You do not need polished copy before talking to a web designer. You do need reliable information about your business and a clear idea of what customers should do. Short notes and organized photos are a useful start.
Write down the business basics
Gather your exact public business name, contact details, hours, website domain if you have one, and social links. Confirm what may be published. A service-area business may need coverage information rather than a public home address.
Choose one person to approve the content. This helps avoid conflicting requests and keeps feedback organized.
Describe the work you want more of
List your main services and explain each in everyday language. Who is it for? What is included? What is excluded? What information affects the estimate? Which towns do you actually serve?
A lawn-care business might separate mowing, seasonal cleanups and snow removal. A repair shop might explain vehicle types and the details needed for a service request. Avoid promising a turnaround, availability or fixed price that the business cannot consistently provide.
Choose photos with a purpose
Collect the logo, team or owner photos and examples of real work you have permission to use. Keep original image files where possible. Add a note explaining what each photo shows and any credit required. Do not include a customer’s private information without permission.
Name files in a way the builder can match to the content: “front-shop”, “mowing-backyard” or “owner-portrait” is more useful than a folder of unidentified screenshots. Mark your favorites rather than expecting every image to appear.
Plan the next step for visitors
Decide whether you want a call, estimate request, appointment request, booking or purchase. A short inquiry form should ask only what you need for the next conversation. For property services, that may be the service, property location, contact details and a description of the work.
Tell your builder who receives submissions, who responds and whether any existing CRM, booking or payment tool needs to be used. Share access through the provider’s invitation process; never paste passwords into a questionnaire.
Be specific about style
Choose two or three reference websites and explain what you like about each: spacing, photography, typography or the way services are organized. Also mention what you dislike. Inspiration should guide the direction, not copy another company’s identity.
Confirm practical responsibilities
Before work starts, agree on the pages, features, revision allowance, payment milestones and timeline. Identify anything that is still missing. A launch date depends on access, content, approvals and testing, so make those dependencies visible.
Use our free website-readiness checklist to organize the essentials. When you are ready, complete the project questionnaire with what you know and flag the areas where you want guidance.