Published: Last updated:
TL;DR
You do not need a finished design before discussing a new website. Start with the information needed to define the work: who the website serves, what visitors need to do, what material exists and who can make decisions.
Use this guide to prepare the project as a whole. For individual page copy, the service-page content checklist and SEO copywriting brief cover the writing in more detail. The web design page provides the service overview.
Explain the purpose and the audience
Describe what has prompted the project. Perhaps your services have changed, your team cannot update the current site or customers need a different way to enquire. Give examples of the present difficulty rather than requesting a general “modernisation”.
Name the main audiences and the actions each needs to take. A prospective customer may need to understand a service; an existing customer may need a document or contact route. Identify the journey that must be included at launch and record later ideas separately.
List any fixed dates and explain what depends on them. An event date is different from a preferred completion date. Identify the people, information and external systems the project depends on before agreeing a schedule.
Inventory pages and current addresses
Make a list of existing pages, downloads and forms. Record each current URL and whether the material should stay, change, merge with another page or be reviewed for removal. Include campaign pages that sit outside the main menu.
Add proposed pages with a short explanation of their purpose. Keep this as a working inventory rather than final navigation. If URLs may change, use the redesign and migration checklist to prepare the separate mapping and redirect work.
Gather content and images with clear status
Collect service descriptions, contact details, product information and documents in an agreed shared location. Give each item an owner and a status: ready for review, approved or still needed. Avoid leaving several files labelled “final” without indicating which one applies.
For images, supply original files where available and explain what each shows. Record who owns the image, whether you have permission to publish it and any required credit. Flag images of people or client work for the appropriate permission checks before use. Do not assume an image found online is available for your website.
Mark missing material as a decision. Agree whether someone will write, photograph, source or omit it. Do not turn placeholder text or unconfirmed project details into published facts.
Write down the operational requirements
Describe what happens after a visitor submits a form, requests a booking or places an order. Identify who receives the request, what information they need and how they respond. Include exceptions such as unavailable dates or a request needing manual review.
For a shop or booking project, bring a representative product or course record rather than only a feature list. The Oracle Training Consultants project is a relevant project reference; your own brief still needs its specific rules. If the platform is undecided, read the WordPress, Shopify and WooCommerce guide.
Name the approver and arrange account access
Choose who checks factual accuracy and who approves the project at each review stage. Ask everyone involved to consolidate feedback into one agreed response. Record decisions about content, structure and functionality where the team can find them.
List the accounts involved, such as the domain registrar, hosting, website administration and analytics. Identify the account owner and the access required. Do not send passwords, recovery codes or API keys through an enquiry form. Agree a suitable access-sharing method separately; use individual invitations and appropriate permissions where the service supports them.
Define the handover and launch review
Decide who will edit content, answer enquiries and maintain the site after launch. Record any handover or training needs and review the website management page when discussing ongoing responsibilities.
Agree how the finished site will be reviewed: important pages, mobile and keyboard journeys, forms, content and any existing URLs that change. Keep unresolved items against a named owner. For an initial discussion, send your website address and a short project outline; the full inventory and account access can follow through agreed channels.
