What Does a Website Designer Need From You? A Small-Business Website Content Checklist

A website designer does not expect you to understand coding, hosting systems or technical website terminology.

What they do need is accurate information about your business, a clear idea of what the website should help visitors do and an agreed process for supplying and approving content.

You do not need to arrive with a perfect professional content package. Some wording, images or branding may be created, sourced, improved or organised during the project when that assistance is included in the quotation.

Every project is different. A one-page website for a local electrician needs less content than an online shop with products, payments and delivery rules.

Use this checklist to identify what applies to your project.

1. Business identity and basic details

Begin with the information that identifies your business.

Your designer may ask for:

· The correct business name

· A registered or trading name where relevant

· A short description of the business

· Main services or products

· Telephone and WhatsApp numbers

· Preferred business email address

· Physical address or service area

· Opening hours

· Social-media links

· The person responsible for approvals

Check spelling, number formats and operating details carefully. These details may appear in several places, including the header, footer, contact page and forms.

Choose one person to provide final approval. Conflicting feedback from several people can slow decisions and create uncertainty about which version is correct.

2. Website goals and target customer

Your designer needs to understand what the website must help the business communicate or enable.

Possible goals include:

· Encouraging telephone calls

· Starting WhatsApp conversations

· Receiving quotation requests

· Accepting appointment bookings

· Displaying services or completed work

· Selling products

· Providing directions or operating information

Also explain who the intended customer is.

A website for homeowners needing emergency plumbing assistance requires a different message from one aimed at property managers requesting scheduled maintenance.

A clear goal helps the designer decide which information should appear first and which call to action should be most prominent. It does not guarantee enquiries, sales or revenue.

3. Pages and website structure

The planned website structure determines how much information must be prepared.

Possible pages include:

· Home

· About

· Services

· Products

· Gallery or portfolio

· Testimonials

· Frequently asked questions

· Contact

· Booking

· Online shop

· Policies

A one-page website may organise the same information into sections on one scrolling page rather than separate pages.

Our guide to choosing between a one-page and multi-page website explains how content, services and customer needs should guide the structure.

Do not create extra pages merely to make the website appear larger. Each page or section should have a clear purpose.

4. Service and product information

For every important service, collect information such as:

· Service name

· Clear description

· Intended customer

· Main practical benefit

· How the process works

· Price or pricing approach where appropriate

· Areas served

· Common questions

· Relevant limitations

· Next action the customer should take

Product-based businesses may also need product names, descriptions, prices, categories, variations, stock information, dimensions and suitable images.

Incomplete service information is a common cause of content delays. A copywriter or designer cannot accurately explain an offer when the business has not confirmed what is included.

The WebWise guide to writing useful service pages can help you organise each service around the questions customers actually ask.

5. About information and your business story

An About section does not need to be a long company history.

Useful information may include:

· How the business started

· Relevant experience

· The people behind the business

· Qualifications or professional memberships

· Business values

· The approach used when serving customers

· What makes the process practical or different

Only include qualifications, memberships and claims that can be confirmed.

Avoid unsupported phrases such as “the best”, “number one” or “industry-leading”. Specific, accurate information usually creates more trust than exaggerated descriptions.

For example, “family-run electrical business serving the East Rand since 2018” is more informative than “South Africa’s leading electrical experts” when the second claim cannot be demonstrated.

6. Logo and visual branding

Provide the best available version of your logo.

A designer may also request:

· Brand colours

· Preferred fonts

· Existing business cards

· Brochures or signage

· Social-media graphics

· Examples of current branding

· Elements that must remain unchanged

A small screenshot copied from social media may become blurred when enlarged. An original vector file, transparent PNG or high-resolution version is usually more useful where available.

Do not worry when you do not know the file type. Send the best version you have and explain where it came from.

Logo design, brand redesign and formal style-guide creation are separate services unless the quotation states that they are included.

7. Photographs and other images

Real photographs can help visitors understand your products, premises, people and work.

Useful subjects may include:

· Products

· Completed projects

· Business premises

· Team members

· Work in progress

· Before-and-after examples

· Equipment

· Service vehicles

· Customer-approved projects

Select clear, well-lit images that are relevant to the information on the page.

The business should have appropriate permission to use every supplied image. Images found through a general internet search are not automatically free to use merely because they can be viewed or downloaded online.

Stock photographs or generated supporting images may be considered when suitable, but their sourcing, preparation and cost must form part of the agreed scope.

This is practical guidance and not legal advice.

8. Testimonials, reviews and project examples

Testimonials can be helpful when they are accurate and presented with appropriate permission.

Prepare:

· The original or approved review wording

· The reviewer’s approved name or attribution

· Relevant project photographs

· A short description of the work

· A result or outcome that can be supported

Do not invent testimonials or change feedback in a way that alters its meaning.

When using a project example, give enough context to make it useful. For example:

Repaired damaged distribution-board wiring for a small retail shop in Boksburg after intermittent power failures.

