Website design is an asset but can quickly become a liability if you aren't prepared. Before you even build a website there are a series of things you need to establish first.
– Here are 4 things you need to establish before you build a website
#1 A Business Name
Believe it or not this is actually really common. Many people have products/services that they offer to customers but do not have a business name. Having a business name allows your clients and customers to recognize and associate with your brand.
A business name is also legally necessary and required for legal documents and overall business operations.
#2 A list of your goods/services & a their descriptions and prices
You know your business better than anyone. The more details you can provide about your business services and / or goods, the better off your website design experience will be. It's always better to have too much than too little. Your website designer will thank you when you provide them with detailed and adequate information.
Some examples of details information:
Description of services
Photo album of work / products
State tax percentage
Shipping fulfillment service
POS (point of sale, ie: Square)
Pricing (or starting at $______)
Timeline
Packages & what's included
Service providers
#3 Professional Photography
Photography is one of the most important parts of a good website. Very little things can remedy dated or non-existent photography. Investing in a photographer to come and take professional pictures of you, your products/services, and your business environment will be one of the best decisions you ever make. Providing your website designer with clear photos and a variety of shots in portrait and landscape mode will make their day!!
#4 Your Credentials or Eligibility
Your clients and customers want a product or a service, but regardless of what you say about your business, they want to trust that you know what your doing and have the experience necessary to sell them a product or service.
As a business owner you need to build authority on your website that identifies those aspects of your professionalism. Have a paragraph ready to go that lists any and all degrees, awards, certifications, achievements, etc...
Another aspect of this is publicly listing reviews or customer testimonials. Like I stated before, you can talk all you want about your business but at the end of the day your customers and clients don't care what YOU have to say about your business, they care about what OTHERS have to say about your business.