What Do You Need to Build a Website? Here’s Your Prep List

If you’ve been wondering what you need to build a website, the answer is not “a million things and a stress rash.”

You do not need to show up with every detail of your future business website perfectly tied up in a satin bow. But you do need a few important ingredients before your designer can really get cooking.

Think of it like this: if you hired someone to remodel your kitchen, you’d still need to tell them your style, your budget, and whether you want a cute little coffee nook or room for a double oven. Same goes for your website.

The more prepared you are going in, the smoother the project feels, the fewer delays you hit, and the easier it is to end up with a site you actually love.

Everything Your Web Designer Needs Before the Project Begins

A website project always goes better when a few important things are handled before we kick things off. It saves time, cuts down on back-and-forth, and helps me design a site that actually fits your business instead of guessing my way through it.

Ready for your prep list? Let’s get to it!

#1 Your Finalized Brand Identity

Before you start choosing layouts and swooning over fonts, your branding needs to be nailed down.

I’m talking about your logo, colors, typefaces, and the overall vibe of your business or organization. Clean and modern? Warm and earthy? Playful and punchy? If those pieces are still floating around in limbo, your web designer is basically trying to physically go in and decorate a house before the walls are even put up.

Good branding makes your web design feel cohesive from the beginning. It also saves you from doing that painful thing where the whole site is halfway done and then you decide your brand colors are all wrong. Eeek!

If you don’t have finalized branding yet, that’s okay. Whether you come with everything ready to go or hire me to create your branding, just know it should come before the website design begins. 

#2 Website Copy (or a Commitment to Using a Copywriter)

You knew this one was coming.

Your website copy does way more work than people give it credit for. It’s what tells visitors who you are, what you do, who you help, and why they should care. It also supports search engine optimization (SEO), which is pretty important if you want humans to actually find your site online.

I require my clients to work with a professional copywriter because I have seen, over and over again, how much better and smoother projects go when the words are done first.

Now, you definitely don’t need perfect copy on day one. But you do need a plan. Either your copy is already being written, or you’re committed to hiring someone who knows how to write for the web.

That includes:

• Home page messaging
• Service and About page copy
• Page headings
• Calls to action
• Meta titles and descriptions
• Any relevant keywords you want to weave in

A professional website needs professional words. I will die on this hill, my friend. Read Why I Insist Every Client Teams Up with a Professional Copywriter for more on this.

#3 High-Quality Photos that Match Your Brand

Please do not underestimate the power of good photos.

Photos shape the whole feel of your site. They affect layout, spacing, mood, trust, and the overall first impression. Brand photos, team photos, product images, behind-the-scenes shots, lifestyle imagery…it all helps.

And no, you don’t necessarily need a giant fancy shoot before you create a website. But you do need something thoughtful and on-brand. Grainy screenshots and random stock images usually aren’t going to cut it.

This is especially true if you’re building a small business website where people are buying into you just as much as your offer.

#4 Bios for the Humans Behind Your Business

People want to know who they’re dealing with.

Bios are great for building that trust. They don’t need to be super formal. Just make sure they sound like a real human and explain who you are, what you do, and why you’re good at it.

If you have a team, gather everyone’s bios ahead of time. If it’s just you, jot down:

• Your role
• Your experience
• Your hobbies/fun facts (if showing a little personality works for your brand)
• Anything especially trust-building

#5 Detailed Service Descriptions

Your designer needs clear information about your service offerings so they can structure your web pages properly and help each page do its job.

That includes:

• What the service is
• Who it’s for
• What’s included
• What the outcome is
• Any pricing or starting prices
• How someone takes the next step

This is a big help, especially if you’re selling multiple services, a package-based offer, or running an online store.

#6 Login Info for Products or Services

This one is super important, and not having this ready can really drag things out.

If your site needs to connect to other platforms, your designer will likely need access to those accounts or at least the right login details at the right time.

That might include logins for:

• Your domain registrar
• Your web hosting
• Your email marketing platform
• Your analytics account
• Your booking software
• Your online course platform
• Your payment processor
• Google Search Console
• Any SEO tools you’re already using

Please, for the love of all things organized, keep this info in one place. A secure document works beautifully.

Nothing slows down web development like chasing passwords through old email threads and sticky notes!

#7 Examples of Great Websites You Like

Your designer is not a mind reader. Lovely, talented, strategic? Yes. Psychic? Probably not.

Sharing examples of sites you like is incredibly helpful. And I don’t mean you need to find one site and say, “Copy this.”

I mean, tell your designer:

• What you like about it
• What you don’t like
• What feels easy to use
• What feels visually beautiful
• What feels aligned with your brand

This is also a great chance to notice whether you like a more custom feel or something more traditional that you already know works well for most users.

#8 Your Goals for the New Website

This is the big one.

What is the website actually supposed to do?

Book consultations? Sell products? Build trust? Grow your email list? Share resources? Support website SEO? All of the above?

If your designer doesn’t know the goal, they can still make something pretty. But pretty isn’t enough.

Maybe you want:

• Better search engine results
• A redesign so your website works better on mobile devices
• Something easier to update yourself
• Support from your web developer for advanced functionality (like memberships, course platforms, custom forms, booking tools, or client portals)

Whatever it is, being super clear about your goals for the site helps everyone. A lot.

And if you’re planning your site a little further out, you’ll also love 12 Website Preparation Tasks to Tackle Months in Advance. Consider it your “get your life together before the project starts” companion piece.

Want Help Getting Everything In Order to Create a Website?

When the right pieces are in place before we begin, the entire project tends to feel a whole lot more enjoyable for all parties involved.

If you’re dreaming about building a beautiful website from scratch and want help bringing it to life in a calm, strategic, and supportive way, I’d be so happy to help. Reach out and let’s kick things off.