How to order a website without mistakes: a checklist for business

Businesses don’t order websites every day, so most owners do it for the first time or after a long break. Hence the typical mistakes: a vague brief, choosing a contractor on price alone, no access to your own site. We have put together a checklist to take you from an idea to a live website without unpleasant surprises.

1. Decide why the business needs a website

Start with the goal, not the design. Everything else follows from it: the type of site, the structure, the features and the budget.

• Getting enquiries from advertising for one service.
• Selling products online.
• Presenting the company to clients, partners and job candidates.
• Showing people who found you through a recommendation that you are a real company.

Write the goal down in one sentence and add how you will know the site works: the number of enquiries, calls or orders. It becomes a reference point for both you and the contractor.

2. Choose the type of site

• Landing page — one page for one offer, most often for advertising.
• Business card website — a few pages to briefly present a company or an expert.
• Corporate website — many sections: services, news, vacancies, information for partners.
• Online store — a catalogue, cart, payment and delivery.

More on each format in our articles: how much a business card website costs, the stages of building an online store and what a corporate website should include.

Both the price and the timeline depend on the type. To get your bearings, look at our prices and timelines for every type of website, from a landing page to an online store.

3. Gather the source materials

The more is ready at the start, the faster and cheaper the project.

• the logo and brand colours, if you have them;
• texts about the company, services or products;
• photos of your work, team, office or products;
• contacts, opening hours, addresses;
• two or three sites you like and what exactly you like about them;
• competitors’ sites you look up to.

How to write a brief for the contractor

A brief is a short document from which the contractor understands the task. It doesn’t have to be technical: honest answers to a few questions are enough.

• What the company does and who your clients are.
• What a visitor should do: call, send an enquiry, buy.
• Which sections are needed at launch and which can come later.
• Which features are essential: forms, online payment, language versions, integrations.
• What you already have: a domain, a logo, texts, photos, an old site.
• The desired timeline and an approximate budget.

The more precise the brief, the more accurate the estimate and the fewer rewrites during the work. If a question raises doubts, leave it open and discuss it with the contractor — that is a normal part of getting to know the project.

4. Choose a contractor

A freelancer, a web studio or an agency — each option is valid. What matters is not who but how the contractor works. Check:

• Real work. Ask for links to live sites, not just pictures. Open them on a smartphone, check the speed and the forms. Our work is collected in our portfolio with links to the sites.
• The process. The contractor should explain the stages of the work and what you approve at each one.
• Questions for you. A good contractor first asks about your business, clients and goals rather than naming a price straight away.
• What happens after launch. Who fixes a bug if it turns up a week later, and how much further support costs.

5. Check the proposal

Comparing proposals by the total alone is the most common mistake. The same price can mean a completely different amount of work. Compare:

• how many pages and which sections are included;
• custom design or a template;
• whether there is a mobile version, an admin panel, analytics and basic SEO;
• who fills the site with texts and photos;
• whether the domain and hosting are included, and for how long;
• how many rounds of changes are included.

For example, our turnkey website development already includes custom design, a responsive layout, a domain name for one year, the first month of hosting free, one month of technical support and basic SEO and analytics setup.

6. Agree on timelines and stages

Timelines should be tied to stages, and stages to what you approve. The usual order is: brief, design, prototype and development, content, testing, launch. Ask what is needed from you at each stage and how long you have to reply — delays on the client’s side are what most often push a launch back.

Our guidelines: a landing page takes up to 10 days, a business card website from 7 days, a corporate website up to 14 days, an online store up to 20 days.

7. Secure ownership and access

This is the point people remember when it is already too late. The site, the domain and all accounts must belong to you.

• the domain is registered to you or your company;
• you have access to the site’s admin panel, the hosting and the domain registrar;
• analytics and ad accounts are created on your account, or you have full access to them;
• you can move to another contractor without losing the site.

8. Accept the finished site

Before you sign off, go through the site as a client would:

• open every page on a computer and a smartphone;
• send an enquiry from every form and check that it arrives;
• check the phone numbers, messengers and links;
• make sure analytics is working;
• change something in the admin panel yourself — a price or a text, for example.

9. Plan for life after launch

A website is a tool, not the goal. To bring clients, it needs visitors: from Google Ads, SEO or end-to-end marketing. Discuss this with the contractor before the start so that the site’s structure is ready for promotion.

A month or two after launch, look at the analytics: which pages are opened most, where enquiries come from and where visitors leave the site. That is the best hint about what to improve next — the copy, the forms or particular sections.

Common client mistakes

• Starting with the design instead of the structure. First decide the sections and the client’s path to an enquiry, then choose colours and fonts.
• Copying a competitor. A competitor’s site is a reference, not a template. Show what makes you different.
• Leaving the copy “for later”. A site without copy won’t launch, and texts written in a hurry on the last day rarely sell.
• Getting the whole team to approve. Every new opinion is a new round of changes. Choose one person who makes the decisions.
• Not budgeting for promotion. A launched site with no advertising or SEO is found only by people who already know its address.
• Choosing the lowest price. A cheap site without an admin panel, a mobile version or analytics ends up costing more, because it has to be redone.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to order a website?

It depends on the type of site. With us, a landing page costs from $500, a business card website from $700, a corporate website from $700 and an online store from $1000. We give the exact price once we know the task.

How long does website development take?

A landing page takes up to 10 days, a business card website from 7 days, a corporate website up to 14 days and an online store up to 20 days.

What should I prepare before contacting a contractor?

The site’s goal, a list of the sections you need, your logo, texts and photos if you have them, and examples of sites you like.

Who will own the site and the domain?

You will. Check that the domain is registered to you and that you have access to the admin panel, hosting and analytics.

Can I start with a simple site and expand it later?

Yes. If you tell the contractor about your plans at the start, the structure will be built with room to grow, and new sections can be added without a rebuild.