If you are planning a new website, you probably have the useful information already. Some of it is in quotations, some is in customer emails and some is in the explanations you give on the phone. A website content checklist helps bring it together.
Start with accurate notes and examples. You can shape the wording once it is clear what the website needs to say. For our small business website package, help refining supplied words and images is included; substantial copywriting and photography are scoped separately.
Here is a practical way to prepare, followed by a short brief you can copy into an email or document.
1. Decide what the website should help people do
Choose the main action you want a suitable visitor to take. It might be asking for a quote, discussing a project or calling about a service. Give that action a clear place in the brief.
Then describe the customer. A homeowner looking for one repair needs different information from a trade buyer placing repeat orders. Be specific about the jobs you want more of and the work you do not take on.
For example, the Roebuck Couriers website connects delivery services and coverage information with phone and quote routes. The starting point is the customer’s delivery job and the information needed to discuss it.
2. Gather the facts about your services
For each main service, write down:
- What you do and who it is for.
- What is included and any important limits.
- Where you work, using the areas you actually serve.
- What happens after a customer makes an enquiry.
- The questions people usually ask before agreeing to a job.
Use examples where a broad label could be misunderstood. “Property maintenance” could cover a wide range of work; naming the jobs you take on makes the offer easier to assess.
If prices, turnaround times or availability vary, explain what affects them. Do not turn an occasional quick turnaround into a standard promise. Mark anything that needs checking so it can be resolved before launch.
3. Choose photographs and evidence you can use
Collect your logo and a manageable selection of original photographs. Include finished work, relevant details and the people behind the business where appropriate. Label each image so the person building the site knows what it shows.
For a handmade brand, the details are often central to the product. Our Everleigh & Co project uses photographs of personalised pieces alongside the family story and the custom-order process.
Gather a few genuine examples of your own work. A useful project note can be short: the customer’s requirement, what you supplied and what the finished work involved. Only include performance figures you can support. For reviews or customer photographs, confirm that you can publish the material and the attribution you plan to use.
4. Confirm the contact details and the handover
Check the business name, email address, phone number and service area. Decide who will receive website enquiries and who will respond. List the questions you need answered to give a useful first reply, keeping the initial form manageable.
If you already have a website, identify who controls the domain and hosting, where email is managed and which pages or documents customers currently use. These details help plan the move without losing useful routes into the business. Share account access through an agreed secure method.
For a new site, agree who will own the accounts and maintain the information after launch. Business details change, and somebody needs to keep the pages accurate. Hosting, domains, email and ongoing care are separate from our website build price; our website cost guide explains the scope.
5. Copy this short website brief
You can use the following headings in a document or email:
- Business and current website: Your name, business name and existing website address, if any.
- Customers: Who you want to reach and the jobs you want more of.
- Services and areas: Your main services and where you provide them.
- Main action: What a visitor should do next and who handles the enquiry.
- Essential content: The pages, photographs and examples you already have.
- Required features: Anything beyond information pages and an enquiry form.
- Practical details: Your preferred timing, budget and any fixed constraints.
- Things to confirm: Missing information, account access or content that needs approval.
Rough notes are enough to start a useful conversation. The aim is to agree what the website needs to do and identify anything that affects its scope before the build begins.
When you are ready, send us an outline of your website project. Work directly with Rob in Southampton to turn those details into clear pages and an enquiry journey that fits your business.
