What you need to prepare before ordering a website: a complete checklist

The most common reason website development gets dragged out is not the design or programming. It is the texts and images that arrive a week later than agreed. The designer is ready, the structure is complete, but the project is stalled because someone is still writing the copy for "About us".

The good news is that this is easy to avoid. If you prepare a few things in advance, the development goes faster, the website turns out better, and you don't pay for the time wasted on waiting. This is a complete checklist, pretty much how I go through it with clients at the start of our cooperation.

1. First, decide what the website's purpose is

Before any texts and images, answer three questions for yourself.

• What do you want the visitor to do? Call you, fill out an inquiry form, buy something, or just see what you do. A website that tries to do everything at once usually does nothing well.

• Who is your ideal client? A website for small businesses is written differently than a website for large companies.

• What makes you different from others? It doesn't have to sound ingenious. It is enough to know why someone would choose you.

If you don't know this, it's not a problem, but it's good to solve it at the very beginning. Everything else is built on that.

2. Figure out the website structure in advance

You don't need to know what the website will look like, but you do need to know which pages you need. For a small business, this is usually five to seven pages.

• Home

• Services or products

• About us

• References or portfolio

• Contact

• Blog, if you plan to write articles for Google

If your goal is just one clear action, for example scheduling a call, maybe you don't need a whole website but just a landing page. I can advise you on the difference between the two before you pay for anything.

It is also useful to make a rough list of what goes on which page on paper or in notes. It doesn't have to be pretty, it must be clear.

3. Texts: what slows down the project the most

Texts are the part that clients underestimate most often. Everyone thinks they will write it "on the go", and then after a few weeks, the website is waiting on a single sentence.

What you need to have ready:

• A brief description of the company and what you do, in two to three sentences

• A list of services or products with a couple of sentences about each

• Text for the "About us" page

• Answers to questions clients constantly ask you (this is a great start for a FAQ section)

• Contact details: address, phone, email, working hours

• Call to action, meaning what exactly you want someone to do when they land on the website

How to write "About us" in about twenty minutes. Don't start with a blank page. Answer three questions in simple sentences: what you do, who you do it for, and why you are the one to do it. After that, it just needs a little polishing. Most of the time, this is better than text that tries to sound like an advertisement.

The texts do not have to be perfect when you hand them over. They just need to exist. Polishing is easier than writing from scratch.

4. Logo, colors, and fonts

If you already have a visual identity, prepare everything that makes it up. If you don't, that is the first thing you need to solve, because how the website will look depends on it.

• Logo in a good format. Ask for a file in vector format (SVG, AI, or PDF), and not an image you downloaded from Instagram. A vector can be enlarged as much as you want without losing quality.

• Colors. If they already exist, write down the exact values (HEX codes) instead of saying "some blue".

• Fonts. If you use specific fonts, state which ones. If you have nothing, that's fine, the designer will suggest something that fits.

If you are just starting a company and have none of this, read what visual identity is and why it is more important than a logo. You can work on the identity and website one after the other or simultaneously.

5. Photos and images

This is the second thing that affects the impression the most, and which people most often leave for last.

What you can photograph with a phone:

• The space you work in, if it's not too critical

• Work processes, "behind the scenes" moments

• Informal team photos

What is better left to a professional:

• A portrait of you or your team, because that is the first thing people look at on the "About us" page

• Products, especially if they are sold online

• Photos for the hero section of the home page

If you have nothing, stock photos are an acceptable solution to start with, but only if they are well chosen. It is easy to spot when someone has put a generic shot of smiling people around a conference table. Also check the license, to see if you are allowed to use them commercially.

6. References, reviews, and social proof

Visitors want to see that you are actually someone who does this job. Therefore, prepare:

• A list of clients or projects you are proud of, with logos if you have permission

• Two to three reviews from real clients, with name and role

• Numbers that mean something, for example, how many years you've been working or how many projects you've done

• Certificates or awards, if you have them

Don't make up reviews. It is better to have one real one than five fake ones.

7. Practical things everyone forgets

This is the part that most often causes delays, but it doesn't take long if resolved on time.

• Domain. Register it in your name or the company's name and remember where you bought it. Be sure to write down the username and password, as you will need access when connecting the website.

• Hosting. This depends on the platform on which the website is built. Before you buy anything, agree with the designer on exactly what you need.

• Business email. An address like name@yourcompany.com looks more professional than a gmail address.

• Access to tools. If you already have Google Analytics or Search Console, prepare the access. If you don't, it is set up along the way.

• Legal pages. Privacy policy, terms of use, and company details that should be on the website. What exactly you need depends on your business, so it's best to check with an accountant or lawyer.

8. Examples of websites you like

Gather three to five websites you like and a few you don't like. It's not about copying, but about the designer quickly understanding your taste. A sentence with each is enough, for example, "I like it because it's simple" or "it's too colorful".

Also look at competitor websites. Not that you should copy them, but to know what already exists and how you can stand out.

9. Budget, deadline, and decision maker

These three things look boring, but they determine whether the project will go smoothly.

• Budget. Even an approximate range helps the designer propose a solution that really fits you. If you are wondering how much these projects usually cost, read how much UX/UI design costs in Serbia.

• Deadline. If you have a date by which the website must be ready, for example, a launch or a season, say so immediately.

• One person who approves. When five people give feedback on the same design, the project gets dragged out. Determine who makes the final decision.

What if you have none of this

That is normal. Most people who contact me do not have even half of this list ready, and that is not an obstacle. You just need to know what's next.

If you are struggling with the text, we can go through the questions together and build a base from there. If you don't have photos, we plan them as a separate step. If you don't have an identity, we work on that too. The key is to know what you need so it doesn't wait until the last day.

Quick checklist for printing

• Website goal and main action

• List of pages

• Texts for each page

• Logo in vector format

• Colors and fonts

• Photos

• References and reviews

• Domain and account access

• Business email

• Legal pages

• Examples of websites you like

• Budget, deadline, and decision maker

If this looked like a lot of work to you, it's not so bad when split into steps. I work with small businesses and entrepreneurs, from preparation to the finished website, and help with everything that is missing here. Send an inquiry and let's go through what you have ready and what we need to do together.