Content for a new website: texts, photos, structure – what to prepare

For a new website, prepare five groups of materials: a description of the business and its goals, the page structure, texts for every page, photos and videos, and access to the domain, hosting and services. The more complete the package before development starts, the fewer pauses, rework and template placeholders in the design.

In brief

• Materials are what most often holds up a launch, so they are collected in parallel with the design, or better still before it.
• The site structure, that is, the list of pages and the links between them, is approved before the design: it defines the menu, the templates and the scope of work.
• Texts come out stronger when they are based on real questions from clients in calls and messengers.
• Your own photos of the team, the premises, the process and finished work perform better than generic stock images; the rights to images must be confirmed.
• Access and accounts form a separate package: domain, hosting, e-mail, analytics, ads, CRM.
• An online store also needs a product spreadsheet with SKUs, prices, attributes and photos.

What to prepare: the general list

It is convenient to split the materials into groups and assign a person responsible for each. The table gives examples and the approximate moment when each material is needed.

A responsible person on the client's side is appointed separately: they collect the materials, answer questions and approve the result. When there are many approvers, the timeline grows.

Site structure: how to describe the pages

The structure is built around the visitor's tasks and the search queries clients use to look for the service. A typical service website includes a home page, a separate page for each service, pages about the company, case studies or a portfolio, reviews, a blog, contacts, questions and answers, and legal pages. For SEO, a simple scheme applies: one service – one page with its own query.

1. List all services or product groups.
2. Group them by the client's logic, that is, by the tasks the client solves.
3. For each group, define a page and the main search query.
4. Add trust pages and service pages: about the company, case studies, reviews, contacts, privacy policy.
5. Sketch a menu diagram with a short top level and sub-items where needed.

For each page, it is worth writing down its purpose, the desired visitor action and the main blocks. Such a description easily turns into a technical specification.

Texts: what to write and where to get the material

Real client questions form the basis of the texts: calls, messenger conversations, commercial proposals, sales managers' answers. It also helps to hold a short interview with the owner or a specialist who knows the details of the work. The client prepares the factual base, and a copywriter or an agency can take over the editing and presentation.

Service page framework

• who the service is for and what task it solves;
• what the service includes;
• how the work proceeds, stage by stage;
• what the cost depends on and how long the work takes;
• examples of work, reviews, proof of experience;
• answers to common questions;
• a call to action and a request form.

What spoils texts

Generic phrases like individual approach and high quality explain nothing. They are worth replacing with specifics: what exactly the service includes, within what timeframe, how approval works. Texts of competitors or manufacturers must not be copied: duplicates perform poorly in search and may infringe copyright. Texts are handed over in an editable format with headings for each page, while screenshots and scanned PDFs complicate the work.

Photos, video and graphics

Real photos of the team, the premises, the work process and the results inspire more trust than generic stock images. The rule of thumb is simple: if a photo could appear on any competitor's website, it adds little. Stock images are kept for abstract illustrations.

• Hand over the original files: messengers compress images and reduce their quality.
• Large blocks, such as the first screen, need high-resolution shots.
• For products, keep a uniform background, lighting and frame proportions, plus several angles.
• Provide the logo in a vector format (SVG, AI or PDF) and in PNG, and specify the brand colors and fonts.
• Prepare videos as concise clips without unnecessary minutes at the start and, if possible, with subtitles.

The rights to the materials are confirmed. Images from search engines are usually protected by copyright, so you use your own photos, stock images with an appropriate license or materials provided with permission. People who can be recognized in a photo must give their consent. The rules depend on the country, so in doubtful cases you consult a lawyer.

Access and technical data

• the domain and access to the registrar account;
• hosting or a server, DNS records;
• corporate e-mail;
• Google Analytics, Search Console, Tag Manager and other analytics services;
• ad accounts and the pixel;
• CRM, telephony, messengers;
• payment and logistics services for a store;
• access to the current website, its backup and a list of addresses for redirects.

Access is granted through invitations with the required role, and passwords are shared in a secure way. This makes it easier to revoke the rights after the work is completed.

Legal information is prepared separately: company details, a privacy policy and terms of use, if they are needed. The scope depends on the type of business and legal requirements, so the list is worth checking with a lawyer.

Specifics of an online store

For the catalog, a spreadsheet is prepared in Excel or Google Sheets with the following columns:

• SKU and product name;
• category and subcategory;
• price, availability, unit of measure;
• description and list of specifications (size, color, material, weight);
• links to photos or file names;
• weight and dimensions for calculating delivery.

Delivery, payment, return and warranty terms are written up as separate texts. Unique descriptions are written first for key products and categories; the rest can be added gradually.

How to organize the collection of materials

Materials are collected in a shared folder with a clear structure: separate subfolders for texts, photos, logos, documents and access. Files get meaningful names, and each page comes with a short description of what it should contain. A simple tracker spreadsheet is useful: what is needed, who is responsible, by what deadline, in what state.

The following order works well: first the structure and key texts, then photos and visual materials, then additional sections, while access is granted in parallel. Approvals are collected in one channel so that edits do not get lost between messengers and e-mail.

Common mistakes

• Lorem ipsum and placeholders right up to the launch: a design built around real texts looks different.
• Copying texts of competitors or manufacturers.
• Only stock photos instead of your own.
• No responsible person, so approvals drag on for weeks.
• Materials arrive in parts and without priorities.
• Texts in the form of images or scans.
• Contacts and prices differ between sources.
• Legal pages are left for the last day before the launch.
• The site languages are not defined in advance, and it is unclear who is responsible for the translation.
• Photos are sent through messengers with compression.

Questions and answers

Can the writing of texts be delegated to an agency?

Yes. A copywriter or an agency prepares the texts, but the client provides the factual basis: services, terms, examples, figures. The finished texts are checked by a subject-matter specialist, since factual errors damage trust.

How many photos are needed?

There is no exact number; everything depends on the structure. Usually you need shots of the team, the premises or workshop, the process and the results for key services, as well as images for the first screen. A few high-quality shots are better than many random ones.

Can photos be taken from the internet?

Images from search are usually protected by copyright. Use your own photos, stock images with an appropriate license or materials provided with permission. The rules depend on the country, so if in doubt, consult a lawyer.

What if there are almost no materials?

Start with the minimum: a description of services, contacts, a few photos. Launch a reduced structure and add sections gradually. A short photo shoot and an interview with the owner help, as they provide the basis for the texts.

What should be prepared first: texts or design?

At least the key texts are prepared before the design. Then the mockups take into account the real length of headings and blocks, and there are fewer edits after the layout coding.

Conclusion

Content preparation often turns out to be the longest part of a project, so it is started in advance: the structure, texts, visual materials and access come together in a single package in which a specific person is responsible for each part. The more specific the list, the faster approvals go. A prepared package also reduces the number of edits after the layout coding. You can start with the minimum and add the rest gradually. LightSEO, a digital agency from Mukachevo, will help draw up the structure and the list of materials even before the design. For companies that need a full-fledged website, there is turnkey corporate website development, and for a single offer or campaign, landing page development is the right fit.

Read also

• Animations and video on a website: when they are appropriate and how to keep the speed
• Technical specification for a company website: how to describe a service website
• Trust signals on a website: what really works