How to plan a small business website

A compact website can often begin with a homepage, a services page, a few examples of work and contact details. These are starting points, not a rule: combine pages when the content is short, and separate services when visitors genuinely need different information.

Write two lists: essential for launch, and useful later. A gallery and an enquiry form may be essential; a shop, client account or automated booking system may be a separate project. Before adding any feature, decide who will manage the information behind it and how often it changes.

Collect your logo files, brand guidelines, original photographs and existing copy in one shared folder. For each service, write what you provide, who it is for and how an enquiry is handled. Select real examples of work you have permission to show, with a short explanation of what you did.

Assign a person to approve text and images. If you need English and French versions, agree who writes or translates each version and who checks it. Avoid leaving placeholder biographies, stock descriptions or empty sections in the launch version: a shorter, complete site is easier to use.

Identify the content that changes: opening hours, team members, projects, events or documents. Ask to see how those updates will be made before choosing the publishing setup. The person who will edit the site should be comfortable with the workflow.

A brochure site with occasional changes needs a different setup from a club publishing events and tournament results. Dotte’s CEVGE project is an example of designing around ongoing content updates. The useful question is which routine you can sustain after launch.

Keep a list of your current pages and identify any that should retain their addresses or redirect to a replacement. Confirm who controls the domain, hosting, website accounts and business email. Your business should retain access to its own accounts and renewal information.

If the website moves to a new host, agree exactly which DNS records need changing. Website hosting and email delivery are separate: preserve the mail routing and authentication records needed by your email provider. Include checks of sending and receiving email in the launch plan when DNS changes are involved.

Before work starts, agree the pages, languages, features, review rounds and responsibilities for content. Specify what is handed over: account access, editing guidance, agreed source files and any ongoing support. Clarify hosting renewals and which future changes are included.

Before launch, check the real visitor journey on a phone and a desktop. Can someone read the services, find the location and contact you? Test form delivery, links, translated pages, image loading and any booking flow. For a rebuild, also check the planned redirects and email continuity.

• Your business, audience and main visitor action
• The pages and languages needed for launch
• Examples of work, texts and images already available
• The content you expect to update yourself
• Your current domain, hosting and email providers
• Essential features and ideas that can wait
• Your preferred launch date and who approves the work

You do not need a finished specification to get started. Bring this outline and any existing material; we can work through the remaining decisions together.