1. Start your website planning checklist with services

Start your website planning checklist with the services you want inquiries about, the types of property you work on and the jobs you do not take. A broad label such as “home improvement” may leave customers guessing. Explain the actual work in plain language, including any important limits.

Describe where you really travel. A business based in Colorado Springs might use a list of served communities, a county boundary or a practical description of its service area. Use whichever is accurate. Do not imply that you have offices in every place you serve. If you also use a Google Business Profile, review Google’s business representation guidelines before adding locations.

Bring: a service list, actual service boundaries and one sentence describing an ideal project. If timing or availability changes often, decide who will keep that information current.

2. Gather website project photographs with context

Choose photographs you have the right to publish. For each project, record the type of work, your role, the scope and a short explanation of a relevant challenge. A caption that explains what changed is more useful than a gallery of unexplained images.

Obtain any necessary permission before publishing a client’s name, testimonial or property details. General location can provide context without revealing a customer’s street address. Keep stock photographs and mockups clearly separate from completed work.

Bring: an organized folder of approved photographs, captions and customer feedback you are allowed to quote. Include accurate business credentials only when you can substantiate them; a designer should not guess your license, insurance or certification details.

3. Choose your website page plan

A possible five-page structure is Home, Services, Projects, About and Contact. It is an example, not a requirement. If you provide several substantially different services, a customer may need a dedicated explanation for each. More pages are useful only when they answer additional questions.

  • Home: the work you do, whom you serve and the next step.
  • Services: scope, suitability, exclusions and common preparation questions.
  • Projects: genuine work with factual descriptions.
  • About: the actual business, people and supported credentials.
  • Contact: a clear way to discuss a project.

For comparison, our Basic Business Website includes up to five pages and three revision rounds. The Professional package includes up to fifteen pages and five rounds. Agree on the content plan before choosing by page count alone.

4. Define an inquiry you can act on

Decide what you need to have a useful first conversation. Name, contact method, general project location, service type and a short description may be enough. Avoid turning the initial inquiry into a long application when the details can be discussed later.

A sample prompt could be: “What work are you planning, which community is the property in, and when would you like to discuss it?” This is an example, not a form already installed on your website. File uploads, scheduling systems and CRM connections require separate compatibility and scope decisions.

Bring: the inbox that should receive inquiries, the fields you need and the person responsible for responding. Before launch, test required-field errors, a successful submission and delivery to the intended inbox.

5. Prepare access, approvals and launch checks

Identify who controls the domain and hosting. Share access through the provider’s invitation process where available; do not send passwords through a public contact form. If a website already exists, list pages worth retaining and ask how changed URLs will be handled.

Assign one person to collect feedback. Keep a list of missing copy, photographs and approvals, with an owner for each item. On a phone, check that service descriptions are readable, contact links work and the inquiry form can be completed without awkward scrolling.

Before approving launch, review business facts, image permissions, links, form delivery and the agreed content. Confirm the handover and ongoing responsibilities. Our clients receive full website access after final payment; optional maintenance for sites we build is a separate agreement.

Your website planning checklist: services, service area, approved project images, public business details, page priorities, inquiry requirements, existing website access and one decision maker.

Use the website budget guide to separate the build price from hosting, tools and ongoing care. If your current site already has good content, the redesign guide can help you decide what needs to change.

Colo Web Studio LLC is based in Colorado Springs and serves businesses throughout Colorado and across the United States. Package details can change; confirm the current scope and terms before starting.