The websites that go smoothly have one thing in common: the owner turned up prepared. You don’t need a formal brief or any technical know-how. You just need a few things ready so your designer can get on with it. Here’s the short list.

1. What the website is for

Be clear on the main job. Is it to get phone calls? Take online orders? Show your work? A website that tries to do everything does nothing well. Pick the one or two things that matter most.

2. Who your customers are

A quick sketch is enough. Who are they, what do they care about, and what would make them choose you over the business down the road? This shapes everything from the words to the design.

3. Your content

This is the part that usually holds projects up, so get ahead of it:

  • Your logo and any brand colours (if you have them)
  • Photos of your work, your team, your premises. Real ones beat stock every time
  • A rough idea of your pages (Home, About, Services, Contact, and so on)
  • The words, or at least the key points, for each page. A good designer can help polish these

If you don’t have photos or words, that’s fine. Just say so up front, and your designer can arrange them or write them for you.

4. A few sites you like

Find two or three websites you like the look of, even from other industries, and note what appeals to you. Then find one or two you don’t like. This tells a designer more in five minutes than a page of description.

5. Your practical bits

  • A domain name (your web address), or a shortlist of ones you’d like
  • Any logins you already have (existing domain, hosting, social accounts)
  • A rough budget and deadline, so everyone’s on the same page

6. One decision-maker

If more than one person needs to approve things, agree up front who has the final say. Websites slow down when feedback pulls in three directions.

That’s it

Get those together and your project will move quickly and calmly. And if it feels like a lot, don’t worry. A good studio walks you through all of it in plain English.

At Inspired Studios, we make the whole thing easy. Have a rough idea and a few photos, and we’ll take it from there. Start a conversation whenever you’re ready.