them.
• If you have none of this, tell your designer: a simple identity can be created, but it takes time and is quoted separately.

4. Prepare the texts

Texts are what gets delayed most. Having a draft, even an imperfect one, helps a lot. Gather:

• What you do, for whom and in which area.
• A description of each service or product, with prices or ranges if you decide to show them.
• Your story or who is on the team.
• Frequently asked questions from your customers.
• If you prefer, ask someone to write them: it's part of the scope and worth deciding from the start.

5. Get good photos

Photos of your location, your team, your finished work and your products. You don't need a professional camera: a recent phone, natural light and a tidy background work. Avoid photos with watermarks or downloaded from the internet without a license.

6. Collect real proof

• Reviews or messages from customers who gave you permission to publish them.
• Past cases or work, with before and after if relevant.
• Verifiable certifications, awards or partnerships.

7. Domain, email and access

• Do you already have a domain? Note where you bought it and who holds the login.
• If not, choose the name (short, easy to say and spell) and make sure it's registered in your name or your company's, not the provider's.
• Access to your Google Business Profile, social media and any tools that will be connected.
• An email on your domain, for example hello@yourbusiness.com.

8. Legal and contact details

• Legal business name and the contact details you want to publish.
• Privacy notice: have a lawyer review it.
• Terms or policies if you sell online (shipping, returns, cancellations).

9. Decide who approves

Name one person who has the final say and can reply within a few days. Projects with five contradicting opinions drag on for weeks.

10. Collect examples

Save three sites you like and one you don't, from your industry or another, and note why. It helps far more than saying “I want something modern.”