What to agree on before ordering a website

Before ordering a website, agree on five things: the site type and number of pages, the CMS, timelines and milestones, ownership of the domain and code, and acceptance criteria. Put them in the brief and contract before paying.

Where do you start when ordering a website?

Start with the goal. The site may need to generate leads, sell products, answer customer questions or present the company to partners. The goal drives the structure, the copy and the budget.

Next, put together a short brief: who your customers are, which services or products matter most, who your competitors are, which sites you like and why. That is enough for a first estimate.

Which type of site do you need and how long does it take?

Timelines start after the brief is approved and materials are received. For projects with integrations we give the timeline after the brief.

Which CMS should you choose?

Choose the CMS for the people who will work with the site. Most marketers know WordPress, and it suits content sites. WooCommerce and Shopify are for stores. MODX is convenient for corporate sites with a flexible structure. Next.js and Laravel fit projects with client areas and custom logic.

Ask the developer to show how you would change a price, text or photo yourself. See our detailed comparison on choosing a CMS.

What belongs in the brief and contract?

• the list of pages, languages, forms and integrations (CRM, payments, Nova Poshta API);
• who prepares copy and photos and who migrates the catalogue;
• milestones, approval deadlines and responsible people on both sides;
• how new requests are estimated after work starts;
• acceptance criteria and the bug-fix period;
• the scope of post-launch support.

Who owns the domain, hosting and code?

The client. Register the domain to your company. Put hosting on your own account. You should hold owner-level access to the admin panel, GA4, Google Tag Manager and Search Console.

Ask for the source code or a full backup after launch. That way the site does not depend on a single developer.

What should you check at acceptance?

1. Submit a lead from a phone and a computer: the email or CRM record arrives with complete data.
2. Go through every page on a smartphone: text is readable and buttons are easy to tap.
3. Check speed in PageSpeed Insights.
4. Make sure GA4 records lead events and the site is added to Search Console.
5. For a redesign, check 301 redirects from old URLs, or your Google rankings will drop.

How do you prepare materials to stay on schedule?

Deadlines slip most often because of materials. Prepare them before the start, or agree up front that the studio will produce them:

• a vector logo and brand colours;
• copy, or answers to the copywriter’s brief;
• photos of the team, office, work or products;
• for a store, a product spreadsheet with prices and specifications;
• access to the domain, hosting and current site;
• one person on your side who approves mockups and copy.

Approving within one or two days is the simplest way to launch sooner.

Which client habits make projects longer?

Three situations come up again and again. One person approves the mockups and then a manager changes them. Copy is written alongside development and rewritten afterwards. New features are added mid-project without revising the timeline. One agreement at the start fixes all three: who makes decisions and how changes are estimated.

FAQ

How much does a website cost?

The cost depends on the type of site, number of pages and languages, integrations and how ready the materials are. We estimate after the brief.

What if I have no copy?

We write it from the brief and a call. For SEO we base the copy on real customer queries.

Can the site be launched in stages?

Yes. We often launch the home page and key services in the first days and add the other pages as materials become ready.

Do I need support after launch?

Yes: CMS updates, backups, small edits and form monitoring. We set the scope in a separate agreement.

Will the site be ready for SEO?

Yes. Structure, meta tags, schema.org markup, a sitemap and Search Console setup are part of development.

Related reading

• Website development from scratch
• What determines the cost of a website
• Choosing a CMS for a corporate website

Send a brief or simply describe the task, and we will come back with a page plan, timeline and estimate.

Sources

• Google: site moves with URL changes
• PageSpeed Insights