The goal of the site
Pick one main action: phone calls, quote requests, bookings or online sales. "Get more calls from homeowners in Nanaimo and Lantzville" shapes every page. "Look professional" shapes none.
Checklist
Website project checklist: what to prepare before you start
Most small business websites take one to three weeks to build once the content is ready. The waiting before that is where projects stall. This checklist covers everything a designer will ask you for, why each item matters, and what to do if you do not have it yet, with a printable list at the end.
Why preparation decides the timeline
The build itself is the predictable part. A one-page site takes us about a week, and most small business sites take one to three weeks after the content arrives. What makes a project drag for two months is almost always waiting: for text about services, for photos, for someone to find the domain login, or for a partner who has not seen the design yet.
Gather the items below before the kickoff call and the project moves at the speed you paid for. You do not need everything perfect. A rough list in an email beats a polished document that never gets written.
1. Decisions only you can make
Your services, in order of value
List every service, then mark the three that make you the most money. Those get their own pages and the most attention.
Prices or price ranges
Customers and AI answers both look for them. Even "most furnace installs run between X and Y" filters out tire-kickers and builds trust. Decide what you are comfortable publishing.
Your service area
The towns you actually drive to, and the ones you would like more work in. Each one you take seriously can get its own page, like our pages for web design in Ladysmith or Duncan.
2. Content and brand
Photos
Real photos of finished work, the team, the vehicle and the shop. Phone photos in good daylight are fine. Twenty good ones beat two hundred random ones.
Logo
The original file, ideally SVG, AI, EPS or a large PNG with a transparent background. A logo pulled from Facebook is usually too small. If you need one, we offer a logo and brand kit.
Text you already have
Old brochures, quotes, the about section from Facebook, answers you give on the phone. Raw material saves the most time, even when it needs rewriting.
Reviews and proof
Your best Google reviews, licences, insurance, warranties, association memberships and before and after photos.
3. Access and accounts
This is where most projects lose a week. Check each one now, while nothing is urgent.
| Account | Why it matters | If you do not have it |
|---|---|---|
| Domain registrar login | Needed to point the domain at the new site | Find the renewal email, or ask whoever set it up to transfer it into an account in your name |
| Google Business Profile | Linking the profile to the right page and keeping details matched | Add the designer as a manager in the profile instead of sharing your password |
| Current website or builder login | To list old pages and plan redirects | A list of the pages you know is a start; we can crawl the rest |
| Business email provider | Changing the domain must not break your email | Note who provides it: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or your host |
| Google Analytics and Search Console | Keeps history from the old site | Fine to start fresh; we set both up at launch |
| Booking or job software | Connecting forms or booking to your system | Name the tool; the designer checks what it supports |
Never send passwords by email. Most of these services let you add another user, which you can remove when the project ends.
4. People and timing
One decision-maker
Name the person who approves the design and text. If a partner or spouse has a say, involve them at the first review, not after launch.
Examples you like
Three to five websites, from any industry, with a note on what you like about each: the layout, the colours, how the phone number sits. Sites you dislike are just as useful.
A realistic timeline
Work back from any hard date: a season starting, a van wrap, a trade show. Leave room for two rounds of design changes, which we build into every quote.
A budget range
A range lets the designer suggest what fits instead of guessing. Our guide to website cost in Nanaimo shows what typical ranges buy.
What happens after you send it
This is how a project runs with us, so you know where your preparation fits.
Quote
A fixed written price based on your list, usually within one business day.
Kickoff
A call, or a visit if you are nearby on the island, to go through the goal, pages and content. Payment is split: 50% to start and 50% at launch.
Design and build
You see the design early and get two rounds of changes. Then the site is built, hand-coded and tested on phones.
Launch
Domain connected, redirects in place if there was an old site, Search Console and Analytics set up, Business Profile linked.
After launch
Thirty days of free fixes. Then the site is yours: keep it with us on an optional plan, or host it anywhere.
Printable checklist
Print this or copy it into an email. Tick what you have; send the rest when you can.
- One main goal for the site (calls, quotes, bookings or sales)
- List of services, top three marked
- Prices or price ranges you are willing to publish
- Towns and areas you serve
- 10 to 30 real photos of work, team and vehicles
- Logo file in the largest format you have
- Existing text: brochures, quotes, about section
- Best reviews, licences, insurance and memberships
- Domain registrar name and login (in your own name)
- Designer added as manager on Google Business Profile
- Current website or builder login, if any
- Who provides your business email
- Three to five example sites you like, with notes
- Name of the one person who approves decisions
- Any hard deadline and the reason for it
- A budget range
If you are replacing an old site
Add one more item: a list of the pages on your current site that people actually visit. Those addresses need to stay the same or redirect to the new ones, or you risk losing the search traffic the old site earned. Our website redesign service handles that list and the redirects, and the Wix and Squarespace cost comparison explains the moving steps.
For a sense of where a well-prepared project ends up, look at Paintless Dent Repair, a mobile service business, or browse the rest of our work.
Questions people ask
What do I need before hiring a web designer?
You need a clear goal, a list of your services and the towns you serve, real photos, your logo file and access to your domain. A budget range and a few example sites you like make the quote more accurate. Everything else can be gathered during the project.
How long does it take to build a small business website?
Most small business websites take one to three weeks once the content is ready, and a one-page site about a week. Delays almost always come from waiting for text, photos or account access, which is why preparing first matters.
Should I write my own website content?
Write a rough version if you can, because you know your business best. A designer or copywriter can then shape it for readers and search. If you cannot find the time, pay for copywriting rather than delaying the project.
Who should own my domain name?
You should, registered in an account in your own name. If a designer or agency holds it, you depend on them to keep your website and email running. Ask for it to be transferred to you before or during any new project.
How do I give a web designer access to my Google Business Profile?
Add them as a manager from the profile's settings instead of sharing your Google password. You keep ownership and can remove them at any time. The same approach works for Search Console and Analytics.
Start Creating Your Website
Tell us about your business and what you need, or pick a time for a 15‑minute call. We'll reply within 1 business day with a fixed quote or the questions we need answered.
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