How to Prepare Content Before a Website Build

Start with a page list

Create a simple list of every page the site needs. For most service businesses, this includes home, about, services, portfolio or case studies, resources, contact, privacy, and any landing pages. Ecommerce sites also need product, cart, checkout, account, shipping, returns, and policy pages.

Write for decisions, not decoration

Website content should help the visitor decide what to do next. Each page should answer: what is this, who is it for, why does it matter, what proof supports it, and what should the visitor do now?

Images need context

Images should be named, grouped, and matched to the pages where they belong. If you are sending original photos, note which images are preferred. If stock images are needed, define the visual direction so the site does not look generic.

A page-by-page content inventory

Create one record per page in a shared document or spreadsheet. This keeps content preparation for a website build connected to the page structure rather than leaving the team to interpret a folder of unrelated files.

• Page name and purpose: What question should this page answer?
• Reader and next step: Who is it for, and what should they do after reading?
• Copy: Link the working text and mark it draft, reviewed or approved.
• Evidence: Identify usable project details, credentials or testimonials and their approval status.
• Assets: Match images, diagrams, downloads and product information to the page.
• Owner and reviewer: Name who supplies the material and who can approve it.
• Open questions: Record missing information and dependencies that affect layout or launch.

Do not use “content ready” to mean that a document exists. It should mean the team knows which version to use, what still needs checking and whether important assets are permitted for the intended publication.

A service page example

Fictional example: A business is preparing a service page for commercial cleaning. The reader needs to understand the type of premises covered, what the service includes, how an initial visit is arranged and what information to send with an enquiry.

The content owner supplies a concise explanation, relevant photographs and an approved project example. The page does not claim a result or accreditation that the business cannot support. Its enquiry link identifies the service so the reader can continue without repeating the whole journey.

The inventory records one missing photograph and an outstanding approval on the project example. The designer can work with realistic draft text while those two dependencies remain visible. This is a planning example, not a client case study.

Prepare files that the team can actually use

Keep copy editable and distinguish the current version from earlier drafts. Put images in named groups and identify preferred files, captions and any cropping constraints. For products, agree the required data fields and provide a small complete sample before preparing a large import.

Record where each asset came from and whether it may be used on the website. Clarify font, stock image and commissioned artwork licences with the appropriate supplier. If the site needs original illustration or new photography, include that work in the brief rather than assuming a placeholder will become final content.

Policy and regulatory wording should come from the business and its qualified adviser where necessary. The design team can plan how it appears, but visual approval does not establish legal accuracy.

Keep content approval separate from design approval

Review factual text for accuracy before debating its visual treatment. Give one person responsibility for consolidating comments and resolving contradictory changes. When a service description changes after approval, tell the design team whether it affects headings, navigation, images or the enquiry path.

Read the website brief guide, the design feedback guide and the project roadmap for the surrounding decisions. If the business also needs a PDF introduction, the company profile guide helps you reuse approved information without treating the website and document as identical layouts.