Planning a new website? Complete checklist: Define goals, know your audience, gather content (logo, text, images), technical requirements, and realistic timeline expectations.
Before You Start: Define Your Goals
What do you want your website to achieve?
- Generate leads? Focus on contact forms and CTAs
- Showcase portfolio? Emphasize visuals and case studies
- Sell products? E-commerce functionality needed
- Provide information? Clear service descriptions and FAQs
- Build trust? Testimonials and social proof
Be specific. "I want more customers" isn't a goal. "I want 10 quality leads per month from the website" is.
Know Your Audience
Who will visit your site?
- B2B or B2C? Business clients vs. individual consumers
- Age range: Affects design and language
- Tech-savvy level: Determines complexity of interface
- Primary needs: What information are they looking for?
- Pain points: What problems can you solve for them?
Understanding your audience shapes every design and content decision.
Content Gathering Checklist
1. Branding Materials
- Logo (vector format preferred: .ai, .svg, .eps)
- Brand colors (hex codes or RGB values)
- Brand fonts (if specific fonts are part of your identity)
- Brand guidelines (if you have them)
2. Written Content
- Homepage: Value proposition, introduction, key services
- About page: Company story, mission, team info
- Services/Products: Detailed descriptions
- Contact info: Address, phone, email, hours
- Legal pages: Privacy policy, terms of service (if applicable)
Don't have content written? We can help with copywriting as part of our Premium package.
3. Visual Assets
- Photos: Team, office, products, projects (high resolution)
- Videos: If you want to include them
- Product images: Multiple angles, high quality
- Icons/graphics: Any specific visuals you need
Quality matters: Blurry phone photos won't work. Invest in professional photography or use high-quality stock images.
4. Examples & Inspiration
- Websites you like (and why)
- Websites you don't like (and why)
- Competitors' sites (to understand industry standards)
- Specific features you want (contact forms, chat, booking, etc.)
Technical Requirements
Domain Name
- Do you already own a domain? (yourwebsite.com)
- If not, we can help you choose and register one
- Do you want email addresses? (name@yourwebsite.com)
Hosting
- Do you have existing hosting?
- If not, we can recommend and set up reliable hosting (from €10/month)
Integrations
What tools do you need connected?
- Email marketing (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc.)
- CRM systems
- Payment processors (if selling)
- Booking/scheduling tools (Calendly, etc.)
- Analytics (Google Analytics)
- Social media accounts
Functionality Checklist
What features do you need?
- Contact form: Essential for most sites
- Blog/news section: For regular updates
- Newsletter signup: Build email list
- Search functionality: For large sites
- Multi-language support: If serving international markets
- E-commerce: Shopping cart, checkout, payments
- User accounts: Login/registration
- Booking system: Appointments or reservations
Budget & Timeline
Budget Reality Check
Our packages:
- Standard Website: From €1,800 (5-7 pages, 2-3 weeks)
- Premium + SEO: From €3,500 (includes blog, SEO, 3-4 weeks)
- Custom Applications: Quoted based on scope
Additional ongoing costs:
- Hosting: €10-50/month
- Domain: €10-20/year
- Care package (optional): From €100/month
Timeline Expectations
Typical timelines:
- Standard website: 2-3 weeks after content provided
- Premium website: 3-4 weeks after content provided
- Custom projects: Varies based on complexity
Content delays = project delays. The faster you provide content, the faster we launch.
Questions to Ask Your Developer
- What's included in the quoted price?
- How many revisions are allowed?
- Who owns the website after completion?
- Will I be able to update content myself?
- Is hosting included or separate?
- What happens if I need changes after launch?
- Is the site optimized for SEO?
- Will it be mobile-responsive?
- What support is included post-launch?
Red Flags to Watch For
- Unrealistic promises: "#1 on Google in 1 week!"
- No contract: Always get terms in writing
- Pay 100% upfront: Standard is 50% deposit, 50% on completion
- Cookie-cutter templates: Generic solutions for unique businesses
- No portfolio: Can't show previous work
Pre-Project Checklist Summary
Before contacting a developer, have ready:
- ✓ Clear goals and objectives
- ✓ Target audience definition
- ✓ Logo and branding materials
- ✓ Written content (or plan to create it)
- ✓ High-quality images
- ✓ List of required features
- ✓ Examples of sites you like
- ✓ Budget range
- ✓ Desired timeline
Ready to Start?
If you've worked through this checklist, you're well-prepared for a website project. Let's discuss how we can bring your vision to life.