What to prepare before commissioning a website

You do not need a finished technical specification for the first conversation about a website. Explain what your business does, who you help and what you want visitors to do. A little preparation makes the scope easier to estimate and keeps important information out of scattered message threads.

1. Define the action you want visitors to take

“We need a modern website” describes an aesthetic preference. A more useful brief is: “Visitors should understand the service, see examples and request a consultation.” That points to the sections the website actually needs.

Choose one primary action: an enquiry, booking, purchase or request for a proposal. Other actions can remain, but the opening screen needs a clear priority. If you already have a website, explain what gets in the way: updating the portfolio, understanding the offer or transferring enquiries by hand.

2. Explain your audience and offer

Who visits, and what do they already know about you? Someone arriving through a recommendation may mainly need evidence of your experience and a way to contact you. Someone discovering you through search may also need a fuller explanation of the service and its limits.

Gather common questions, service descriptions, working terms and examples of client problems. Actual wording from enquiries is particularly useful. If you serve several audiences, decide which matters most for the first release.

3. Put your content in one place

Collect your logo, brand assets, photographs, service descriptions, work samples, testimonials cleared for publication and contact details. Mark each item as ready, needing editing or still to be created.

Missing copy does not prevent an initial discussion. Agree who writes it, checks the facts and approves the final version. Photography, illustrations and translation also need time in the plan. Add notes to references: do you like the spacing, project presentation or use of photography?

4. Describe features and future updates

Use plain descriptions: “Clients choose a time”, “Enquiries go into our CRM”, or “I add articles without a developer”. These distinguish a page from a feature that needs storage, an integration or an admin interface.

List languages, forms, payments, bookings, accounts and existing services the website must connect to. Explain what you will update after launch and how often. This helps determine whether you need a CMS and what training belongs in the handover.

5. Set boundaries and choose a decision-maker

Share a budget range and desired launch date. If the date is tied to an event or campaign, say so early. We can then separate an essential first release from later additions.

Choose who gathers feedback and makes decisions. Clarify who supplies content and how long approvals take. Before work begins, agree the scope, stages, revision process and deliverables you will receive.

These eight answers are enough to begin. I can help turn them into a structure, separate essentials from future additions and prepare a proposal with a clear scope.