08 / PREPARE FOR YOUR WEBSITE
Bring the facts.
We bring the rest.
What to gather before a quote, how to write a short first message, and what you need the rights to use. A few minutes here can save days later.
WHAT TO GATHER
Six things,
in any order.
Nothing has to be finished. Rough notes and phone photos are enough to quote from; the quote says what still needs deciding.
Business facts
Services, hours, the area you serve, phone number, address, social links, and anything that must be exactly right, such as license numbers or opening dates.
Text, or notes for text
A paragraph per page is plenty. If you would rather talk than write, say so: writing help can be part of the quote.
Photographs
Your work, your room, your products, your team, taken by you or by someone who gave you the right to publish them. Phone photos are fine to start.
Logo and brand files
The logo in the largest file you have, and your colors if you know them. If there is no logo, a description of the feel you want.
Access, when it is time
Your domain registrar and hosting accounts are in your name; access is arranged at launch through an invitation, never by sending passwords in email.
Existing providers
The booking, ordering or payment service you already use, if any. Connecting one is scoped separately and needs an account you own.
HOW TO WRITE THE MESSAGE
Four sentences
are enough.
The quote form prepares the message; you only need to answer four things. The examples on the contact page show the length.
- 01
What and where
What the business does and the area it serves.
- 02
What customers should do
Call, book, order, visit, or ask for a quote: the one thing that matters most.
- 03
What you have
A current site, photos, text, a logo, or none of those yet.
- 04
What you liked
A concept and level from the showroom, or a public website, if any.
RIGHTS AND SOURCES
Use what is
yours to use.
- Your own photographs
- Yes: photos you took, or paid a photographer for with permission to publish.
- Customer photos or reviews
- Only with their written permission. Reviews are never invented or paraphrased.
- Stock or paid imagery
- Possible; the license and its cost are named in the quote as a separate item.
- Fonts and software
- Licensed sources only. The fonts used here are open-licensed and bundled with the site.
- Another business’s text or images
- No. Not even as a placeholder.
TIMING AND PAYMENT
Know these
before you ask.
A standard build takes 3 to 7 business days once you approve the written quote and your content has arrived; rush and weekend work are quoted per project, and payment is by wire transfer, direct deposit or cash deposit after the written quote. Nothing is paid on this website.
Request a free quoteTiming and payment, in full Twelve checks for your current website What a website costs, and why