What content do you need before starting a website project?
A practical checklist for collecting business information, service copy, photographs, proof, contact details, policies, and translations before design begins.
You do not need to arrive at the first website meeting with perfect text and a finished photo library. You do need enough reliable material to explain the business, make decisions, and identify what is still missing.
Content is often treated as something poured into the design at the end. In reality, it determines the navigation, page count, layout, components, photography, search strategy, and even the project budget. A design created before the team understands the content may look polished in a presentation and collapse when real service names, prices, disclaimers, and images replace the placeholders.
The goal of preparation is not to write every sentence alone. It is to create a trustworthy source of truth from which the website team can work.
Begin with the business in one paragraph
Write a short, factual explanation that answers:
- What does the business provide?
- Who is it for?
- Where does it operate?
- What makes the approach meaningfully different?
- What should a visitor do next?
Avoid slogans such as “quality solutions tailored to every need.” A useful draft sounds more like: “We are a pediatric therapy centre in Bucharest coordinating assessment and weekly support for children with rare conditions. Families can request an initial conversation by phone or through the website.”
This paragraph does not have to become the homepage headline. It gives the project a clear boundary.
Create a complete service inventory
List every current service, product category, venue, programme, or type of engagement. For each important offer, record:
- its exact name;
- the customer it suits;
- the problem or need it addresses;
- what is included;
- what is excluded;
- how the process works;
- duration, price, or the factors influencing them;
- prerequisites or limitations;
- the appropriate next action.
Do not decide the final page structure yet. First make the inventory complete. The website team can then decide which offers deserve their own page, which belong together, and which should remain secondary.
Remove services the business no longer wants to sell. A new site should describe the operation you are building, not preserve every historical activity.
Map the questions customers actually ask
Collect questions from sales calls, reception, email, social messages, reviews, and in-person conversations. Customer language is more useful than an internal brainstorming list because it reveals where people hesitate.
Typical questions concern:
- suitability: “Is this for a small company?”
- process: “What happens at the first appointment?”
- logistics: “Is there parking?”
- price: “What does the package include?”
- risk: “Can I change the date?”
- trust: “Who performs the procedure?”
- preparation: “What documents should I bring?”
Group the questions by the page that should answer them. If one question appears in every conversation, do not hide its answer in a footer FAQ.
Gather proof before writing claims
Words such as experienced, premium, caring, innovative, and professional are not proof. Assemble the material that allows the website to demonstrate those qualities:
- completed projects with context and outcomes;
- customer testimonials and permission to publish them;
- qualifications, licences, memberships, and awards;
- team biographies tied to real responsibilities;
- documented process and quality controls;
- relevant numbers with a source and date;
- press coverage or partnerships;
- photographs of the real space, work, and team.
Check every claim. “Serving Bucharest since 2010” is useful only if the date is accurate. “Trusted by thousands” should not appear unless the business can substantiate the number and define what it means.
Build a practical photography list
Start by auditing what already exists. Mark each image as usable, outdated, low resolution, unlicensed, or irrelevant. Then create a shot list based on the pages rather than asking a photographer for “some nice photos.”
A local business may need:
- exterior and entrance views;
- the space as a customer experiences it;
- people working naturally, with consent;
- individual services or process stages;
- details that communicate materials and care;
- finished work or products;
- team portraits in one consistent style;
- wide horizontal images for headers;
- vertical crops for mobile and social use.
Record who owns each image and whether identifiable people agreed to web publication. Stock photography can fill a conceptual gap, but it should not pretend to show the actual clinic, restaurant, team, or result.
Confirm names, addresses, and operational details
Small inconsistencies create large doubts. Prepare one approved record containing:
- legal and public business names;
- full address and map pin;
- primary phone number and email;
- opening and special hours;
- service area;
- company registration details when required;
- social profile links;
- booking, reservation, or ordering links;
- accessibility, parking, transport, and entrance information;
- emergency or out-of-hours instructions where relevant.
Compare this record with Google Business Profile, social platforms, directories, printed materials, and the old website. Decide which version is correct before launch.
Decide the desired action on every page
“Contact us” is not always the right answer. A restaurant visitor may need to reserve, view the menu, call about a private event, or get directions. A clinic visitor may need to book a specific service or ask a confidential preliminary question. A project client may need to submit a brief.
For each page, define one primary action and any necessary secondary action. Then document what happens afterwards:
- Who receives the request?
- What information is required?
- What confirmation does the customer see?
- How quickly can the business realistically reply?
- What happens if the system fails?
The website should promise only an operational response the business can deliver.
Identify legal and privacy content early
The required policies depend on the organization, jurisdiction, and data processing, so obtain specialist advice where risk is material. From a project perspective, identify at least:
- the legal entity responsible for the website;
- what personal data forms collect;
- analytics, advertising, chat, maps, video, and booking services;
- cookie or device-storage use;
- terms that apply to reservations, cancellations, payments, or delivery;
- sector-specific disclaimers;
- copyright and image permissions.
Do not copy another company’s privacy policy. The document must describe the technologies and processes actually used by this business.
Prepare translations from an approved source
Finish and approve the source language before translating. Otherwise, every late edit creates two review tasks and increases the chance that the versions disagree.
Choose who approves terminology, names, prices, legal passages, and calls to action. Provide the translator with context rather than isolated spreadsheet cells. A word that fits a navigation label may not fit a medical explanation or hospitality message.
Keep both versions in a structured document with clear status: draft, approved, translated, reviewed, published. After launch, assign responsibility for keeping them aligned.
Use one content workspace
Scattered attachments create silent version problems. Use one shared workspace with:
- a page list and owner;
- the latest approved copy;
- source links and evidence;
- image filenames and rights;
- open questions;
- approval status;
- final update dates.
Name files descriptively. restaurant-exterior-evening-final.jpg is more useful than IMG_8472.jpg. Keep originals, but mark which crop belongs to each page.
What can still be unfinished at kickoff?
It is reasonable to begin while some items are missing, provided they are visible in the plan. The website team can help shape the hierarchy, interview the owner, edit drafts, specify photography, and create a content schedule.
The dangerous state is not “unfinished.” It is “assumed.” If nobody owns the team biographies, prices, translations, legal review, or photography, the design will wait and the launch date will drift.
Content readiness does not mean every comma is final. It means the facts, owners, gaps, and approval path are known.
Bring the source material, not a performance of completeness. A good website process will turn that material into a clearer structure, but it cannot safely invent the business on your behalf.