What content should you prepare before a website project starts?

Prepare approved business information before asking a design to carry it. Clear service scope, accurate contact details and usable images make the page structure easier to build and review.

Create a content responsibility list

For each page, name the person who supplies facts, the person who drafts or edits the copy and the person who approves it. One person may do several jobs, but the decision route should be clear.

Collect content in an organised place with page names and version notes. Avoid scattering approvals across several chat threads without identifying the final copy. The design team needs to know which material is approved and which still contains questions.

Prepare service-page inputs

Input	Useful detail
Customer problem	What situation brings a buyer to the service?
Scope	What is included and what requires separate assessment?
Process	What happens from enquiry to acceptance?
Readiness	What information or access does the customer provide?
Evidence	What real work or labelled demonstration may be shown?
Questions	What buyers repeatedly need clarified?

Make facts verifiable

Confirm prices, hours, contact routes, capability statements and any location claim. Do not fill gaps with impressive-looking staff profiles, client logos or statistics. If a fact is unknown, keep it in an internal decision list and use wording that stays within what the business can support.

For policies and contractual terms, identify the authorised owner of the wording. A design team can improve presentation, but it should not invent retention periods, guarantees or legal commitments to fill an empty page.

Prepare images with a purpose

Supply original files and the permission or licence basis for their use. Explain what each image should help the visitor understand. A real product photograph, a process diagram and a decorative background perform different jobs.

Avoid using stock people or offices in a way that suggests they are your staff or premises. For diagrams, provide the actual relationship or steps so the visual can remain accurate. Important explanations should also be available as readable text.

Check readiness before the build slot

• Every agreed page has usable inputs and an approver.
• Contact information and business claims are confirmed.
• Image files and usage rights are available.
• Store product data is complete where applicable.
• Unresolved items have an owner and a decision date.

Google’s guidance favours useful, reliable content created for people. A content pack should therefore answer the real visitor questions rather than repeat a keyword across several interchangeable pages. The page list is a set of distinct jobs, not a target for word count.