What to prepare before you contact a web studio

You don't need a detailed specification to start a website. But half an hour of preparation makes the first conversation far more useful, and the quote you get back far more accurate. This is what we'd ask for, and most studios would ask for the same.

1. What the website has to do

“Look modern” isn't a job. Bringing in enquiries, taking bookings, selling products or answering the questions customers keep phoning about are jobs. If you can name the main one, most other decisions get easier.

2. Who it's for

Describe your typical customer in two or three sentences. What do they need to know before they get in touch, and what would make them trust you?

3. What you already have

• —A logo, colours and fonts, if you have them.
• —Your current website, and the logins for it.
• —Photos of your work, your team or your premises. Real photos beat stock photos almost every time.
• —Text you can reuse: service descriptions, prices, frequently asked questions.
• —Tools you already pay for, such as a booking system, accounting software or a newsletter service.

4. Examples you like, and one you don't

Three websites you like and one you don't, each with a sentence on why. They don't have to be from your industry. “I like how calm this feels” or “I can never find the price here” tells us more than a long description.

5. A budget range and a date

A range is enough. It isn't there to squeeze the most out of you. It decides whether we suggest a landing page, a full website or a first version that grows later. If you're not sure what's realistic, the estimator gives you a starting point in a minute. And tell us about any real deadline, such as a launch, a trade fair or a busy season.

6. Who decides

If several people need to approve the design, plan for it from the start. Projects slow down most when feedback arrives late or when two people want opposite things.

Then just write to us

You don't need everything on this list. Copy whatever you have into an email, or use our contact form, which asks for the most important parts. We read every enquiry ourselves and reply with questions or a proposal.