What Business Owners Should Prepare Before Building a Website

# What Business Owners Should Prepare Before Building a Website

Starting a website project without a clear plan wastes time and money. This website project checklist helps small business owners gather the assets, access, content, and decisions a developer or agency needs to deliver a smooth, on-time build. Use it to reduce scope creep, speed up production, and keep costs predictable.

Why preparing matters

A prepared client speeds up approvals, avoids last-minute rework, and produces a clearer website that meets business goals. Developers and designers work more efficiently when they receive the right files, accounts, and instructions at the start. This checklist is practical — not exhaustive — and focuses on the items that most commonly hold projects up.

Website project checklist

Below are the core categories: assets, access, content, and decisions. For each item, you’ll find a brief explanation and a practical example.

Assets: Brand and media files

• Logo files: Provide vector (SVG or EPS) and high-resolution PNG versions. Example: logo.svg, logo-dark.png.
• Brand guide: Include colors (HEX), fonts (or web font names), and usage rules (when to use reversed logo).
• Photos and graphics: Supply originals (JPEG/PNG) and label them by page/use (e.g., homepage-hero.jpg, team-jane.png). If you use stock photos, include licenses.
• Icons and illustrations: Prefer SVG for scalability.
• Product images (for e-commerce): Consistent aspect ratio, clear backgrounds, SKU metadata.

Why it matters: Using the right files prevents pixelated logos, mismatched colors, and slow-loading pages.

Access: Accounts and technical info

• Domain registrar details: Who controls the domain and how to access it (username, recovery email).
• Hosting access: FTP/SFTP, control panel, or hosting provider login.
• CMS credentials: Admin access for WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, etc., or a plan choice if you don’t yet have one.
• Email and DNS admin: Access to create email forwarding, MX, and SPF records.
• Third-party services: Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Facebook Business Manager, Stripe/PayPal — provide admin access or invite the development team.
• SSL certificate: If you already have one, provide details; if not, confirm whether developer should provision it.

Example: “I’ll invite your agency to my Google Analytics and add them as a user in my hosting control panel.”

Content: Pages and copy

• List of required pages and page templates: Homepage, Services, About, Contact, Blog, FAQ, Product pages.
• Page-level content: For each page, provide headline, subhead, body copy, and primary CTA. Example: Homepage — H1 “Affordable HVAC Services in Springfield”, short paragraph, CTA “Schedule a Quote”.
• Product/service details: Names, descriptions, prices, SKUs, variants.
• Testimonials and social proof: Full quotes, names, photos, and permission to publish.
• Legal pages: Privacy policy, terms of service, cookie notice. If you don’t have these, note whether a lawyer will provide them.
• SEO basics: Target keywords (one or two per page), meta titles, and meta descriptions if available.

Why it matters: Developers can build and style pages faster when copy and imagery are ready. Placeholder text slows progress and hides messaging issues until late in the process.

Decisions: Scope, functionality, and timeline

• Primary business goal: Lead generation, online sales, bookings, or information. This drives layout and CTA placement.
• CMS choice: WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Webflow, or custom. If unsure, discuss pros and cons with your developer.
• E-commerce needs: Number of products, payment gateways, shipping rules, tax considerations.
• Integrations: Email marketing (Mailchimp, Klaviyo), CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce), appointment tools (Calendly), analytics.
• Mobile and accessibility expectations: Confirm responsive design and basic accessibility compliance (alt text for images, proper headings).
• Budget and timeline: Provide a realistic budget range and a desired launch date.

Example decision: “Priority is lead capture for our two main services. We need form submissions to feed into HubSpot and an easy-to-update Services page.”

How to use this checklist

1. Gather everything into a shared folder (Google Drive, Dropbox) with clear naming.
2. Create a simple sitemap and label content files by page.
3. Share access securely using temporary passwords or by inviting contributors to accounts.
4. Review the scope with your developer before work begins — this avoids surprises.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Missing legal content: Don’t leave privacy and cookie notices until launch.
• Incomplete product data: E-commerce projects stall without SKU images and variants.
• No decision on CMS: Changing the CMS mid-project adds time and cost.
• Late stakeholder reviews: Consolidate feedback early and appoint a single decision-maker.

Preparing these items before construction starts will reduce delays and produce a website that supports your business goals from day one.

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