So, you’ve decided it’s finally time to build your website. Exciting, right? Before you rush off to buy a domain and start clicking around in WordPress (or Wix, or Squarespace, or whichever tool makes your heart sing), here’s the truth: the planning you do before you touch a single pixel can make or break your site.
At WebGuider, we’ve built hundreds of websites for creative entrepreneurs, coaches, and small businesses. And here’s something we’ve learned: The success of your website project is determined long before we write a single line of code.
The clients who show up prepared? Their sites get done faster, look better, and cost less. The ones who wing it? Well, let’s just say there’s a reason their projects drag on (and on, and on).
So let’s talk about the five things you absolutely need to plan and prepare before you start building your website—whether you’re working with an agency like us or going the DIY route.
Get these right, and your website project will be smoother, faster, and way less stressful for everyone involved.
1. Know Your Goals (And We Don’t Mean “Look Professional”)
Here’s how most website projects start:
Business Owner: “I need a website.”
Designer: “Great! What do you want it to do?”
Business Owner: “You know… be a website. Look professional.”
[Cue internal screaming]
“Looking professional” isn’t a goal—it’s table stakes. It’s like saying you want your car to have wheels.
What Actual Website Goals Look Like:
Instead of: “I want a professional-looking website”
Try: “I want to generate 10 qualified leads per month through my contact form”
Instead of: “I need an online presence”
Try: “I want to reduce the time I spend answering the same questions by 50% with a detailed services page and FAQ”
Instead of: “My competitors have websites, so I should too”
Try: “I want to book 3 discovery calls per week with clients in the $5K+ budget range”
See the difference? Specific, measurable goals give your designer (or yourself) something to actually build toward.
The Questions That Actually Matter:
Before you touch a single page builder, answer these:
What’s the ONE main action you want visitors to take?
- Book a call?
- Buy a product?
- Download a lead magnet?
- Fill out an application?
You can have secondary goals, but if you can’t name your primary conversion action, your website will try to do everything and accomplish nothing.
Who’s your ideal visitor, and what do they need to know to say yes?
A website for corporate clients looks different from one targeting solopreneurs. A site selling $97 courses needs different elements than one booking $10K weddings.
According to research from HubSpot, companies with documented goals are 376% more likely to report success than those without. Your website goals are no different. (Source: HubSpot Marketing Statistics 2024)
What does success look like in 6 months?
“More traffic” is vague. “100 email subscribers and 5 new clients from my website” is something we can design for.
Real Talk from WebGuider:
The clients whose projects go smoothest? They come to our first call with a clear goal document. Even if it’s just a Google Doc with bullet points, they’ve thought through:
- What they want the site to accomplish
- Who they’re trying to reach
- What success looks like
These projects launch faster, perform better, and honestly? We’re able to offer more competitive pricing because we’re not spending weeks in discovery trying to extract this information through 47 revision rounds.
2. Get Your Content Together (Yes, Before Design)
Here’s a dirty secret about website design: The design is the easy part. The content is what kills projects.
We can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen this pattern:
- Week 1: Exciting kickoff call! Everyone’s pumped!
- Week 2: Designer sends gorgeous mockups
- Week 3: Waiting for content…
- Week 4: Still waiting for content…
- Week 8: Finally got some content, but it’s 3,000 words for the homepage and zero words for the services page
- Week 12: More revisions because the content doesn’t fit the design
- Week 16: Everyone’s exhausted and just wants this thing live
Don’t be that project.
What Content You Actually Need:
The Essentials:
- Homepage: Your main headline, subheadline, and 2-3 key benefits (not your life story)
- About page: Your story in 300-500 words (people care more about how you help them than where you went to college)
- Services/Products: Clear descriptions of what you offer and what it costs (or at least price ranges)
- Contact info: Email, phone, form fields you want—basic stuff, but you’d be surprised
The Nice-to-Haves:
- Client testimonials (with names and photos if possible)
- Case studies or portfolio pieces
- FAQ answers
- Blog posts (if you’re actually going to maintain a blog—be honest with yourself)
The Content Prep That Makes Designers Weep with Joy:
Option 1: Write it all yourself (in a Google Doc, not in random emails)
Option 2: Provide detailed bullet points with the key messages, and let your designer or copywriter flesh it out
Option 3: Record yourself talking about your services/story, get it transcribed, and edit from there
What doesn’t work: “Just use lorem ipsum for now, I’ll fill it in later.”
Spoiler: You won’t. And even if you do, it won’t fit the design, and you’ll be frustrated with how it looks.
As content strategist Ann Handley says: “Make the customer the hero of your story.” But you need to actually know that story before someone can design around it.
Why Content-First Actually Works:
When we know your content before we design, we can:
- Create layouts that fit your actual message (not generic placeholder text)
- Design visual hierarchy around your most important points
- Make sure CTAs are strategically placed based on your content flow
- Avoid the painful “this doesn’t fit” revision cycle
One of our recent clients came with all their content organized in a shared Notion doc—pages, images, testimonials, everything. Their website launched in 4 weeks instead of 8, and they saved about $1,200 in revision costs.
