If you’re new to web design, beginning a new website project can feel like a daunting and intimidating task.
You’re probably thinking that there are so many moving parts to web design that it could be easy to overlook some of them without a clear plan?
While yes, there are a number of different moving parts to web design & development, it should still be a fun process.
In an effort to help make the process a little less overwhelming, it is essential to be clear on your process. A great way to ensure you’re not missing anything is by following a checklist to gather all the content that you will need from the client in order to make the process as smooth as possible—and with minimal emails back and forth.
I’ve created a list of essential content that I gather for my client projects for a smooth web design & development process. Feel free to swipe my web design content checklist below to make sure you’ve covered all bases!
Brand style guide & brand assets
- Logos
- Brand colours
- Font files
- Icons
- Patterns
- Favicon
Images
- High-resolution images (so they can be optimised to the correct size)
- Named appropriately with descriptive/keyword titles for SEO
Copy
Clearly formatted in a Word/Google Doc with:
- Page titles
- SEO description
- Headings
- Subheadings
- Calls-to-action
- Links
- Customer reviews & testimonials
Links
Social media:
- YouTube
Other:
- Emails – for contact forms, order confirmations, general messages.
General content
- Blog posts (one at minimum to populate the content)
- Portfolio/project content
- 404-page content & links
Premium content
- ebooks/PDFs – email opt-ins, freebies, downloadables
- Videos – hosted on Vimeo, Loom, YouTube.
- Any additional widgets needed
Domains
- Chosen domain name
- Domain registrar (e.g. Namecheap/GoDaddy/Crazy Domains)
- Username & password – to point the domain to the website host
Hosting
- Chosen website host (if we are not managing hosting for you. e.g. Siteground)
- Username & password – to set up and manage the website files
Email marketing
- Chosen email marketing platform (e.g.Mailerlite/ActiveCampaign)
- Username
- API key (a secure authentication token to link to your site)
- Password (only needed for designing and setting up any email marketing templates)
Website optimisation information
- Google Analytics tracking ID
- Facebook Pixel ID
Backend/company information
- Business address
- Phone number
- Contact email
- Business hours (if applicable)
- Service area (if applicable)
- Privacy policy
- Terms and conditions
Using this website design checklist as a starting point between you and your client ensures you get exactly what you need without time wasted through the excessive back and forth communication and your client can be confident in knowing that nothing is being overlooked.
If you’re interested in diversifying your graphic design business with web design download our free ebook The Web Designer Starter Kit: 5-Step Framework To Start Designing & Building Websites.
