What Should You Prepare Before Having a Website Built?
Planning a new website? Learn what to prepare before your first design meeting, from your logo and service details to features and project scope.
When you decide to commission a website, you may start by thinking about colours or a design you like. Before design begins, it helps to clarify what your business needs and what content the website will use.
You do not need polished copy for every page before getting started. Organising what you already have and identifying the gaps can make your first conversation much more useful.
1. Decide on the website’s main purpose
What should visitors do on your website? Request a quote, visit your premises, browse a menu or buy a product?
The answer helps determine the page structure and required features. A repair business might prioritise service areas and contact options, while a café may need to highlight its menu, location and opening hours.
If you have several goals, put them in order of importance. Defining what the first version needs to achieve keeps the project focused.
2. Gather your business and contact details
Prepare a short introduction explaining what you do, who you help and where you operate.
Collect your business name, phone number, email address, location, map link, opening hours and social media profiles in one document.
Decide how you would prefer customers to contact you. Checking these details early reduces the need for repeated corrections as the website approaches launch.
3. Prepare your logo and images
Gather the logo files you already have. If available, provide an SVG version or a high-quality PNG with a transparent background. If you only have a screenshot, mention that at the beginning.
Organise business, product and project photos into separate folders. Clear filenames help identify which images belong to each service or project.
Choose images that accurately represent your business and that you have permission to use. Check permission before publishing customer photos or testimonials.
4. Explain your services through customer questions
A service name alone may not give visitors enough information to make a decision. Explain who the service is for, what need it addresses and how the process works.
Include the information you need to prepare a quote. An awning installation, for example, may require measurements, photos of the space and its location.
Clarify anything outside the service’s scope. This helps visitors understand what to expect before contacting you.
5. Explain what you like about example websites
Choose two or three reference websites if you have them. Rather than simply asking for something similar, describe the details you like.
You might prefer one website’s navigation, another’s project presentation and a third’s colour palette. Mention anything you want to avoid, such as lengthy pages, heavy animation or oversized cards.
These references help communicate your preferences. Your own website should be designed around your business, its content and its identity.
6. Define your features and content management needs
Separate essential launch features from additions that can wait. A blog, multilingual content, quotation form, booking system and online shop each require different work.
For example, a booking button that opens a message is different from a system that displays availability and reserves a time slot. Explain how you expect each feature to work.
If you want to edit text, upload images, add projects or hide sections through an admin panel, include those requirements. Also agree on who will prepare content in a second language.
7. Discuss budget, launch date and delivery scope
If you already have a domain and hosting account, identify the providers. You do not need to share passwords during the first discussion; appropriate access can be arranged later.
Share your budget range and preferred launch date. Ask whether the quotation includes copywriting, image sourcing, additional languages, maintenance and future changes.
Clarify which files, account access and instructions you will receive at handover.
Ready for your first conversation?
Your website’s purpose, service list, logo, available images, contact details, design references and essential features provide a useful starting point.
Missing content does not have to delay the entire project. You can identify what is ready and agree on how the remaining materials will be prepared.
Planning a website for your business? Share your requirements with me. Together, we can define the design, content and management features your project needs.
