You don't need everything figured out before you get in touch. But the more you've thought about up front, the more accurate your quote will be and the smoother the project will run. Here's what helps most.
A clear idea of what the site is for
Start with the job you want the website to do. Is it bringing in enquiries, selling products, taking bookings or answering the same customer questions over and over? One or two main goals are enough, and they shape almost every decision that follows.
Who it's for
Think about who visits your site and what they're looking for. A few sentences about your typical customers, what they need to know and what makes them get in touch is hugely useful.
Your brand assets
Your logo, ideally as a vector file (SVG, EPS or PDF)
Brand colours and fonts, if you have them
Any brand guidelines
Good-quality photos of your team, premises or work
If you don't have a logo or brand yet, that's fine, but it's worth sorting before design starts, as it shapes the whole look of the site.
Sites you like (and don't)
Pick three to five websites you like and note what you like about each one. It could be the layout, the colours, the tone of the writing or how easy things are to find. Sites you dislike are just as useful, and they don't need to be in your industry.
Content
Content is the most common cause of delays, so it's worth starting early. You don't need final copy on day one, but it helps to know:
Which pages you need
Who's writing the text
Where the photos are coming from
What can move across from your current site
Practical details
Your domain. Who it's registered with and how to log in.
Your current hosting. If you have an existing site, who hosts it and who has access.
Integrations. Booking systems, payment providers, email marketing tools or CRMs the site needs to connect to.
Who signs things off. One person who gathers feedback and makes the final call keeps things moving.
Budget and timeline
A rough budget range helps me suggest the right approach rather than guessing. It's not about spending as much as possible, it's about recommending something that fits. If you've got a deadline, such as a launch event or a busy season, mention that too.
For more on what affects price and timescales, read how much a website costs and how long it takes to build a website.
Ready to start?
Whether you've got most of this together or none of it yet, get in touch. We'll talk through what you need and fill in the gaps together. You can also take a look at my web design service.
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