Getting Ready for a New Website: A Simple Guide for Business Owners

A little preparation saves a lot of time

The businesses that get their new website live fastest are almost always the ones who arrive prepared. Here’s what’s genuinely worth sorting out before your project kicks off.

1. Gather your existing brand assets

Logo files, brand colours, and any existing photography should be collected in one place, even if you’re planning a refresh, it gives your designer a starting point rather than a blank page.

2. Write down what each page needs to say

You don’t need polished copy, but a rough idea of what each page should cover, services, pricing, about, contact, speeds up the whole process considerably.

3. Collect real photos if you have them

Photos of your team, premises or work in progress build more trust than stock imagery, and are worth digging out even if they’re not professionally shot.

4. List your competitors, and what you like or dislike

Showing a designer two or three sites you admire, and being specific about what you like about each, helps translate a vague idea into something concrete quickly.

5. Know your must-haves versus nice-to-haves

• Does the site need to take bookings or payments?
• Do you need a members’ area or client login?
• Is there specific integration with other software you already use?

Separating essential functionality from nice extras keeps the project focused and the budget realistic.

6. Sort out your domain and hosting access

If you already have a domain name, make sure you know where it’s registered and who has access, this is one of the most common causes of last-minute delays.

7. Set a realistic timeline internally

Know who on your side needs to review and approve each stage, so feedback doesn’t become the project’s biggest bottleneck.

We’ll guide you through the rest

You don’t need to have all of this perfectly ready before reaching out, we walk every client through exactly what’s needed, when it’s needed. Book a call and we’ll take it from there.