You’ve decided to build or redesign your website—great! But before you jump in, taking time to prepare can make the difference between a smooth project and a frustrating one.
After helping dozens of small businesses launch their websites, I’ve seen firsthand what makes projects successful. Here’s exactly what you need to prepare before starting your website project.
1. Define Your Goals (The “Why”)
Before thinking about design or features, get crystal clear on why you need a website.
Ask yourself:
- What’s the primary purpose? Generate leads? Sell products? Build credibility? Provide information?
- What action do you want visitors to take? Contact you? Make a purchase? Schedule a consultation?
- How will you measure success? More inquiries? Online sales? Reduced support calls?
Example: A local plumber might say: “I want a website that generates 10 quality service calls per month from homeowners in my area who need emergency or scheduled plumbing work.”
That’s specific, measurable, and actionable.
2. Know Your Audience
You’re not building this website for yourself—you’re building it for your customers.
Questions to answer:
- Who are your ideal customers? (Age, location, income, pain points)
- What problems are they trying to solve?
- What questions do they have before buying?
- What objections might they have?
- How do they currently find businesses like yours?
Pro tip: If you already have customers, talk to them! Ask what made them choose you and what they wished they knew before hiring you.
3. Gather Your Content
Content is usually the biggest bottleneck in website projects. Start collecting this stuff now:
Text Content:
- About your business: Your story, mission, what makes you different
- Service/product descriptions: What you offer and who it’s for
- Testimonials: Customer reviews, success stories, case studies
- Team bios: Who you are, your experience, why clients should trust you
- FAQs: Common questions you get from customers
Visual Content:
- Logo files: Vector format (AI, EPS, SVG) if possible
- Photos: Team photos, workspace, products, previous work
- Brand colors: Hex codes or RGB values
- Existing marketing materials: Brochures, business cards, etc.
Don’t have professional photos? That’s okay. Modern smartphones take great photos. Just make sure they’re well-lit and high resolution.
4. Study Your Competition
Visit 5-10 competitor websites and take notes:
- What do you like? (Design, features, messaging)
- What don’t you like? (Confusing navigation, slow loading)
- What are they doing that works?
- What are they missing that you could do better?
Important: This isn’t about copying—it’s about understanding what works in your industry and finding opportunities to stand out.
5. Compile Your “Inspiration List”
Find 3-5 websites you love (they don’t have to be in your industry).
For each one, note:
- What you like: Layout? Colors? How it feels?
- Specific elements: Navigation style? Button design? Image use?
- Why it works: Does it feel trustworthy? Modern? Easy to use?
Save screenshots or URLs and share them with your designer. It helps us understand your taste and vision.
6. List Your Must-Have Features
What does your website need to do? Common features include:
Basic:
- Contact form
- Google Maps integration
- Click-to-call phone number
- Mobile-responsive design
- SSL certificate (security)
Intermediate:
- Online booking/scheduling
- Email newsletter signup
- Photo galleries
- Blog
- Customer portal/login
Advanced:
- E-commerce (sell products)
- Custom quote calculator
- CRM integration
- Payment processing
- Member-only areas
Be honest about what you actually need versus nice-to-have. You can always add features later.
7. Determine Your Budget
Website costs vary wildly. Here’s a realistic breakdown for small businesses:
- DIY (Wix, Squarespace): $200-500/year (your time + subscriptions)
- Template-based: $500-2,000 (designer customizes a template)
- Semi-custom: $2,000-5,000 (custom design, some template elements)
- Fully custom: $5,000-15,000+ (everything built from scratch)
Pro tip: Budget for ongoing costs too:
- Domain: $15-50/year
- Hosting: $100-500/year
- SSL certificate: $0-100/year (often free)
- Maintenance: $50-200/month (or DIY)
8. Understand Your Timeline
Realistic website timelines:
- Simple template site: 1-2 weeks
- Custom small business site (5-10 pages): 4-6 weeks
- E-commerce or complex features: 8-12+ weeks
Remember: Your involvement affects timeline. The faster you provide content, feedback, and approvals, the faster your site launches.
9. Think About Post-Launch
Your website isn’t “done” when it launches. Plan for:
- Who updates content? You or your developer?
- How will you drive traffic? SEO? Ads? Social media?
- How will you track results? Google Analytics? Other tools?
- What’s your maintenance plan? Updates, backups, security?
10. Choose the Right Partner
Finally, find someone who:
- Understands small businesses (not just big corporate clients)
- Communicates clearly (no jargon, responds promptly)
- Provides transparent pricing (no hidden fees)
- Offers training (so you can make simple updates yourself)
- Thinks long-term (not just “get it done and disappear”)
Your Pre-Project Checklist
Use this checklist before starting your project:
- Goals and success metrics defined
- Target audience clearly identified
- Content gathered (text, images, logos)
- Competitor research completed
- Inspiration websites saved
- Must-have features listed
- Budget determined
- Timeline expectations set
- Post-launch plan considered
- Right partner/developer selected
Ready to Start?
Preparation is the key to a successful website project. The more work you do upfront, the smoother the process and better the final result.
Need help getting started? We work with small businesses every day to build websites that actually drive results. Let’s talk about your project.
