The best website projects aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones where everything needed is ready at the start. A little preparation saves weeks of back and forth, and means the time you're paying for goes into the design, not chasing files.

Here's what's worth gathering before you start.

Your goals

What do you want people to do on the site: book, buy, call or enquire?
Who are your best customers, and what do they need to see first?
What isn't working about your current site (if you have one)?
Two or three websites you like, and what you like about them. They don't have to be in your industry.

Your pages

Make a simple list of the pages you think you need. Most small businesses start with home, services (or products), about, contact and a page for the thing customers ask about most. Your designer will refine it, but a starting list makes the conversation quicker.

Your words

Copy is the part that most often holds a project up. Even rough notes help: what you do, who it's for, what makes you different, your prices if you show them, and the questions customers always ask. A designer can shape and edit it, but only you know your business well enough to write the first draft.

Your brand

Your logo in its original files (ideally vector: SVG, AI, EPS or PDF).
Your brand colours and fonts, if you have them.
Any brand guidelines.

If you don't have these, or they no longer feel right, that's worth knowing early. Designing the brand and website together often works out better than patching one to fit the other.

Your photos

Good photography lifts a website more than almost anything else. Gather the best images you have of your space, your team, your products and your work. If they're dated or few, consider a shoot before launch. Your designer can help with direction.