The single biggest thing that slows a website project down isn’t design or development it’s waiting on content that hasn’t been written yet, or logo files that don’t actually exist in a usable format. None of this is complicated, but having it ready before the project starts can shave real time off the whole build.
Your actual logo files
Not a screenshot, not a low-res copy pulled off your old site the original logo file, ideally as a vector (AI, EPS, or SVG) plus a high-resolution PNG with a transparent background. If you only have an old JPG with a white background, say so upfront; it’s fixable, but it’s worth knowing before design starts rather than discovering it mid-build.
Written content, even in rough form
You don’t need polished copy an outline, bullet points, or even a voice memo transcribed into a doc is enough to start. What slows things down is a blank page where “About Us” copy should be. We can help shape and tighten content, but having the actual substance from you first means we’re not guessing at your business on your behalf.
A list of pages you actually need
Home, About, Services, Contact is the standard starting point but if you know you need something specific (a careers page, a locations page, a booking flow) say so early. Adding a page mid-project is normal and fine; adding five unplanned pages after design is locked in is what stretches a timeline.
Real photos, if you have them
Stock photography works fine when nothing else is available, but real photos of your team, your work, or your space almost always make a site feel more credible. If you don’t have professional photos yet, that’s worth knowing upfront too we can work with what you have or plan around stock in the meantime.
Access to your domain and hosting
This ties back to choosing a domain and hosting if you already have a domain registered, having login access ready avoids a delay right at launch, when everything else is otherwise done.
What happens if you’re not ready
None of this needs to be perfect before we start a lot of it comes together during the discovery and design stages. But knowing where the gaps are upfront means we can plan around them, instead of hitting them partway through and losing time. If you’re not sure what you have and don’t have yet, that’s a completely normal thing to figure out together on a discovery call.
“The build is rarely the bottleneck. Waiting on content and assets usually is.”
