Commissioning a website: a step-by-step guide
If you want a website built, the place to start is not a search for a designer but a sequence of nine steps: write down the site’s purpose, list the pages, establish the state of the content, settle who owns the domain and hosting, ask for quotes, read the contract, sign off the design, launch, and plan for care. Below we take each step in order, and finish with a brief template you can fill in and send.
Why a sequence matters
Most projects stumble in the same place. A company is found, a few sample sites are shown, the fee is discussed and work begins. Then the questions arrive. Which pages will there be? Who writes the copy? Whose name is the domain in? Who updates the site after launch?
Every one of these questions has an answer. But answered halfway through a project, they push the timetable back, stretch the scope and set expectations against each other. The sequence below exists to bring those questions to the start.
Each step rests on the one before. You cannot list pages without knowing the purpose. You cannot get an accurate quote without a page list. And no contract should be signed before the quote has been read.
1. What is the site for?
Write it in one sentence: what should this site get the visitor to do?
The answer is usually one of these — call, fill in a form, book an appointment, request a quote, buy something, or simply come away trusting you and remembering your name. Wanting all of them is natural. But one has to be chosen as the primary action, because the priorities of the design, the layout and the copy all follow from it.
Add your audience to the same sentence. “Homeowners planning a renovation should ring us” and “corporate procurement teams should request a quote” do not describe the same site.
2. Which pages will it have?
Once the purpose is clear, the page list follows. A basic business website has a home page, an about page, a separate page for each service, a contact page and the legal pages. Depending on the sector, booking, menu, listings or project pages are added.
A long list is not a measure of success. It is enough that each page answers one question. For a detailed checklist, see the pages every business website needs.
At this stage, note any special functions too — several languages, appointments, reservations, online sales, member log-in, a connection to another system. These are what change scope and timetable most.
3. Is the content ready?
Content means the copy, photographs, logo, team details, service descriptions and frequently asked questions. It affects the timetable more than anything else.
One of three situations applies:
- Ready. The copy and images are in hand and only need editing.
- Partly ready. There is material on an old site or in a brochure, but it needs updating.
- Not there yet. Everything has to be written and photographed from scratch.
Saying which one applies at the outset is essential for an honest timetable. We prefer to shape the copy together with you — but since you know your business, the knowledge and the approval always come from you. We explain how this changes the schedule in how long does a website take?
4. Whose name are the domain and hosting in?
This step is often skipped, and it causes more trouble than any other. The domain (for example yourcompany.com) should be registered in your name, in an account you can log in to. The same goes for the hosting and email accounts.
Even if you change suppliers, the domain must stay with you. That means the control-panel log-in details are yours, and the registration records show your name or your company’s.
If you bought a domain years ago but are not sure which account it sits in, now is the time to find out. Launch day is where this most often comes unstuck. We go through the details in domain, hosting and business email.
5. How to ask for a quote
With a brief in hand, asking for a quote becomes simple. Send the same brief to several companies, and you can compare the replies on the same terms.
When reading a proposal, look at these before the fee: which pages and functions are in scope, how many rounds of revisions are included, who is responsible for content, what the delivery dates depend on, and what happens after launch. We go through a proposal line by line in how to read a software proposal.
One more caution. A proposal with a vague scope can grow later, however modest it looks at first. A proposal with a clear scope tells you from the start what is included and what is not. Choose the second kind.
6. What the contract should cover
The contract is the written form of what has been agreed. It need not be long, but it should include these points:
| Clause | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Scope | Which pages and functions are included, and which are not |
| Timetable and stages | What is expected of you at each stage, and what delivery dates depend on |
| Revision rounds | How many are included, and how an extra round works |
| Content responsibility | Who produces copy and images, and who holds the rights |
| Ownership and access | Who owns the domain, hosting, source code and accounts |
| Payment schedule | Which stages payments are tied to |
| Personal data | How data collected through forms is handled, and the privacy notice |
| After launch | How long fixes are covered, what they include, and the maintenance option |
| Changes of scope | How a new request is assessed when it comes in |
The personal data clause deserves particular attention. Even a contact form collects personal data, and data protection rules — the GDPR in Europe, KVKK in Türkiye — expect visitors to be told what happens to it.