The ones who say “I’ll get you content next week” and then don’t? Those projects drag on, timelines slip, and honestly, it’s painful for everyone.
3. Gather Your Brand Assets (Or Admit You Need Help With Branding)
Nothing slows down a website project faster than the mid-design realization that “actually, I don’t really have a logo” or “I’m not sure about those colors anymore.”
What You Need to Have Ready:
Logo Files:
- High-resolution versions (PNG with transparent background at minimum)
- Different variations if you have them (horizontal, stacked, icon-only)
- Color and white versions
Brand Colors:
- Hex codes for your primary colors (that’s the #000000 format)
- Not just “blue and gray”—actual specific colors
- If you’re using specific fonts, have those names ready
Images:
- Professional photos of you/your team (if relevant)
- Product photos (if applicable)
- Any specific imagery that represents your brand
- Access to stock photo accounts if you’re using them
Brand Voice/Personality:
- How do you want to sound? Professional? Casual? Quirky? Educational?
- Are there words or phrases you always use?
- Are there things you definitely don’t want to sound like?
If You Don’t Have This Stuff:
Be honest about it upfront.
There’s zero shame in saying “I don’t really have solid branding yet.” It’s way better to address this before the design phase than to realize mid-project that everything needs to change.
Many agencies (including WebGuider) can help with branding as part of the website project—but we need to know that’s part of the scope from the beginning.
What drives everyone crazy is when a client says they have “everything ready,” sends over a pixelated logo from 2003 and colors they “think are right,” and then three weeks into design decides they want to rebrand completely.
The Brand Consistency Check:
Before you start your website project, look at your existing materials:
- Business cards
- Social media profiles
- Email signatures
- Any marketing materials
Do they all match? Are you using the same logo, colors, and tone? If not, decide NOW which version is the “right” one—don’t try to figure it out mid-website-build.
According to Lucidpress, consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23%. Your website is a major brand touchpoint—get the assets right before you build. (Source: Lucidpress Brand Consistency Report)
4. Set a Realistic Budget (And Understand What It Gets You)
Let’s address the elephant in the room: money.
Nothing torpedoes a website project faster than budget misalignment. And we’re not just talking about clients with tiny budgets—we’re talking about the mismatch between expectations and investment.
The Budget Reality Check:
If your budget is $1,500: You’re looking at a template-based site with light customization. It’ll work, it’ll be professional, but it won’t be custom everything.
If your budget is $5,000: You can get semi-custom design, strategic planning, solid SEO, and some custom features.
If your budget is $15,000+: You’re in fully custom territory with advanced features, extensive strategy, and premium everything.
None of these are “bad”—but you need to be realistic about what your budget can actually accomplish.
What Kills Projects:
“I want a site like a major brand with a $50K website, but my budget is $2,000.”
We get it—you want an amazing site. But website designers can’t defy the laws of economics any more than a contractor can build you a mansion for the price of a shed.
The Smart Approach:
Phase your project based on budget:
Phase 1 (Now): Essential pages, clean design, basic functionality—get it LIVE and working Phase 2 (In 6 months): Add advanced features, integrations, or expanded sections Phase 3 (Year 2): Custom functionality, membership areas, or whatever your growing business needs
This is infinitely better than trying to cram a $10K wish list into a $3K budget and being disappointed with the results.
At WebGuider, we’ve seen it both ways. Clients who are upfront about their budget from day one? We can work magic within those parameters and often deliver more than they expected. Clients who are vague about budget or try to nickel-and-dime everything? Those projects end up costing more because of the back-and-forth, scope creep, and frustration.
Budget Preparation Checklist:
✅ Research typical website costs in your industry
✅ Decide what you can realistically invest right now
✅ Prioritize your must-haves vs. nice-to-haves
✅ Factor in ongoing costs (hosting, maintenance, updates)
✅ Be upfront with your designer about your number
The more transparent you are about budget, the better we can work with you to maximize value within your parameters.
5. Understand Your Timeline (And What Affects It)
“How long will my website take?”
This is like asking “how long does it take to cook dinner?” Well… are we making toast or Thanksgiving dinner for twelve?
Typical Website Timelines:
Template-Based Site: 2-4 weeks
Semi-Custom Site: 4-6 weeks
Fully Custom Site: 6-10 weeks
Custom with Complex Features: 10-16+ weeks
But here’s the thing: These timelines assume you’re holding up your end of the bargain.
