What content do I need before website design starts?

The short version

• Real words first, design second. Placeholder text hides problems.
• One short document per page: what it’s for, the facts, and the action you want.
• Photos of your actual work, team and premises beat stock photos.
• Collect reviews and permissions now, not the week before launch.
• Decide who writes, who checks facts, and who signs off.

Why content before design?

A design built around “lorem ipsum” looks perfect until the real words arrive. Then the service description is three times longer than the box, the team has seven people, not four, and the headline doesn’t fit on a phone. Building around real content means the layout fits what you actually have to say.

It also matters for search. Google’s guidance on helpful, people-first content asks whether a page offers original information and shows first-hand expertise. Only you can supply that. A designer can shape it, but not invent it.

What do I need for each kind of page?

Home page

• One sentence on what you do and where.
• Your main phone number and the main action.
• Three or four proof points: years in business, licenses or certifications you can show, a few short reviews.

Our answer on what goes on a home page covers the order.

Each service page

• What the service is, in plain words.
• Who it’s for and when they need it.
• What happens, step by step, from first call to finished job.
• How pricing works, even if it’s “we quote after a visit.”
• Photos of that service being done by you.
• Three to five questions customers ask about it, with your answers.

About and team

• A short story of the business: when, why, who.
• For each person on the site: name, role, a sentence or two, and a recent photo they’re happy with.

Contact and practical details

• Address if customers visit, or your service area if you go to them.
• Hours, including how you handle holidays.
• Phone, email, and which inbox website forms should reach.

Proof

• Reviews you have permission to quote, with the reviewer’s first name or initials.
• Before-and-after photos, project photos, awards or memberships you can link to.

Legal and policy pages

A privacy policy, plus terms or return policies if you sell online. Our hub on privacy and cookies explains what a small business site should say. This isn’t legal advice.

What about photos?

• Real over stock. Customers judge you by your team and your work. See stock or real photos.
• Big originals. Send the largest version you have. The site will make smaller copies. See how big images should be.
• Permission. Get consent from anyone recognizable, especially customers.
• Describe them. Note what each photo shows. That becomes the alt text people using screen readers hear. The W3C’s alt text decision tree shows when a photo needs a description and when it’s decorative.

Who should write it?

Three choices, often mixed:

• You write, the designer edits. Cheapest, and the most authentic. Allow time.
• A copywriter interviews you. Faster for busy owners, but you still check every fact.
• AI drafts from your notes, a person edits. It can speed things up, but every fact, price and claim must be checked by someone who knows the business.

Whoever writes, one person in the business should check facts and approve the final text.

How should I hand it over?

• One folder, with one document per page, named to match the page plan.
• Photos in a subfolder per page, with file names that say what they show.
• A single list of open questions, so nothing gets lost in email threads.

What are the common mistakes?

• Copying the old site’s text. If it wasn’t working before, it won’t now.
• Writing for search engines. Google’s guidance warns against content made mainly to attract search visits. Write for the customer.
• Vague claims. “Quality service” says nothing. “Same-day callback on weekdays” says something, if it’s true.
• Reviews without permission. Ask first.
• Content arriving last. A site that’s “nearly done” can’t launch without it.

What if we’re short on content?

Launch with fewer, better pages. A strong page for each main service, a clear about page and a contact page are enough to start. Add the rest after launch. Our guide to the first 90 days covers growing it.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

Gathering it yourself costs time, often the longest part of a project. Copywriting and photography are extra if you hire them. Ask for those to be listed separately in any quote.

How does E-3 handle this?

We ask for content early and plan the pages around it. You see and approve the content before launch. Redesigns are tested on a staging copy first, so you see your real content in the design before anything is public.

Related questions

• How do I write a brief?
• How do I plan the pages?
• How do I prepare for a website redesign?
• Should my business website have a blog?
• Back to the complete guide to planning a website

Sources

1. Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content (Google Search Central)
2. Images and alt text: An alt Decision Tree (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative)