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Website Project Checklist: What to Gather Before a Build

By Andres A.

Short answer: before a website build starts, settle six things. You need ownership of your domain and accounts, your logo and photos (with the rights to use them), a clear service list and service area, a plan for who writes the copy, an agreed number of revision rounds, and a clear picture of ongoing hosting and care costs. Then plan the build itself: goals, who approves what, what gets tested before launch and who looks after the site afterward. Having this ready keeps the scope clear and means you, not your designer, own the result.

If you're about to hire someone for website design or web development, or to redesign the site you have, this website project checklist helps you avoid common delays and surprises. Work through it, then bring it to your first conversation.

How to use this checklist

The list follows the order a typical small business website project runs in:

  1. Before kickoff: goals, roles and scope

  2. Ownership: domain and accounts

  3. Content: pages, copy, photos and logo

  4. Design and technical needs

  5. Before launch: testing

  6. After launch: care and updates

You don't need every item for a small site. Skip what doesn't apply, but decide on purpose rather than by accident.

Phase 1: Goals, roles and scope

What is the website for?

Write one or two sentences about the site's main job. For example: "Help homeowners in our area understand our services and request a quote." Then name the one action you most want visitors to take, such as calling, filling in a form or booking.

Who is it for?

Describe your best customers in plain words. What do they search for? What do they ask before they hire you? Google's SEO Starter Guide suggests thinking about the words people might use to find your content, since experts and newcomers often search differently.

Who's involved, and who approves?

Even a small project has a few people involved. List the team members on your side and the designer's side, with roles and responsibilities:

  • Who gathers content and photos

  • Who writes and edits the copy

  • Who gives final approval at each milestone

  • Who will update the site after launch

If a partner, manager or other stakeholder needs a say, include them early. Late feedback from someone who wasn't in the loop can mean rework.

Put the scope in writing

Agree on these before work starts:

  • The list of pages

  • Features, such as a contact form, booking tool, online payments or a blog

  • Any third-party tools the site must connect to

  • What the designer will deliver, and in what form

  • Milestones, and what "done" means for each

  • What's not included

Scope and budget go together. Ask for the build cost and ongoing costs separately, in writing.

Phase 2: Domain and account ownership

This is the most important part of the list, and the easiest to overlook.

Your domain name

Your domain (like yourbusiness.com) should be registered in your business's name, under an account you control. If a designer registers it for you, ask that you be listed as the owner and contact.

Don't overthink the name itself. Google's SEO Starter Guide says keywords in a domain name "have hardly any effect beyond appearing in breadcrumbs," and recommends doing what's best for your business. A short, memorable name that matches your brand is usually the right choice.

Your accounts

List every account connected to your online presence, and who owns each one:

  • Domain registrar

  • Website platform or hosting

  • Business email

  • Google Business Profile

  • Google Search Console

  • Google Analytics

  • Social media pages

For Google tools, you can usually add a helper as a user rather than handing over your password. Google's Business Profile help says each user needs their own Google Account, and owners can add other owners or managers. It also says never to share your verification code, "even with those who manage your Business Profile." In Search Console, owners can add full or restricted users.

Rule of thumb: you should be the owner. Your designer or agency should be a user you can remove.

Phase 3: Content, photos and the rights to use them

Plan the pages first

A simple page list, often called a sitemap at the planning stage, keeps everyone on the same page. A typical small business site might include:

  • Home

  • A page for each main service

  • About

  • Areas served, if you travel to customers

  • FAQ (or FAQs on each service page)

  • Contact

Google recommends descriptive URLs with words that help people understand the page, like /services/drain-cleaning, rather than random identifiers. Agree on page addresses before the build starts.

Who writes the copy?

Website text, or copy, can easily hold up a project. Decide up front:

  • You write it, and the designer formats it.

  • The designer or a writer drafts it from an interview or questionnaire, and you review and approve it.

  • A mix of both.

Whoever writes it, you know your business best. Google's guidance on helpful content asks whether content shows "first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge." Real details about how you work, what's included and what customers often ask are worth more than generic marketing lines.

Helpful things to gather:

  • Answers to the questions customers ask most often

  • Your licenses, certifications or memberships (only ones you actually hold)

  • Your hours, contact details and how you prefer to be contacted

  • Real customer reviews you have permission to quote

Never use made-up testimonials. If you have no reviews yet, leave them out.

Service list and the area you serve

Write down:

  • Every service you offer, in the words your customers use

  • Your main services, the ones you most want to sell. These usually earn their own page.

  • Where you work: the cities, towns or ZIP codes you serve

  • What you don't do, so the site doesn't attract the wrong inquiries

Make the area on your website match your Google Business Profile. If you don't serve customers at your address, Google says to remove the address from your profile, so decide whether to show it on your website too. Our Google Business Profile setup guide covers this in detail.

Logo and brand

Gather your logo in the best quality you have. Vector files (often .svg, .eps, .ai or .pdf) are ideal. Note your brand colors and fonts if you have them. If you don't, tell your designer early so they can be created. That way you know which design elements are provided and which need to be made.

Photos

Real photos of your work, your team and your location are more genuine than generic stock images. Google's guidance for Business Profile photos asks for images that "represent reality," and the same principle makes sense for your website.

For every photo, ask: Do I have the right to use this?

  • Photos you or your team took are usually fine.

  • Photos from a past photographer may need permission. Check your agreement.

  • Images you found online almost always need a license.

  • Photos showing customers or their homes should have their permission.

Google's starter guide also recommends descriptive alt text for images, so jot down a short description of what each photo shows.

Phase 4: Design and technical needs

Design

Ask to see the main page template designs, such as the home page and a service page, before the rest of the site is built. Check them on a phone as well as a computer. Google's page experience guidance asks whether content "display[s] well on mobile devices" and whether visitors can easily tell the main content from everything else.

Good structure also helps accessibility. Google's starter guide says headings in semantic order are "fantastic for screen readers."

Technical requirements

Ask your designer to confirm in writing:

  • Platform: which website builder or content management system the site will use, and whether you can edit it yourself

  • Hosting: where the site lives and who pays for it

  • Security: that pages will be served over HTTPS. Google's page experience guidance asks whether pages are "served in a secure fashion."

  • Forms: where submissions go, and who receives them

  • Integrations: booking tools, payment tools or anything else the site connects to

  • Backups: how the site is backed up and how it would be restored

  • Updates: who updates the platform, plugins or apps, and how often

Redesigning an existing site?

A redesign needs a few extra steps:

  • List your current page addresses before anything changes.

  • If any address changes, set up permanent redirects from old to new. Google says that if you need to change a page's URL in search results, it recommends "a permanent server-side redirect whenever possible," such as a 301.

  • Keep the content that customers still use. Update it rather than deleting it by default.

  • Keep your existing Search Console property so you can compare before and after.

Phase 5: Pre-launch checklist

Before the site goes live, test it like a customer would. Use different devices and browsers: at least a phone and a computer, and more than one browser if you can.

  • [ ] Every form submits, and the message arrives where it should

  • [ ] The phone link works with a tap on a phone

  • [ ] All links and buttons go to the right place, with no broken links

  • [ ] Each page has its own clear title and meta description. Google says a good meta description is "short, unique to one particular page."

  • [ ] Images have alt text and load clearly

  • [ ] Pages load over HTTPS

  • [ ] Contact details match your Google Business Profile exactly

  • [ ] Spelling and facts are checked by someone on your side

  • [ ] GA4 and Search Console are set up under your business's accounts, and a test form shows up as a key event

  • [ ] If you're redesigning, old addresses redirect to the right new pages

After launch, update the website link on your Google Business Profile if your address changed. Use Search Console's URL Inspection tool to check how Google sees your key pages.

Do you need to submit a sitemap?

Maybe not. Search Console's help says that if a hosting service such as Squarespace or Wix manages your site, it probably manages your sitemap. It also says a small site, about 500 pages or fewer, that links to every page from the home page probably doesn't need one. Google's sitemap documentation adds that a sitemap doesn't guarantee every page will be crawled and indexed.

Phase 6: After launch

  • Watch the first few months in Search Console and GA4. See what to track on your website.

  • Keep content up to date. Google's starter guide recommends checking published content and updating it as needed.

  • Keep the platform updated and confirm the site could be restored if something broke.

  • Fix issues as you find them and keep a simple log of what changed.

Revisions and approvals

Agree in writing before work starts:

  • How many revision rounds are included

  • What counts as a revision versus a new request

  • Who on your side gives final approval

  • What happens if you need more changes after the agreed rounds

This protects both sides and keeps the project moving.

Ongoing hosting and care costs

A website isn't a one-time purchase. Ask for clear answers to:

  • What will domain renewal cost each year, and who pays it?

  • What will hosting or the platform subscription cost, and is it monthly or yearly?

  • Are there paid plugins, apps or licenses?

  • Who handles updates, fixes and restoring the site after launch, and is that included?

  • If you part ways with the designer, how do you take the site with you?

Get the costs in writing, with the amounts and billing schedule, before you sign.

Hypothetical example: a cleaning company's first website

This is an illustration, not a real client. Picture a residential cleaning company in Central Florida that has only ever used a Google Business Profile. Before calling a designer, the owner registers the domain in the company's name, makes a list of the accounts the business owns, and photographs real jobs with clients' permission. They write down four main services, the cities they cover and the questions callers ask most. They decide the office manager will approve copy, agree on two revision rounds, and ask for the build cost and the ongoing costs separately. When the project starts, most of the usual back-and-forth has already happened.

Quick checklist

  • [ ] One-sentence goal for the site, and the main action visitors should take

  • [ ] Roles listed, and one person named to approve each milestone

  • [ ] Pages, features and what's not included agreed in writing

  • [ ] Domain registered in my business's name, in an account I control

  • [ ] List of all accounts and who owns each

  • [ ] Logo files in the best quality available

  • [ ] Photos I have the right to use, with short descriptions

  • [ ] Full service list, main services and the area I serve

  • [ ] Decision on who writes the copy

  • [ ] Answers to common customer questions

  • [ ] Platform, hosting, security, restore plan and updates confirmed

  • [ ] Redirect plan, if redesigning

  • [ ] Pre-launch tests done on a phone and a computer

  • [ ] GA4 and Search Console under my business's accounts

  • [ ] Revision rounds and approver agreed in writing

  • [ ] Ongoing costs listed in writing

Frequently asked questions

What should be included in a website project checklist?

Goals and roles, written scope, domain and account ownership, content and photos with usage rights, design and technical requirements, pre-launch tests, revisions and ongoing costs.

What should I test before launching a website?

Forms, phone links, every link and button, page titles and meta descriptions, images and alt text, HTTPS, contact details, and tracking. Test on a phone and a computer, in more than one browser.

How should I plan the site's pages and templates?

Start with a page list: home, one page per main service, about, areas served, FAQ and contact. Then review the home page and service page templates before the rest is built.

Who should own my website domain?

Your business should. Register it in your business's name, in an account you control, and give your designer user access if they need it.

Can I use photos I found on Google Images?

Not without permission. Images online are usually owned by someone. Use your own photos or properly licensed images.

Does my domain name need to include keywords?

No. Google says keywords in the domain name have hardly any effect beyond appearing in breadcrumbs. Pick a name that suits your brand.

What ongoing costs should I expect after launch?

Typically domain renewal, hosting or platform fees, any paid plugins or licenses, and optional maintenance. Ask for exact amounts in writing before you start.

Do I need a checklist if my site is small?

It helps. Even a five-page site depends on who owns the domain, who approves the copy and whether the contact form works.

Ready to plan your site?

Twin Rabbit Digital builds mobile-friendly websites for Central Florida businesses, with the pages, revisions and ongoing costs agreed in writing before work begins. Learn more about our web design and development service, or tell us about your project through our Contact page.

This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by Andres A. for accuracy.

Sources

All accessed November 9, 2026.

TWIN RABBIT DIGITAL

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