What to prepare before your website project

By NewLife Studios. Published October 22, 2026.

You do not need all of this perfect. Rough notes are fine and a good designer will help you fill gaps. But the more of it you have, the sooner you see a real draft. Tick off what you can, and flag what you cannot.

1. Your goal, in one sentence

Write down what a visitor should do: call, fill in a form, request an appointment, order, donate or visit. If you have two goals, put them in order. This one sentence decides the layout of the first screen, so it is worth ten minutes of thought. Also note who the site is for, such as homeowners in your area, parents, or regulars looking for the menu.

2. Your business basics

• Business name exactly as you want it written, including capital letters and punctuation.
• A short description of what you do, in two or three plain sentences.
• The area you serve. For a business without a public storefront, decide how you will describe it, for example "serving towns across the region" instead of a street address.
• Phone number, email address and opening hours, written the way you want them shown. Use the same details everywhere online.
• Social media links you actually want visitors to follow.
• Any licences, insurance or certifications you really hold, and that you are happy to show.

3. Logo and brand

• Your logo as a vector file (SVG, PDF or AI) if you have one, or the highest-resolution PNG you can find. A screenshot from a phone is a last resort.
• Brand colours and fonts, if you have them. If you do not, say so and a palette can be chosen with you.
• Examples of websites you like, and what you like about them: the layout, the tone, the photos. Also name one or two you dislike. This is the quickest way to learn your taste.

4. Words for each page

You do not have to write polished copy, but a draft helps enormously. For each page, jot down the points you want covered.

• Home: what you do, for whom, where, and why someone should pick you.
• Services or menu: every service or product, with a one or two sentence description. Include prices only if you are comfortable publishing them and will keep them current.
• About: how the business started, who does the work, what you care about. Keep it true and specific.
• Questions you always get asked: the answers become your FAQ, which is useful for visitors and for search.
• Contact: what you want people to include in a message, and how quickly you reply.

5. Photos and proof

Real photos of your work, your premises, your products and, if you are comfortable, your team will always beat stock images. Aim for sharp, well-lit images taken on a recent phone; landscape shots are the most versatile. Send the original files rather than copies sent through a messaging app, which compress them heavily.

• Before-and-after pairs, finished work or dishes, with a note of what each shows.
• Permission from anyone identifiable in a photo, and from any customer whose words you quote as a testimonial.
• Only genuine reviews and credentials. Do not ask for invented ones, and do not use someone else's photos as your own.

6. Domain, email and existing accounts

• The domain name you want, or that you already own, and the registrar login if it exists. If you do not own one yet, pick two or three options in case your first choice is taken.
• Your current website address and host login, if you have a site today. Do not cancel anything until the new site is live.
• Your Google Business Profile, if you have one, and who has owner access. Owner access should be in a business email you control.
• Any tools the site needs to connect to, such as a booking system, payment account, newsletter service or analytics.

7. Features and rules

List anything beyond a plain information site. Do you need an enquiry form, online booking, a gallery, a menu you can update, a donation link or a members area? Do you need to take payments? Also note anything the site must say for legal or regulatory reasons in your line of work, so it can be built in from the start. If you are unsure whether you need something, say so; the quote can offer options.

8. Who decides, and how fast can you reply?

Name one person who gives final approval. Projects with several owners often stall while opinions are collected. Also be realistic about your own availability. If you can reply within a day or two during the build, tell your designer; if you will be away for a week, say so before the work starts so the timeline reflects it.

9. How you will keep it up to date

Decide who will change prices, hours, photos and announcements after launch. At NewLife Studios the answer can be you: after the site is handed over you edit it yourself in Sprout, without code. If you would rather not, say so, and ask about the Care plan.

A one-page summary you can copy

• Goal sentence and who the site is for.
• Business name, description, service area, contact details, hours.
• Logo files and any brand colours.
• Drafts or notes for each page, plus common questions and answers.
• Photos in original quality, with permissions.
• Domain, hosting and Google Business Profile access.
• Features needed and any legal wording required.
• One decision-maker and your expected reply time.

Ready to start?

Send what you have through the quote request form, even if it is only half of this list; the quote will say what is still missing. To see how a project runs from quote to handover, read how our fixed-price quotes work or the page on working with NewLife Studios as a Texas small business.