What do you need to provide before your website build starts? Give your web designer the words, images and brand assets you already have, plus secure access to the accounts the project genuinely needs. You do not need a finished site plan or perfect copy. You do need one person who can answer questions, approve decisions and tell the designer what the business actually offers.
A Perth business can stall at kick-off because its best job photos are on someone’s phone or nobody knows who owns the domain. Gather these inputs before the first meeting, then agree on what the designer will create.
Key takeaways
- Start with your services, ideal customers, contact details and examples of work, even if they are rough notes.
- Supply original logo files and usable photos where possible. Say clearly what is missing.
- Grant access through a secure method and agree who can approve the final copy and design.
Start with the business facts
Your designer cannot write an accurate service page from a business name and a vague promise to send details later. Put your current service list, areas served, preferred enquiries and any important exclusions in one document. A plumber covering Joondalup and nearby suburbs, for example, should say which jobs they actually take and where they will travel.
Give your business name, phone number, email address, hours and any address you want published. Check them against your current listings. If staff handle different services, name the right contact. A beautiful contact page with an old phone number is still a broken contact page.
List the questions customers keep asking on the phone, with your usual answers. What happens after they enquire? What should they know before booking? These details often make better website copy than a long company history. If you mention qualifications, licences or guarantees, supply the exact current wording and evidence so the designer does not have to guess.
Collect the content you already own
Existing brochures, quote templates, service descriptions and sales emails can be useful starting points. Send a link to each, then flag anything out of date. Rough notes are fine if the brief includes who the audience is and which service matters most. You and the designer should decide who turns those notes into finished copy, who checks technical claims and when you will sign it off.
Photos of real jobs give a visitor more to work with than a generic stock image. Gather originals rather than screenshots from social media, and add a short note explaining what each photo shows. A bathroom renovation gallery needs permission to show the customer’s home; a staff photo needs the person’s consent. If you do not have suitable images, say so early. The designer can plan the layout around a shoot, licensed imagery or another agreed option.
Reviews and case studies need the same care. Supply the original review text and where it came from, rather than an edited quote with no source. Confirm that the customer has agreed to any named project detail or image you want to use. Never invent a result because it would look good on the home page.
Send brand files, not just a screenshot of the logo
Ask whoever created your brand for the original logo files, usually a vector format such as SVG, EPS or PDF, alongside transparent PNG versions if available. Add your brand colours, fonts and any style guide. A designer can work from a JPEG if that is all you have, but it may limit the quality of a large sign, banner or sharp website header.
Include examples of pages you like and explain why. “I like how this site groups its services” is more useful than “make it modern”. Show examples you dislike too, especially if they reveal a tone that would feel wrong to your customers. Your references are a conversation starter, not permission to copy another business’s design.
Check account ownership before anyone needs a login
Find out who controls your domain name, website hosting and current content management system. If this is a redesign, your designer may also need access to the existing website and a backup of its content. If enquiries go into a booking tool or CRM, explain which system should receive the new site’s forms. Do not assume the person who designed your last site also owns your domain.
Share access securely, preferably by inviting the designer to an account with only the permissions needed for the job. Do not put passwords in an email, a shared document or a project brief. Agree who will keep administrator access when the build ends, and ask how any temporary access will be removed. If an account is missing, list it as an open item rather than delaying the whole kick-off while you search for it.
Choose an approver and agree what is still missing
A website stalls when every service description needs a different person’s sign-off and nobody knows who makes the final call. Nominate one day-to-day contact and one person authorised to approve copy, design and launch. Give the designer realistic dates for feedback, especially if the owner is on the road most days.
Make a simple handover list with three columns: available now, being prepared and designer to create. Put a named owner beside each missing item. This makes the scope of copywriting, photography and account setup visible before the work starts. It also helps you spot where a late change might affect the agreed plan.
Bring the list to your first meeting. Your designer can then confirm which items they need to begin, which can arrive during the build and which decisions must be made before launch. For a clearer picture of how the work fits together, see our website design and development service.
Questions people ask at kick-off
Can I start if my website copy is only rough notes?
Yes, if you agree who will write the final copy and who will check it. Give the designer your services, customer questions and any claims that need approval, then set a date for the finished words.
What logo file should I send?
Send the original vector file and a transparent PNG if you have them. If you only have a small image copied from a social profile, tell the designer now so they can check whether it is usable.
Should I email my hosting password to the designer?
No. Use an account invitation or an approved secure sharing method, and grant only the access required. Keep ownership and administrator access with your business.
Do I need professional photos before the first meeting?
No, but tell the designer what images exist and what can legally be used. If photography is needed, plan it early enough that the design does not depend on images that may never arrive.
Bring what you have, then close the gaps
A useful kick-off pack is honest, not immaculate. If you know your services, have examples of your work and can identify the person who owns each account, a designer can tell you exactly what is missing. Ready to turn that pack into a plan? Talk to us about your website build.
