What You Need To Have Ready Before Creating Your New Website

What You Need to Get Started Building Your Squarespace Website

So, you're ready to create a shiny new website—awesome! Before we dive into designing and building your online presence, there are a few key things you’ll need to have ready to make the process smooth and efficient.

Here’s a quick checklist to help you get organized:

1. Your Website Copy

Clear and engaging text is key to a great website. You’ll want to prepare content for each page (also called copy).—Think about your Home page, About page, Services, and Contact info and other key web pages you plan to create. If you’re not sure where to start, jot down key messages you want to convey, keeping your audience in mind.

Website copy can often be one of the hardest things for new entrepreneurs to nail down. We know we should be speaking directly to our ideal clients, but what do we say? Simple, concise, and informative copy is best!

When you work with me on your website, I give you a handy workbook to help you nail down your copy before we start working on your website. It’s up to you to provide the copy, but I’m here to help make tweaks along the way.

2. High-Quality Photos

Images play a big role in your website’s look and feel. Gathering professional photos that represent you and your brand can really enhance your website and make it look legit. Whether they’re product shots, team photos, or stock images that reflect your vibe, you will need quite a few photos to work with to create your website.

Everyone has a camera these days thanks to cell phones. Spend some time taking a few photos of yourself for your new site. Here are some tips to get the best images possible:

• Set your phone to save highest resolution shots. This takes up more space on your phone, so be sure to change it back afterwards.

• Use natural light to take your photos. This will reduce shadows and graininess. Make sure to face towards a window when taking a photo and avoid being backlit (having a bright light behind you).

• Have someone take photos for you or use a tripod.

• You’ll want a mixture of wide angle shots, portraits and head shots for your website.

• Do your hair and make up once, then change outfits and locations around your house for a variety of photos! You can reuse these photos for social media, not just your website.

• Recommended image sizes for most websites is between 1024 x 768 px and 1920 x 1080 px. Too small and the image will appear blurry or grainy. Too large and it can slow down your website speed.

If you don’t have professional pictures, don’t worry! Stock photo websites like Unsplash can be a great resource. A few others to check out for free or paid stock images: Pexels, Shutterstock, Burst (by Shopify), Getty Images, Reshot, Stocksy, Pixaby and even Canva.

3. Branding: Colours and Fonts

Having a consistent brand identity is crucial for creating a cohesive website. Make sure you know your brand colours (hex codes or specific shades) and any fonts you’ve chosen for your business.

If you’re still figuring that out, no problem! I can help you pick colours and fonts that align with your style and message through my pre-design worksheet I give to all my clients. I also highly recommend searching “colour palettes” or “brand colours” on Pinterest to get ideas.

4. Logo and Graphics

If you have a logo, make sure it’s ready in high resolution and in multiple formats (such as PNG with a transparent background). You might also want to gather any additional graphics, like icons or illustrations, that will be used throughout the site.

If you hire a graphic designer to create a logo for you, they should deliver multiple file sizes and types when completed. They will typical also give you an icon or alternative logo to use too.

Looking for an affordable logo solution when just starting out? I recommend searching for creatives on Fiverr.

5. A Clear Goal for Your Website

Think about what you want your website to do. Is it to showcase your portfolio, attract new clients, or maybe sell products? Having a clear goal helps us design the site with that in mind, making sure it’s user-friendly and effective.

Websites can do many things, but it’s really important to have one clear goal in mind when creating your first website. Think of it as “all roads lead to…”. Whatever that action you want the user to take, that should be the main focus of your website design.

Not sure what your main goal should be? I can help with that during our pre-build strategy session.

6. Social Media Links

If you have social media accounts you want linked to your site, make sure those are ready to go! This will help create a seamless connection between your online presence and social platforms. I ask my clients to create a list.

7. Contact Info and Form Requirements

Another thing to have ready to go is your contact info. This could include email, phone number, business address and more. If you are wanting to include a form, such as “Contact Me” on your site, make sure you list out the pieces of the form you’d like people to fill in. Not sure? Stick with name, email, and message to start.

Optional Add On:

If you are wanting to launch with a blog or podcast page on your website, make sure to spend some time writing up 1-3 blog posts. This will save you lots of time and have you prepared to copy/paste your content into your blog design when its time.

Ready to Build?

With these essentials in hand, we can create a website that truly reflects your brand and engages your audience. If you're missing a few things, don’t worry… I'm here to help you get everything together and make the process as stress-free as possible!