Short answer: the biggest cause of a slow website project is waiting on content. Gather your logo, photos, a list of services, your opening hours and service area, and the logins for anything you already have. With those ready, most of the work is done.
Here’s the full checklist.
The essentials
- Your logo, in the best quality you have. If you only have it on a business card or a Facebook page, that’s a start.
- Photos of your work, your team and your premises. Real photos taken on a recent phone in good light are better than stock images.
- Your services, one line each to begin with. Note which ones you most want more of.
- Prices, if you’re comfortable showing them, even as “from” prices. Customers look for them first.
- Opening hours, including public holidays and any seasonal changes.
- Where you work: your address if customers visit, or the suburbs and regions you cover if you go to them.
- How you want to be contacted: phone, email, WhatsApp, a form, or a booking system.
The logins
If you already have any of these, find the login details or at least who set them up:
- Your domain name: the registrar (for example, the company you pay for your .com.au) and the account login.
- Your current website, if you have one, and who hosts it.
- Your Google Business Profile, and which Google account owns it.
- Your social media pages, so the website can link to them.
- Any booking or ordering system you already use.
Lost logins are common, and they’re fixable. It just takes time, so start early.
The decisions
- Who are your best customers? The site should speak to them, not to everyone.
- What should a visitor do? Call, book, request a quote or visit the shop. Pick one main action.
- What makes you different? Family-run, fast response, specialist skills, a guarantee you actually offer. Write it down in plain words.
- Two or three websites you like, and what you like about them. They don’t need to be in your industry.
Nice to have
- Your ABN and any licence numbers, which build trust, especially for trades.
- Customer reviews you have permission to use. If you’re an Ahpra-registered health practitioner, don’t use testimonials about clinical care: link to your Google reviews instead.
- Answers to the questions customers always ask. These make excellent FAQs, for customers and for Google.
Where ShreeNova fits
You don’t need everything on this list to get started. Our free homepage mockup needs only a short form, and we’ll tell you what’s missing as we go. Request a mockup, or read how much a website costs.