5 Must-Haves Before you can Start Building your Website (or Working with a Website Designer)

So, you've got your business (or you're just starting one), and you know you need a website to help you spread the word and make the sales, but as simple as getting a website might sound in theory, in practice it does actually require quite a bit of prep...

You might be at this familiar stage, getting your ideas flowing about what exactly you want on your website, and that's where you start to realise just how many elements come into play. From all the words, the images, the look and style, the fonts, the colors, and let's not forget the right keywords for SEO optimization, oh and the mobile version too - it's a lot to think about! And if you're not a pro website designer who's done this a few times before, this whole website thing can quickly become quite overwhelming.

To help you make sure you're website-ready and prepped, we've put together a handy guide of everything you should have before you can start DIYing your website or hiring a website pro. Check it out below!


Why having a website is so important for small businesses

A good website is many things. It's your business' face, it's a way for potential customers to learn all about you and get in touch, it's a way for you to appear actually legit, and most importantly, save you a ton of time as your new special employee working for you around the clock to spread the good word about why customers should work with you!

A good website makes your business visible

With everyone's first reflex being "let me Google that," having your own little spot on the World Wide Web is a non-negotiable these days. You want to appear in those search results, because if you don't, your chances of getting that client are already a hundred times less than another business who actually has a website out there. Being able to reach just that extra amount of potential customers is so important to boost your business goals and exponentially increase the number of people who might want to work with you or buy from you.

A good website showcases what your business is about

Your website should be a visual representation of your business and its values so that anyone who lands on it knows exactly who they are dealing with. A good website is essential in making you appear professional but also unique, aiding you to stand out from the competition. Of course, your website should also contain all of the crucial info about your business, services and products so that your customers can actually learn about what you do and how you can help.

A good website makes you trustworthy

A website is pretty much essential to make you appear as a legitimate business. It contains (and confirms) important information about your business, where you are located, and how to contact you (email address, phone number), as well as links to your socials. Your website is also a great place to showcase reviews, testimonials, and client results, building trust and providing evidence of your success.

A good website works for you 24/7 to help you make bookings and sales

Of course, your website is the place for you to take bookings and make sales online, all day everyday, even while you're asleep or on a getaway. A good website will significantly increase your business efficiency with automated systems set up so that you hardly have to lift a finger!


5 Must-Haves to Prepare for Building your Website

Given the importance of a website and all that goes into it, it's no surprise that getting it right actually takes quite a bit of prep. So here are the five most important things you should have ready before you can truly nail your website:

1. Your business goals and purpose

If you're a brand new business or even a long time existing one, sitting down and really thinking about your goals and purpose is a crucial starting point for creating a strategic website. Think about what you do, why you do it, who you do it for, and how what you do helps your audience.

Next, think about why you want your website to exist and what you want it to achieve. Are you trying to sell products, generate leads, build an audience, or establish yourself as an authority in your industry? Do you want to grow your email list, educate your audience, or promote events?

Have a think. Write it all down. Then, put it all into a clear mission statement that reflects your business' core values and purpose. Don't forget to keep referring to this at every decision making point while creating your website to make sure you stay right on track!

✔️ Have a clear mission statement for your business

2. Your target audience

Your website needs to resonate with your ideal customers (aka the dream clients you want to be working with). You want them to feel heard and understood and you want the look of your website to appeal to them. Knowing exactly who your audience is and what they like will ensure that your website's design, content, and functionality meet their exact needs.

Start by identifying your target audience or ideal customers. What is their age range, occupation, location? What do they struggle with, what do they desire, what do they need from you and how can you help them?

As you put together the rest of the elements for your website, make sure to keep your ideal customer in mind and imagine having a 1:1 conversation with them to guide your decisions on copy, images, and what to include on your site!

Once you've got your business' goals and target audience set, you can move on to collecting your website content and assets much more mindfully!

✔️ Be clear on who your ideal customers are

3. Your brand and images

Your branding (aka your logo, color palette, fonts, images, and tone of voice) is one of the key elements that reflects you as a business and makes you unique. It's also one of the key elements that should appeal to your target audience and let them know that yes, this business is for them.

You can of course hire a professional brand designer to get this done for you but if you're feeling creative, there are tons of ways to DIY a little brand for your business! We always recommend starting by putting together a moodboard of everything and anything that piques your interest on a platform like Pinterest.

Not only will this help you identify overarching themes or trends of the kind of look you might want to go for, it's a great asset to share with your website designer to help them see what you're into.

As you're moodboarding, remember to always refer back to your ideal customer and think about whether this is something that might appeal to them visually also! For example, if you're targeting yoga instructors, you might want to stick to serene and wholesome imagery, as opposed to something dark and moody which might not be their vibe.

Once you've got your moodboard ready, identify what kinds of colors, images, and styles appear frequently.

From there, you can start compiling photos from free stock image sites like Kaboompics, Unsplash, Pexels, or Dupe, create a logo from one of Canva's many free templates, pick your fav colors for a color palette and voila mini DIY brand done! As you grow your business, you can go back and improve, but this is a good starting point if you're just starting out and your website designer can also help you put it all together based on your moodboard!

✔️ Have a moodboard ready
✔️ Have at least a couple of professional photos of you
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(Optional) Have a logo, color palette, and font combo ready
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(Optional) Have a folder of stock photos or professional photos related to your business/brand

4. Your website copy

Of course, you need some convincing words on your website to help your customers know what you're all about, how you can help, and what you offer. These words set the tone for your business and are key to strategically guide visitors towards purchasing, so you want to get it right!

Your website copy should come before the design so this is an element that you want to have ready before you can get a website built! Your website design should be built around your copy to make sure it flows strategically (rather than the other way around!).

Again, this is something that you can work on with a professional copywriter but if that's not in the budget, DIY is possible. Start by mapping out what pages you want on your website (eg. a Home page, an About page, a Services or Shop page, a Blog page, a Contact page, etc), then think about what content would be useful for your audience for each page.

This is where referring to your business goals and target audience is also crucial as you want both of these elements reflected strongly in your copy to get the message across!

✔️ Have your pages mapped out and website copy ready

5. Your budget and timeline

Before you start building your website, it's also important to consider how much you want to (or can) spend on it as this will dictate whether you opt to DIY, get a template professionally restyled for you, or choose a totally custom site.

  • While DIY is certainly the cheapest option, it's also likely to be the longest timeline wise, given that you are relying on yourself to learn and execute which is not always an easy task if you've never done it before!

  • A template meanwhile may be a happy medium between affordability and rapidity. A professional designer (like us!) can get can restyle a template to fit your business in just a day at a pretty affordable price for example!

  • A fully custom website, one that fits all of your needs to a tee, may be the most expensive option and can take anywhere from a week to a month depending on the designer you choose but will give you the perfect solution for your business.

Think of how much time you are willing to spend on your website, when you would want it to launch by, and how much effort you are willing to put into it or if you're ready to hand the reigns over to a pro!

✔️ Decide on your budget and whether you want to DIY, use a template, or hire a pro


Once you've got your goals and target audience set, a moodboard or mini brand and website copy ready to go, and a general idea of if you want to DIY, get a template, or hire a pro, you're good to continue on your website building journey... and we can't wait to see where it will take you 🤗

Here at Will Travel for Disco, we love to support small business owners just like you to get their dream website up and running! From hourly support for consultation and quick fixes, to VIP days dedicated to you, template restyling, or full custom design in just a week, we tailor our services to fit just what you need and we can't wait to work with you!