That is more informative than publishing a photograph with no explanation.

9. Contact, location and service-area information

Confirm all public contact information before it is loaded onto the website.

Check:

· Telephone number

· WhatsApp number

· Email address

· Physical address

· Service areas

· Map requirements

· Opening hours

· Appointment requirements

· Emergency or after-hours availability

Only advertise emergency or after-hours assistance when the business genuinely provides it.

Keep these details consistent across the website and other business profiles. A customer should not find different opening hours or telephone numbers on the website, social pages and Google Business Profile.

10. Forms, bookings, shops and special features

Special features require more information than a basic page.

A quotation form may need:

· Required questions

· Optional questions

· File-upload requirements

· Recipient email address

· Confirmation message

· Automated reply wording

A booking system may require services, durations, staff availability, opening times, preparation periods, cancellation information and confirmation rules.

An online shop may require product data, variations, stock, delivery areas, shipping options, payment arrangements and order emails.

Requirements depend on the business, platform, booking provider, payment processor and agreed scope. Specialist legal, tax, payment or consumer requirements should be confirmed with an appropriate professional or service provider.

11. Domain, hosting and account access

A redesign or replacement website may require access to existing accounts.

Relevant details can include:

· Domain name

· Domain registrar

· Hosting provider

· Website platform

· Business email account

· Current website administration

· Analytics

· Google Search Console

· Google Business Profile

· Social-media accounts where integration is included

Do not place account passwords in public documents or ordinary website forms.

Where a platform supports user roles, invite the designer through their own account rather than sharing your personal password. Confirm what level of access is required and remove access that is no longer needed after the project.

Use controlled credential sharing, unique passwords and multifactor authentication where available. These steps reduce risk but do not guarantee account or website security.

12. Examples and design preferences

You can show your designer websites you like or dislike.

Explain what you are responding to, such as:

· Simple layout

· Colour use

· Navigation

· Image style

· Page structure

· Tone of voice

· Calls to action

· Amount of information

“I like this site” is less useful than, “I like how the services are easy to find and each page ends with a quotation button.”

Examples provide direction. They should not be copied. Your website still needs to fit your business, content, customers and brand.

13. Responsibilities, deadlines and approvals

Before production begins, confirm:

· Who supplies each item

· When each item is due

· Who writes or edits the content

· Who selects or approves images

· Who approves each stage

· How feedback must be submitted

· What counts as a revision

· What requires a scope change

· Who gives final launch approval

Written responsibilities protect both parties.

A common mistake is accepting a quotation without confirming who will supply the wording and images. The designer may be waiting for the business, while the business assumes content creation is included.

Our guide to choosing a website designer explains the questions to ask about scope, access, revisions, payments and handover before committing to a project.

14. What happens when some content is missing?

Missing content does not always prevent the project from beginning. It should be identified early so that a realistic plan can be agreed.

Possible solutions include:

· Copywriting assistance

· Content editing

· A guided questionnaire

· Image sourcing

· Stock photography

· Generated supporting images

· Logo-file preparation

· Staged content delivery

· Launching a smaller approved first version

None of these services should be assumed to be included automatically.

For example, a new mobile dog-grooming business may have a logo, service list and contact details but no professional photographs or completed website copy.

The project could begin with planning and structure while the owner collects suitable photographs. The quotation could separately confirm whether wording assistance or supporting stock images are included.

The solution depends on the final scope, budget and platform.

15. Practical website-content checklist

Before contacting or starting with a website designer, collect or confirm the following.

Business basics

· Correct business name

· Short business description

· Contact details

· Address or service areas

· Opening hours

· Social-media links

· Main approval person

Website purpose

· Main target customer

· Primary website goal

· Main visitor action

· Required pages or sections

Content

· Service or product details

· About information

· Frequently asked questions

· Testimonials or project examples

· Contact and location information

· Policy information where applicable

Visual materials

· Best available logo file

· Brand colours and preferences

· Product or service photographs

· Team, premises or project images

· Permission to use supplied material

Features

· Form questions

· Booking requirements

· Product information

· Delivery or service areas

· Integration requirements

· Automated email wording

Accounts and project management

· Domain and registrar details

· Hosting and platform details

· Current website access

· Relevant Google-product access

· Content deadlines

· Feedback method

· Revision process

· Final approval person

Preparation does not have to be perfect

The most useful starting point is not a polished folder. It is an accurate one.

Actionable takeaway: Create one project folder with your confirmed business details, service or product information, best available logo, approved images and a list of missing items. Then agree in writing who will prepare each missing item and when it is needed.

The number of pages, content work, features and account requirements can all affect the project scope and cost. Our South African small-business website cost guide explains why quotations should be compared according to the work included rather than only the total price.

WebWise Management helps South African small businesses clarify what their websites need and organise the information required before production.

Contact WebWise Management for a personalised, no-obligation website quotation or project discussion. Requirements, available assistance, features, pricing and production timing will be confirmed according to the website and agreed scope.

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