7. How the design is signed off
Design usually moves in two steps. First comes a design direction: colours, typefaces, the overall feel. Then come the page types: home page, service page, contact page and so on.
When you sign off, keep two things in mind. First, look at the design on a phone as well — a large share of visitors will arrive that way. Second, gather feedback into a single list. Comments sent separately by different people reopen the same points again and again.
Naming a single decision-maker shortens this stage. Comments can come from several people; the final word should come from one.
8. What to check at launch
Launch is more than pressing a button. Before going live, we check:
- That pages display correctly on phone, tablet and desktop
- That forms really arrive, and the privacy notices are in place
- Page titles, descriptions, the sitemap and search engine registration
- Speed and accessibility measurements
- If there is an old site, that old addresses redirect to the new ones
Tying these checks to a list is the simplest way to keep launch day calm. In the first weeks after launch we also watch the search engine reports, to see whether pages are being indexed.
9. What happens after launch?
A site is not finished on the day it goes live. Updates, new pages, small fixes, security and backups carry on. Who does this should be agreed before launch.
Some businesses update the content themselves and leave technical care to their supplier. Others hand everything over. Either works; what matters is that it is not left vague. With a written maintenance plan, you never have to wonder whom to ring about a small fix. We offer monthly maintenance after launch, and businesses that prefer to can still update their own content. There is more on this in why website maintenance matters.
Brief template: copy and fill in
Copy the template below, fill it in and send it, unchanged, to every company you ask for a quote. A sentence or two per line is enough. Where you do not know, write “don’t know” — that is information too.
## Website brief
- **Business:** (Name, what you do, how long you have been doing it)
- **Audience:** (Who will visit the site? With what problem?)
- **Primary action:** (What should visitors do? Call, fill in a form, book...)
- **Pages wanted:** (Home, about, services, contact...)
- **Sites you like:** (2–3 addresses, and what you like about each)
- **Sites you dislike:** (If any, and why)
- **Content status:** (Ready / partly ready / not yet; are there photographs?)
- **Languages:** (One language / two languages / which ones)
- **Special functions:** (Appointments, reservations, online sales, log-in, integrations...)
- **Existing site and domain:** (Is there one? Whose name is it registered in?)
- **Timetable:** (Preferred launch date, and what that date depends on)
- **Decision-maker:** (Who gives final approval?)
- **After launch:** (Will you update it yourselves, or do you want maintenance?)
Filling in the template takes about half an hour, but it makes the first conversation far more productive. Instead of starting with “so, what do you want?”, it starts with “how shall we solve this on that page?”
Common mistakes
- Starting from a sample site. A site you admire is a good reference, but it is not a purpose.
- Leaving the domain to the supplier. If it is not registered in your name, handing it over later becomes difficult.
- Leaving content until last. The design is finished and the pages sit empty.
- Looking only at the fee. Two proposals with different scopes cannot be compared on the same terms.
- Not discussing maintenance. Who does what after launch stays unclear.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ask for a quote without a brief?
You can. But the replies will probably rest on very different assumptions, which makes them hard to compare. Even a short brief narrows the gap.
Can the supplier buy my domain for me?
Technically, yes. But the registration should be in your name or your company’s, and you should have access to the control panel. We always register domains in the client’s name.
Do I have to write the copy myself?
No. The copy can be written together. But since you know your services, your clients and the way you work, the knowledge and the final approval come from you.
Can I start small and grow later?
Often that is a good route. You can launch with the core pages and add the rest afterwards. What matters is that the structure is built to grow from the start.
If your brief is ready, have a look at how we work on our web design and development page, or send it to us. We reply within two working days.