What Slows Down Projects (A.K.A. The Real Timeline Killers):
Slow Feedback:
- Designer sends mockups
- You disappear for two weeks
- Timeline just got pushed by two weeks
Changing Your Mind:
- “Actually, I want to completely change the color scheme”
- “Can we add e-commerce? I know we said just services…”
- “My business partner (who wasn’t in any planning meetings) hates everything”
Missing Content:
- We already talked about this, but seriously—content delays are the #1 timeline killer
Decision-by-Committee:
- When 5 people need to approve every change
- When your cousin’s friend who “knows websites” suddenly has opinions
- When every stakeholder has veto power but no one has final decision authority
Scope Creep:
- “Just one more small thing…” (said fifteen times)
- “While we’re at it, can you also…”
- “Oh, I forgot to mention I need…”
How to Keep Your Timeline on Track:
Designate one decision-maker (ideally you) who has the authority to approve things without running everything past six other people.
Batch your feedback. Don’t send 12 separate emails with individual thoughts—collect everything and send one comprehensive review.
Respect the revision process. Most projects include 2-3 rounds of revisions. That doesn’t mean you get to redesign everything three times—it means three opportunities to refine and adjust.
Respond promptly. If your designer needs feedback, give it within the agreed timeframe (usually 48-72 hours). Your project won’t be the only one they’re working on.
Don’t add new features mid-project without expecting timeline changes. “Just one more thing” is never just one thing.
The Projects That Finish Early:
Want to know what they all have in common?
- Clear goals from day one
- Content ready before design starts
- Quick, consolidated feedback
- One decision-maker with authority
- Realistic expectations
These clients get their sites done faster, which means they’re making money from their website sooner. It’s really that simple.
We recently worked with a business coach who had everything organized before our kickoff call. Goals in a doc. Content in Notion. Brand assets in Dropbox. Single point of contact. That site launched in 3.5 weeks instead of the estimated 6, and she was booking calls from her website within the first week of launch.
Compare that to projects where we’re chasing content in week 7, waiting for feedback in week 9, and fielding change requests in week 11. Those projects take longer, cost more, and everyone ends up frustrated.
The Pre-Build Checklist: Are You Actually Ready?
Before you reach out to a designer or start your DIY journey, make sure you can check these boxes:
Goals & Strategy:
- I know the primary action I want visitors to take
- I can describe my ideal client/customer in detail
- I have specific, measurable goals for my website
- I know how this website fits into my overall business strategy
Content:
- I have written (or outlined) content for all major pages
- I have 3-5 testimonials ready to use
- I have professional photos or know where I’ll get them
- I’ve decided on my calls-to-action
Branding:
- I have high-quality logo files
- I know my exact brand colors (hex codes)
- I have a defined brand voice/personality
- My branding is consistent across existing materials
Budget & Timeline:
- I have a realistic budget set aside
- I understand what my budget can actually accomplish
- I have a target launch date with buffer time
- I’m prepared to provide feedback promptly
- I have one decision-maker with authority
Technical Prep:
- I have a domain name (or know what I want)
- I understand I’ll need hosting
- I know what features/functionality I need
- I’ve researched what platform makes sense for my goals
If you checked at least 15 of these boxes: You’re in great shape! Your project will probably be smooth and enjoyable.
If you checked 10-14 boxes: You’re mostly ready, but spend some time on those gaps before starting.
If you checked fewer than 10 boxes: Slow down. You’re not ready yet, and that’s okay—just get prepared first.
What Happens When You Skip the Prep Work
Let’s be real about what happens when you try to “figure it out as you go”:
Week 1: Excitement! Momentum! This is going to be great!
Week 3: Wait, what are we actually trying to accomplish here?
Week 5: Can we change everything we decided in week 2?
Week 8: Still waiting on that content you promised…
Week 12: This isn’t what I had in mind (even though you never articulated what you had in mind)
Week 16: Everyone’s frustrated, over budget, and the site still isn’t done
Week 20: You settle for something “good enough” just to get it over with
Month 6: You realize you need to rebuild it anyway
Sound familiar? This is what happens when you skip the planning phase. And it doesn’t just happen with agencies—DIY projects suffer the same fate when you don’t prepare properly.
The Preparation Payoff
Here’s what proper preparation actually gets you:
Faster Launch: Projects with prepared clients launch 30-50% faster than those without
Lower Costs: Less revision rounds = less billable time = you save money
Better Results: When you know your goals upfront, the site can be designed to achieve them
Less Stress: No scrambling, no panic, no “oh crap, I forgot about…” moments
Higher ROI: A strategic, well-planned website starts working for you immediately
Research from the Project Management Institute found that for every $1 spent on project planning, organizations save $7-$20 in project execution. Website projects are no different. (Source: PMI Pulse of the Profession 2024)
Ready to Build Your Website the Right Way?
At WebGuider, we’ve seen firsthand how preparation makes or breaks a website project.
The clients who come to us organized and ready? They get:
- Faster turnaround times
- More competitive pricing
- Better results
- Way less stress
The clients who wing it? Well, they usually end up prepared eventually—but it would’ve been easier (and cheaper) to start that way.If you’ve got your ducks in a row (goals, content, budget), let’s build this thing. Book a project consultation and let’s get started.
