Before you build a website, open a very unglamorous folder

Write the job your website needs to do

Before collecting files, finish this sentence: ‘When someone visits, I want them to…’ Book a consultation? View your work? Request a quote? Find the menu? Choose a main action. That decision helps determine the page structure, the copy and the contact method.

Add a short description of the intended visitor and what they need to know before taking that action. A résumé website for a recruiter needs different evidence from a bakery site for someone ordering a birthday cake. Both deserve clarity. Only one usually needs buttercream sizes.

Gather the facts that must be correct

• Business or personal name, with the exact spelling you want displayed.
• A short description of your work and who it is for.
• Services or products, inclusions and any approved prices.
• Contact email, phone number and WhatsApp number if used.
• Location, service area, opening hours or appointment details where relevant.
• Social profiles, booking links or other destinations visitors need.

Verify the details instead of copying them from an old brochure. If a price is a starting price, explain what changes it. If a service is unavailable, remove it. Your website should describe the business you run today.

Write the copy before arguing about the gradient

Create one document with a heading for each page or section. Use plain language to explain the offer, how it works, why you are suited to it and what a visitor should do next. Note unanswered questions instead of filling them with impressive-sounding fog.

A helpful opening might be: ‘Online maths tutoring for Classes 8–10, with small groups and weekly practice.’ You can add personality after the meaning is clear. Include answers to the questions customers already ask in messages; they are useful clues about what your website is missing.

For structure ideas, see the essential sections of a small business website. Final copy does not need to be literary. It needs to be accurate, understandable and approved.

Choose images and proof you can publish

Collect your logo, brand colours if you have them, and original-quality images. Use files you own or have permission to publish. Name them clearly: ‘studio-interior.jpg’ is more helpful than ‘IMG_8392-final-FINAL.jpg’. Explain which image belongs with which service or project.

Gather genuine testimonials, portfolio examples and supporting details. Check permission to display a customer’s name or photograph. For team projects, clarify your role. Do not send confidential client material and hope a tasteful crop will make the problem disappear.

Decide who approves and who owns the accounts

Choose one person to consolidate feedback and give approval. Agree who supplies missing content and when. Six people can have six opinions; the developer needs one final list of decisions.

Keep the domain and core accounts under your control. Use a secure invitation or agreed access method when someone needs to help manage them. Do not put passwords in the content document. Make a separate list of services involved and who is responsible for renewals.

A final pre-build check

Open the folder as if you know nothing about the business. Can you identify the final copy, the approved images, the main contact action and the person who can approve changes? Can the developer tell what is ready and what is still missing?

For Webzy Mini, supplied text and images are part of the agreed starting requirements. One revision round means one consolidated set of in-scope changes, not a fresh brief every Tuesday. Read the Mini scope and estimate your build before starting. A tidy folder is not glamorous, but neither is postponing launch because nobody can find the phone number.