What to prepare before designing your business website

1. Start with the visitor’s task, not the page count

Write one sentence: visitors should understand our services, then request a quote. Or: they should view our projects, then request similar work. Choose one main action and let other actions support it.

For services, an inquiry button may be enough. Selling products with immediate payment requires store functionality, not simply another page. An appointment request through a form or WhatsApp is not confirmed until your team reviews it or a real availability system confirms it. Explain how you work today rather than listing technology names.

2. Gather the facts that cannot be guessed

Prepare the trading name in the languages you use, the original logo file, a short business description and the cities you serve. Add approved business contact details, response hours and branch locations. If suitable branding or copy is missing, say so; include the needed work in the quote instead of assuming it is included.

Choose one person to consolidate feedback and approve facts. Identify who will review English content if you need two languages, and who will maintain opening hours and prices after launch. Do not include passwords, payment cards or identity documents in the brief.

3. Explain each service to a first-time customer

For each service, answer four questions: who is it for, what do you provide, what does the customer need to start, and what happens next? Replace “the best solutions and highest quality” with a description visitors can understand and verify.

A fictional kitchen business might write: “We design made-to-measure kitchens. Send room dimensions and photos so we can discuss a site visit and materials.” This is a writing example, not a service every business offers. Include only what matches your actual operations.

Google recommends reliable content that helps its intended readers [1]. Collect the questions your customers actually ask rather than repeating city and service names in every paragraph in pursuit of a guaranteed ranking.

4. Organise images before designing the gallery

Choose clear photographs of work you actually delivered and group them by project or service. Supply available original files rather than screenshots. For each group, explain what it shows and exactly which work your business performed. Identify images you are authorised to publish and omit unnecessary faces or private information.

Do not present another website’s photos or illustrative images as your own projects. Label illustrations clearly. Reference websites can communicate layout or photographic direction, but their content is not a template to copy.

W3C guidance distinguishes meaningful images, which need appropriate text alternatives, from decorative images [2]. Give the designer a brief description of what matters in each photograph instead of relying on filenames such as IMG_001.

5. Turn the materials into pages and responsibilities

A starting structure for some service businesses is Home, About, Services, Work and Contact. It is not a mandatory list, nor a promise that every package includes a gallery or content editor. For each page, list what is ready, what is missing and who will supply it.

Separate writing from entering existing copy and from translation. Separate image uploads from photography and licensed-image purchases. If you want to edit content yourself, say so before pricing; an editable site differs from one maintained by the delivery team.

Before agreeing, specify pages, extras, revision rounds, timing and dependencies on your materials. Ask about renewals, account handover and correction of implementation defects.

6. Use this brief to start the conversation

Copy these prompts and answer what you know. “Not decided yet” is useful information:

Business name and city:

Main services and intended customers:

The main action visitors should take:

Required language or languages:

Available logo, copy and images:

Two reference websites and what you like about each:

What you do not want in the design:

Who approves content and feedback:

Preferred timing and approximate budget:

Who will update the website after handover:

You can start with Lamtix’s inquiry form without deciding every detail. We review what you have, explain what still needs preparation, and define scope and cost before agreement. Do not upload sensitive login details; implementation access can be arranged appropriately later.