This checklist is a list of the things only you can provide — and which, ready in advance, directly shorten the timescale and cut the number of revisions.
Seven things. Of those, the first three are enough for a first conversation; the rest we gather along the way. The list exists so you know what is coming, not to stop you.
01An answer to one question: what should the site do
You do not have to know anything about technology, but this question is yours: what counts as success? More calls? Enquiries through the form? Customers seeing the price list and the work before they turn up? A one-sentence answer changes the structure of the whole site — which is why it is the first question we will ask you.
02The basic details — accurate and final
It sounds banal, and it holds things up most often: the full company name, the address, the phone number(s), the email, the opening hours, the area you cover. If you are undecided about something (whether to publish a mobile number, say), settle it before we start — changes to basic details after launch are small, but each one costs a round of checking.
03Copy — or at least the raw material for it
Nobody knows your business the way you do. We do not need “literature” — we need facts: a list of services with three sentences each, what you are proud of, what customers most often ask you. Copy gets made out of that. If you want us to write the copy in full, that is a separate item agreed at the brief — say so up front, so it goes into the plan and the price.
04Photographs — real ones, yours
A site with real photographs of your work is more convincing than a site with bought pictures of smiling people from a stock library. 10–20 usable shots are enough: the work, the premises, the team, the process. Taken on a phone in good light is perfectly fine; the editing is our concern.
Have none at all? That is information too — we will tell you what can be done, and a professional shoot is arranged separately.
05Credentials — the domain, hosting, the existing site
If you already have a domain (or an old site), get the credentials together: where the domain is registered and who holds the account. Ownership of the domain should be yours — in your name, not the contractor’s. If you do not know where the domain is and who pays for it, we find that out together at the start — better then than halfway through.
06Prices and the offer — a decision on what gets published
Do the prices go on the site? Partly? “On request”? There is no wrong answer, but the decision is yours and it has to be made before the services page is written. Our experience: a clear price range cuts the number of empty enquiries and saves both sides time — which is how we do it on our own pricing page.
07One person who decides
The most time is lost when feedback arrives from three people with three opinions. Appoint one person who signs off the copy and the look. A few days for each round of comments is a sensible agreement that keeps the site on schedule.
08What you do NOT have to prepare
- The design — we propose the look based on your material and the brief; we do not expect sketches from you.
- The technical decisions — hosting, speed, the mobile view, basic search: our job.
- A logo — nice if there is one; if not, the site can start with a tidy wordmark.
09The full project preparation checklist
This is the list we actually go through with a client at the start of a project. It is split by when something is needed and who provides it — because not everything has to be ready at once.
Required before we start
- The full company name, in the form it should appear on the siteIt shows up in the header, the footer, the legal text and the Google details — changing it later touches a dozen places.
- Contact details: phone number(s), email, address or service areaDecide too whether the mobile number goes public.
- Opening hoursIncluding public holidays and seasonal exceptions, if you have any.
- A list of the services or products that go on the siteWith two or three sentences each — that is the raw material for the copy.
- A decision on showing pricesFull prices, indicative ones, or on request. It affects the structure of the pages, not just the copy.
- One person who signs off the content and the lookThree opinions without a decision-maker are the most common cause of delay.
- A deadline for launch, if there is an occasionA trade fair, a season, an opening — tell us in advance.
- The actions you want from a visitor: a call, an enquiry, a message, a bookingWhat you want a person to do determines where the buttons sit.
- What should not end up on the siteAn old price list, a former partner, an address you do not want made public.
Can come during the build
- Photographs — 10 to 20 usable shotsThe work, the premises, the team, the process. A phone in good light is quite enough.
- The logo in the best form you haveIf a vector file exists, that is best; if not, a good image will do.
- References and examples of your workTogether with what may be shown publicly.
- Customer reviewsWith the permission of the person you are quoting — a full name is not required.
- Links to your social media accountsOnly the ones you genuinely keep up.
- Examples of websites you like, and whyTwo or three links say more than a page of description.
Credentials
Provided by the client; we help track them down.
- The domain: where it is registered, in whose name, when it expiresIf you do not know — check with a whois search, as described in the guide on ownership.
- Existing hosting, if you have itThe provider and the login.
- An existing business emailThe provider, and who administers the account.
- Access to the old site, if it is being replacedSo the copy and the photographs can be taken across.
- Google accounts: Analytics, Search Console, the business profileCheck whether you are the owner or only a user.
This needs the client’s confirmation
- Legal text and company details that get publishedWe prepare the text from your details, but you confirm the content. If you need a legal review, that is a lawyer’s job — not ours.
- The privacy policy and cookiesWe put the technical side in place; what is collected and why is confirmed by you.
- Usage rights for photographs and contentIf the photographs belong to somebody else or were bought, confirmation that they may be published is needed.
- Permission to publish reviews and client namesWithout exception.
BIRO 404 can help with
- Writing and editing the copyA separate item — say so in advance, so it goes into the plan and the price.
- Editing and preparing the photographsFitting them to the format, and optimising them for speed.
- Registering the domain and setting up hosting and business emailIn your name.
- Setting up Analytics and Search ConsoleOn your account, not ours.
- Finding out where your domain is and who pays for itIf nobody in the business knows.
10Common questions
What if I have none of the material?+
We start from a brief and make a plan: what you can provide yourself, what we take on, what is agreed separately. A site without a single photograph or sentence of yours is possible, but it is always weaker — so the honest answer is: “yes, but it is better if we gather at least the basics together”.
How long does the build take when everything is ready?+
For the fixed-price packages the indicative timescales are given with each package on the pricing page — take them as running from the moment the material and the decisions on this list are ready.
Can I change the content after launch?+
Yes. Smaller changes are agreed as needed, and if you want somebody to look after and update the site regularly, there are maintenance packages for that.
Do I have to have everything before I get in touch?+
No. The first three rows of the list are enough for a conversation. The rest we gather along the way — the list exists so you know what is coming, not to stop you.