The website projects that go smoothly tend to have one thing in common. The big decisions get made before anyone opens a design tool.
Colours and layouts matter, of course. But no colour palette fixes an offer that isn’t clear, or a services page with no copy to put on it. A simple brief gets everyone agreeing on what the site is meant to do and what you’ll need before it can launch.
Define the audience and the main action
Write down who the site is for, why they turn up and the one thing you most want them to do. A consultancy probably cares about good-quality enquiries. An online shop needs people to find the right product and buy it. If you’ve got a few different audiences, say trade buyers and the general public, sketch out their journeys separately.
Not every button can be the most important one.
Decide what leads on each page and what supporting info helps someone take that step. It makes the navigation conversation with your designer a lot shorter.
Prepare a simple page map
List the pages you need to explain the business, your services, your experience and how to get in touch. Group things using words your customers would use. Your internal team names probably don’t belong in the menu, because a first-time visitor has no idea what “Solutions Division” means.
For every page, jot down what it’s for, the main message, who’s writing it and where the visitor goes next. A service page, for instance, should cover what you offer, who it’s right for, how working together goes and what you need from them to get started.
Gather content and genuine evidence
Start collecting approved copy, logos, your own photos and work examples you’re actually allowed to show. Double-check that testimonials and project write-ups are accurate. If something’s missing, give someone the job of getting it. Don’t just drop in a placeholder and hope for the best. Placeholders have a funny way of ending up on the live site.
Content should shape the design, not the other way round. Real headings and real paragraph lengths show layout problems that dummy text hides. They also make it obvious when three pages say the same thing, or when a question customers always ask isn’t answered anywhere.
Agree on how the site will be managed
Who signs off content? Who looks after the site once it’s live? What absolutely has to work on day one, and what can wait for later? Write it down. The same goes for integrations and anything coming over from the old site, including the old page addresses so they can be redirected.
Before launch, grab a phone and a laptop and go through the main customer journeys yourself. Read the copy. Click the links. Send a test enquiry and make sure it actually arrives.
That’s really it. A clear brief at the start and a proper check at the end, and you end up with a website the business can use from day one.