The more information you can give me, the better. That is the most honest answer I can give you.

I will learn your business. I will understand your business. But I will never know it as well as you or someone who has been working there for years. There needs to be a point of contact. There needs to be someone who can get me what I need and go over what I send for approval. It is so important to get the content right.

You can’t just say “well, that’s what I hired you for.” It doesn’t work like that. The more effort you put into this project, the more benefits you will get out of it.

”Can’t you just write it for me?”

I absolutely can. And it will work. But it’s like translating a conversation into a language you weren’t born speaking. You can get close, but the person who lives it every day will always say it better. The best projects come from the best content given.

I do offer content writing services, and what I produce will be pretty close to the mark. But nothing will ever be better than hearing it from your own mouth. Nobody can tell your story the way you can. I can build the best website in the world, but it means more when the words on it came from you.

What do I actually need from you?

It depends on your business, but here’s the general idea:

  • Photos. If you want photos of your work, your staff, or your location on the website, I need those from you. A web designer is not a photographer. I know quite a few good photographers, and if you’re local I’ll refer you to one. But any photo you want on the site needs to come from you at the best quality possible. Don’t tell me to pull it off your Facebook. Send it from the device you took it with. The bigger the photo, the better the quality, and the better it will look on the website.
  • Your story. If you want people to know the history of your company, that needs to come from you in some form. It doesn’t have to be written out. We can do it over a phone call that I record and work from. It doesn’t have to be you spending hours typing something up. It can be a natural conversation between us.
  • Your services and pricing. If you have menus, I need up-to-date photos of them. If your pricing changes often, I need to know that. If you want to showcase projects or past work, I need to be aware of that ahead of time so we can design the site to handle it.

Remember, your website is a 24/7 employee who’s always working to bring you new customers. The better you equip it, the better it performs.

What happens when content doesn’t come in?

This is the hardest part of the job. Everyone is enthusiastic at the beginning of a project. You’re excited, I’m excited, we’re ready to go. But it’s human nature to look for the path of least resistance. When I come back and say “hey, I need this” or “can you send me that,” it can feel like homework. I get it.

But when content stalls, the project stalls. And a stalled project helps nobody. This has to be a two-sided commitment for it to really benefit your business.

When a client comes prepared, everything changes.

It makes all the difference in the world. The project becomes a pleasure. More time can be spent on the finer details that really separate you from your competition. And that is the goal of your website.

Every single business has competition. You need to stand out above the rest. The more content you give me, the better you will look online. The more clear and precise you are, the easier it will be for someone to understand your business and make an informed decision.

The bottom line.

Your web designer can build the house, but you have to bring the furniture. The content you provide is what makes your website feel like yours and not just another site on the internet. Put in the effort upfront, and it pays off every single day your site is live.