Start with what visitors should do next
A website might introduce your services, collect enquiries, take bookings or help people choose a product. Each goal calls for a different structure and set of features. Before counting pages, describe the most important action a visitor should take.
For a service business, a useful starting point is the journey from understanding the offer to getting in touch. Consider what customers ask before making a decision and what they need to see straight away.
Gather what you already have
Your logo, photographs, current services and existing website help explain the business. They do not have to be perfectly organised. We need to know what we can use, what needs work and what is still missing.
- A short description of your business, services and audience.
- Your current website address and any brand materials.
- The questions and concerns customers raise most often.
- Two or three example websites, with a note about what you like in each.
Separate launch requirements from ideas for later
Forms, calendars, payments and customer portals have different effects on the scope. List the features you cannot launch without. Keep the others for a later phase instead of including them just in case.
For integrations, name the tools you use and describe the information that needs to move between them. Do not send passwords or customer data in an initial enquiry. We will agree on the access we need separately.
Share your timing and budget range
A business opening or campaign deadline affects the work plan. A budget range helps shape the scope and the order in which features are built. If you do not know what to expect, explain your priorities so we can define a first release and later phases.
A quote should specify what is included, who supplies the materials, which review stages are planned and what ongoing costs may follow launch.
Keep the first message simple
Explain what your business does, who the website is for and what action it should encourage. Include your current address if you have one, together with your preferred timing. That is enough to start discussing the goal and identify the next questions.
A good project starts with a shared understanding of the task. The structure, content and technical decisions follow from that agreement.