A useful first step for a business website is a shared content folder and one clear purpose. Perhaps visitors need to understand your services, request a quote or find a community event. Real information gives you something concrete to work with when choosing a design and arranging the pages.
You do not need polished marketing copy for every section before starting. Make one checkable version of each item below, then keep a separate list of unanswered questions for your team or designer.
1. Who you help and what you do
Describe the main audience, service and service area in one ordinary sentence. For example, “We provide regular cleaning for small offices on Hong Kong Island” is a hypothetical business description. It identifies the audience, work and location. Use your own sentence to check whether proposed pages support the same purpose.
2. The next step for a visitor
Choose one main action, such as requesting a quote, viewing courses or finding directions. Note what information that action needs, who receives it and what happens afterwards. A label such as “Request a cleaning quote” or “View course times” tells the visitor what to expect.
3. Service details and boundaries
List what each service includes, what it excludes, who it suits and how it is arranged. If you quote individually, record the factors that affect the quote and the basic details you need from an enquirer. Put unconfirmed prices, availability and promises on the questions list.
4. Contact and opening information
Keep the public phone number, email, address, opening hours and main enquiry channel together. Ask one colleague to confirm them. If visits require an appointment, say so. Separate customer-facing contact details from internal staff information.
5. Photos and a logo you can use publicly
Gather original logo files and relevant photographs of your premises, team, products or work. Add a short caption, intended use and confirmation of whether each image may be published. If team photos are unavailable, a neutral setting or object image can be a starting point. Identify illustrative imagery so it is not mistaken for real customers or completed work.
6. Questions customers actually ask
Collect five questions from real enquiries, such as service areas, preparation, the usual process or deliverables. Have someone who knows the business check the answers. Before including testimonials or case studies, organise the supporting records and arrangements for using them. Leave out performance figures you cannot support.
7. Who approves and who maintains the site
Name the content approver, enquiry recipient and person responsible for later changes to opening hours or events. If you already have a domain or website, record who manages it; passwords do not belong in a general content document. Agree a review date and a handover owner.
Turn the notes into a short brief
- Main readers: the people we want to serve are…
- Main service: we help them with…
- Main website action: we want visitors to…
- Ready material: we have these words, pictures and contact details…
- Open decisions: these prices, service boundaries or languages need confirmation…
- Owners: this person approves content; this person handles enquiries.
You can preview Webetter designs before opening an account. Use your brief to choose a design and replace the examples with your own information, while noting enquiry or booking processes that need separate setup. If you want iGears to help, the same brief starts a discussion about scope; service fees and arrangements are agreed separately.