Before the first pixel.
Get the essentials together.

1. Choose one main job

• Write down the action you want most visitors to take: enquire, call, book or buy.
• Describe your ideal customer and the question that brought them to the website.
• Choose a primary service or offer that deserves the clearest route from the homepage.

2. Map the first five pages

• Home: what you do, who you help and the next step.
• About: your real experience, approach and business identity.
• Services: what is included, prices where appropriate and any exclusions.
• Work, gallery or FAQs: genuine examples, approved photographs or useful answers.
• Contact: working enquiry routes, service area and relevant opening hours.

3. Gather the content

• Your logo, colours, approved business name and contact details.
• Accurate service descriptions and pricing, with any minimum commitments.
• Images you own or have permission to use, with helpful descriptions.
• Genuine testimonials only, with permission to publish them.
• Privacy, terms and other policy text appropriate to how the business operates.

4. Keep ownership clear

Register the domain in your own account and keep access to its renewal settings. Agree who owns the website files, who pays for hosting, which third-party licences are needed and what happens if you change provider.

Before accepting a quote, check the page allowance, revision rounds, maintenance limits, minimum term, cancellation arrangements and costs that continue after launch.

5. Test the real journey

• Read and navigate every page on a phone.
• Check that each enquiry reaches the intended inbox; a success message alone is not proof of delivery.
• Check links, HTTPS, domain redirects and page titles.
• For shops, test payment success and failure, delivery charges, order emails and refunds in the appropriate test environment.
• Confirm the site is publicly accessible and indexable before submitting its sitemap to search engines.