A smoother website project starts before design. This guide shows the information, access, and decisions that usually make a build clearer and easier to move through.
This is a preparation guide, not a contract. The written scope for a specific project controls the actual deliverables, timeline, revision rounds, price, ownership terms, and responsibilities.
01 • Starting point
What I’ll need from you
I need enough context to understand the business before deciding what the website should say or do. That usually means your main services or offer, the customers you want to reach, the action you want visitors to take, any current website, and anything that is not working today.
- Your business name and a short description of what you do.
- Your highest-priority services, offers, or customer actions.
- Any existing website, social profiles, booking tools, or references that matter.
- Known deadlines, required integrations, or launch constraints.
02 • Materials
Content and assets
Strong design cannot fully replace missing business information. Before launch, the project may need approved copy, a logo or brand files, photos, service information, pricing when it is public, policies, contact details, and any required legal or licensing information.
The project scope should make clear what you are providing, what I am helping organize or write, and what still needs to be sourced. Client-provided materials should be files you have permission to use.
03 • Review
Feedback and revisions
Useful feedback is specific to the business goal: what feels unclear, what is factually wrong, what does not fit the brand, or what customer action needs to be easier. Collecting feedback into agreed review rounds keeps the project moving more reliably than scattered changes across multiple channels.
The project-specific scope should define how many revision rounds are included and what counts as a change in scope.
04 • Accounts
Domain and access
A launch may require access to a domain registrar, hosting platform, website builder, analytics account, booking service, email provider, payment service, or other third-party system. I prefer the business owner to keep ownership of business-critical accounts whenever practical.
Credentials should be shared through an appropriate secure method when needed. Account ownership, recurring fees, and third-party subscriptions should be clear before launch.
05 • Quality check
Before launch
Before a site goes live, I expect the project to have a final pass for core links, forms, contact information, responsive layouts, metadata, obvious content errors, keyboard access, and the main customer paths. Any business-specific requirements should be added to that checklist.
Launch approval should also confirm that the final public information—hours, services, contact details, pricing when shown, and policies—is accurate.
06 • After launch
Ownership and handoff
The handoff should make it clear what was delivered, where the site is hosted, which third-party services it depends on, who owns each account, and what support—if any—continues after launch. Ongoing maintenance is separate from a finished build unless the project scope says otherwise.
If you are preparing a project now, send the brief to workbyyael@gmail.com or use the project form on the main site.