What to Prepare Before Hiring a Website Developer

By Weburate · Drafted 17 July 2026

A prepared brief helps a developer give a more accurate scope, exposes missing decisions early and reduces avoidable delays after work begins.

Business information

Prepare the correct business name, short description, contact details, location or service area, opening information and any legal details that must appear publicly.

Services, products and target audience

List what you sell, who it is for, common customer questions and the main action visitors should take. Explain whether that action is a call, WhatsApp message, appointment request, quote, purchase or something else.

Brand assets and real evidence

Collect logo files, colours, fonts, approved photographs, verified credentials, real reviews with permission and any existing guidelines. Do not ask the developer to invent proof or business claims.

Pages and features

Write a first list of pages and functions: service pages, forms, maps, booking links, product catalogues, payment providers, schedules or other integrations. The developer can refine the structure after understanding the goal.

Examples you like

Share a few relevant websites and explain exactly what is useful about them—such as navigation, tone, spacing or a particular interaction. References are direction, not permission to copy another business.

Budget and timeline

Give a realistic budget range and any genuine deadline. Ask what is achievable within both, which third-party costs are separate and what inputs must arrive before the delivery estimate begins.

Domain, hosting and account access

Record who owns the domain, hosting, business email, analytics, payment provider, booking system and social accounts. Client-owned accounts reduce future access and ownership problems.

Content and approvals

Prepare draft or final copy, images, policies and one approval contact. Agree how feedback will be consolidated, how many revision rounds are included and how quickly decisions can be returned.

Questions for the written scope

Confirm deliverables, exclusions, technology, responsive behaviour, accessibility, basic SEO, ownership, payment milestones, cancellation, launch responsibilities and post-launch support before work begins.

Conclusion

Bring the prepared information to the first discussion, then compare the written proposal with the actual business goal, available budget, delivery dependencies and responsibilities on both sides.