How to prepare for a website project, with a checklist

Most website projects don't run late because of design or code. They run late waiting for words, photos, logins and decisions. A little preparation before you start saves weeks, and usually money too.

Here's what I ask every client to think about before we begin. You don't need all of it perfect, but the more of it you have, the better your site will be.

1. Decide what the website is for

Start with one main job. "Look professional" isn't quite enough. Try finishing this sentence: "A good week is when the website gets me…"

• more enquiries for a particular service
• more bookings or orders
• fewer phone calls asking the same questions
• people turning up already knowing your prices and how you work

Then think about who you most want to reach. Every decision after that, from the menu to the photos, gets easier when you know who it's for and what you want them to do.

2. Collect the questions your customers ask

This is the most useful thing you can prepare, and it's free. Look back through your emails, messages and phone calls and write down the questions people ask most. Ten is a great start.

Those questions become the backbone of your website. They tell us what pages you need, what each page should answer, and the words your customers actually use, which helps you show up in search too.

3. Sort out who's writing the words

Words are where most projects stall. Decide early whether you'll write them, I'll write them from a conversation with you, or we'll do a bit of both. Even rough notes in your own voice are a brilliant starting point.

If you want a Welsh version, plan for it now. Bilingual pages need translation and twice the checking, and it's much easier to design for both languages from the start than to add one later.

4. Get your photos together

Real photos of you, your place and your work do more for a small business website than almost anything else. Gather what you have and be honest about what's missing.

• Use photos you have the rights to. Photos are protected by copyright, so you need permission or a licence for any you didn't take yourself. That includes images found on Google.
• Send the original files. Photos taken from Facebook or WhatsApp are usually too small and compressed to look good on a website.
• Think about a shoot. If your current photos don't show you at your best, a short brand photography session is often the best value part of a new site.

5. Find your logins, and check you own your domain

This one causes more delays than anything else. Before you start, make a list of every account connected to your current website and check you can log in to each:

Most importantly, check the domain is registered in your name or your business's name. If a previous designer or an old employee registered it in theirs, sort that out first. Whoever is listed as the registrant controls the address.

6. Plan for the legal basics

None of this is complicated, but it's much easier to build in from the start. In the UK:

• Privacy notice. If your site collects personal data, even through a contact form, UK GDPR says you need to tell people what you collect and why. The ICO calls this the right to be informed.
• Cookies. Under the PECR rules, non-essential cookies need consent before they're set. Since the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, simple analytics used only to understand and improve your own site can be exempt, as long as you explain it clearly and give people an easy way to opt out. Advertising and tracking cookies still need consent.
• Accessibility. The Equality Act 2010 expects businesses that serve the public to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and that includes your website. The standard to build to is WCAG 2.2 at level AA.
• Selling online. If customers can buy from your site, the Consumer Contracts Regulations generally give them 14 days to cancel most orders, and your terms need to explain this.

7. Remember most people will see it on a phone

Ofcom's Online Nation report from December 2025 found UK adults spend an average of four and a half hours online a day, and that most of that time is spent on a smartphone. So when you look at designs, look at them on your phone first. If the important things aren't easy to find with a thumb, they're not finished.

8. Agree the budget, the timing and who decides

• Budget. Have a rough figure in mind, including running costs after launch. My guide to what a website really costs will help.
• Timing. Work back from any date that matters, like a launch, a season or an event, and allow time for you to review and give feedback.
• Decisions. Agree who has the final say. Projects slow right down when feedback has to go round several people with different opinions.

Your website project checklist

1. Write down the main job your website needs to do.
2. List the ten questions customers ask you most.
3. Decide who's writing the words, and whether you need Welsh.
4. Gather your best original photos, and note what's missing.
5. Check you can log in to your domain, hosting, email and Google accounts.
6. Confirm the domain is registered in your name.
7. Note anything that needs a privacy notice, cookie banner or online shop terms.
8. Agree a rough budget, a target date and who makes the final decisions.

If you've got even half of this ready, you're ahead of most people. And if you'd like help with any of it, let's have a chat.