What to have ready before you get a website built

A lot of the time on a website project isn't the build. It's waiting for the words, finding the right photos, and tracking down the login to a domain someone registered years ago. None of that is hard, it just takes a while, and it's the part only you can do.

The short answer

Having your text and photos ready is the biggest thing that speeds a project up. After that, it's your logo, the logins to anything you've already got, and knowing who's making the decisions.

A Starter site usually takes 1 to 3 weeks and a Business site 2 to 4, from the day you say yes. Those timelines are a lot easier to hit when the content's already there.

Here's the full list, with what to do if you haven't got something yet.

The words

Every page needs words, and the site can't really be finished without them. For most small businesses, that means:

• What you do, in a few sentences, and who it's for.
• Your services or products, with prices if you show them.
• A bit about you or the business.
• Your opening hours, where you are, or the areas you cover.
• How people get in touch, and anything they should know before they do.

They don't need to be polished. Plain and true is better than clever, and it's easier to tighten up words that exist than to start from a blank page.

If writing isn't your thing, I can write them for you. Copywriting is $75 a page. You'll still need to tell me the facts, but you won't be staring at an empty page.

Photos

I think your own photos beat stock photos almost every time. A customer looking at your site wants to see your shop, your food or your work, not a stranger's. If you've got some good recent ones on your phone, that's often enough, as long as they're sharp and well lit.

Stock photos are fine for filling a gap. They're licensed, not owned, so they stay under their own licences, and some come with conditions. I'll tell you if any apply, and they're listed in your agreement.

I don't do photography, so if you want proper photos taken, it's worth booking a photographer before the build starts rather than after.

Your logo

If you've got a logo, send the best file you can find. The original from whoever designed it is ideal, because a logo saved off an old website or social profile is often too small to look sharp.

If you haven't got one, logo design starts at $249, and the final price depends on what you need. You don't need one to start, though. I think your business name in a good typeface can do the job for a while, and a logo can come later.

Your domain and the logins you already have

The domain is your web address, like yourbusiness.com. If you've already got one, find out who it's registered with and check you can log in. If you haven't, we'll set it up together in your own account.

It's worth gathering the logins to anything that already exists, too:

• Your current website, if you've got one.
• Your domain, wherever it's registered.
• Your Google Business Profile, if you've set one up.
• Your booking or ordering system.
• Your social accounts, if the site will link to them.

Check you can still get into each one now. Getting back into an old account can take a while, and it's better to find that out before the site's ready to go live.

Your booking or ordering system

If you already take bookings through something like Fresha or Square, keep using it. I'll point the site's Book button straight at it, so nothing changes for you or your regulars. If you want the two talking to each other more deeply than that, it's an integration, and I'll quote it once I know what you use.

If you haven't got a booking system yet, online booking is set up as part of a Business site, with Cal.com, Fresha, Square or similar. It helps to know roughly how you want it to work before we start, like which services people can book, how long each one takes and when you're free.

For cafés, order ahead links to Square or similar, so the button goes straight to your ordering page there. Ordering built into the site itself is quoted separately.

Sites you like

Send me two or three sites you like, and say what you like about each one. It doesn't matter if they're nothing to do with your trade. "I like how simple this one is" or "I like the colours on this" tells me a lot.

Sites you don't like are just as useful, sometimes more. If you've seen something and thought "definitely not that", tell me.

If you've had a go with the builder on the home page, the name, trade, colours and type you picked come through with your enquiry, which is a good starting point too.

Who decides, and how quickly

This one's easy to forget, and it makes a real difference to how long it takes.

Every site comes with 3 rounds of changes on the design and 3 on the build. Each round works best as one reply from one person, with everyone's comments already in it. If two people are giving feedback separately, and they don't agree, a round can drag on while they agree.

So before we start, it's worth deciding:

• Who has the final say.
• Who else needs to see it, and when.
• How quickly you can usually reply.

How fast you come back to me matters as much as how fast I work. A round that waits a week for a reply adds a week to the project. Changes past those rounds are new work, and I'll quote them before I start, not after.

Barbers, cafés and electricians

What you'll need depends a bit on the trade.

Barbers usually need a price list, photos of the shop and your work, and your booking system if you've got one. Cafés need the menu with prices, opening hours and where to find you, plus your ordering page if people order ahead. Electricians need the list of services, the areas you cover, and anything that helps people trust you with their house, like your qualifications.

• Websites for barbersBooking and a price list
• Websites for cafésA menu and opening hours
• Websites for electriciansServices, areas and quote requests

When you're ready

You don't need everything on this list to get in touch, and most people don't have all of it. Tell me about the business and what you've got so far, and I'll tell you what's missing and what it'll cost. If you're still comparing your options, the cost guide is a good place to start.