One of the most common reasons website projects stall — even free ones — is that the business owner wasn't ready. Not in a bad way. They just didn't know what they'd need to gather before things could move forward.
This post is the checklist I wish I had given every business owner before we started. If you're applying for a free website through Webspansion, getting this stuff together first will make everything faster and smoother.
Your business basics
Start with the fundamentals. You'll need your business name exactly as you want it displayed, your city and state or service area, your phone number or email for the contact section, and your hours if you have set ones. If you run out of a physical location, have the address ready. If you're service-area only, just know the area you cover.
This sounds obvious, but a lot of business owners aren't sure how they want to present this information — and that uncertainty slows things down.
A description of what you do
You don't need to write a full About page before we start. But you should be able to answer these three questions: What service do you provide? Who do you serve? What makes you different from someone else doing the same thing in your area?
Even rough answers in a text message or a voice note are fine. We can shape it from there. But we can't write your story for you — only you know it.
Photos, if you have them
Photos of your work, your space, your team, or even just you — they make a huge difference. People are much more likely to reach out to a business where they can see real work from real people.
Your phone camera is fine. You don't need a professional photoshoot. The best photo is the one you actually have. Send what you've got, and we'll make it work.
If you have nothing, that's okay too. We can design around it and come back to photos later.
Any existing brand materials
If you already have a logo, send it — even if it's just a PNG from your phone. Same goes for any colors your business uses, a business card design, or an existing social media profile we can reference for style. You don't need anything polished. We just want to match what you already have rather than guessing.
Links to examples you like
This one is underrated. If you've seen a competitor's website or any website and thought "I want something like that," send it. It saves a lot of back-and-forth and makes it much easier for us to understand your taste. You don't have to know anything about web design — just share what looks good to you.
A list of your main services or products
Your website needs to tell visitors what you offer. Make a simple list: what do you sell or provide, what does it cost (if you want prices on the site), and are there different tiers or packages? Even bullet points in a Google Doc work fine.
What you don't need to prepare
You do not need to know anything about web design, hosting, domains, HTML, or code. You don't need to write copy or know how to structure a page. You don't need a professional photoshoot or a graphic designer. You don't need to buy a domain before applying — we can discuss that during the project.
The whole point is that you shouldn't need to figure all that out on your own. That's what Webspansion is here for.
Read more: What every small business homepage needs.
When you're ready, here's how the process works for small businesses.