Prepare your site’s texts and photos in one evening
Most small business sites are held up not by the design but by the lack of texts and photos. If you prepare them in advance, a site on a ready template comes together in an evening. Below is a checklist: the order to do things in, how much time to give each step, and what you can skip altogether.
What to gather before you start
Name, phone, email, address, opening hours.
A description of the business in 3–4 sentences.
A list of services or products with prices.
Five to ten photos.
Links to social networks.
Two or three client reviews.
Keep all of it in one folder or one document. When you fill in the form, nothing has to be looked up: you copy and paste.
The description: four sentences (15 minutes)
What you do, for whom, where, and how you differ. Write it the way you would tell a new client on the doorstep. "The best service" says nothing: replace it with a fact, such as "working since 2015".
An example: "A barbershop in the centre of Lviv. We cut hair for men and boys and work by appointment. Four barbers, each with at least five years of experience. Open from 10:00 to 21:00 every day."
The price list: a service and a price (30 minutes)
One line per item. If there is no exact price, write "from". A price list with no prices makes people call, and most of them will simply move on. Group the items by section and put the most popular first.
Check the price list against what you really charge. A price on the site that differs from the price in the room undermines trust faster than anything else.
Photos: what to shoot (40 minutes)
The premises or the workplace.
The team, or you.
The result of your work.
The sign or the entrance, so a client recognises the place.
Shoot by a window in daylight. Half a dozen sharp shots beat twenty blurred ones. Before uploading, crop out what should not be there and check that no strangers' faces are in the shot without their consent. Landscape frames fit most blocks better than portrait ones.
Contacts: check twice (10 minutes)
Compare the phone number, address and hours with what is shown on Google Maps and in your social networks. A mistake in one digit costs a client, and you will be fixing it after launch. Call the number from the site on another phone and make sure someone picks up.
Reviews (up to a day)
Ask two or three regular clients to write a few sentences and to let you use their name. A screenshot from a social network works too, if the person does not mind. This is the one step worth starting in advance.
The plan for the evening
18:00. Gather the data in one place, 15 minutes.
18:15. Write the description, 15 minutes.
18:30. Put together the price list, 30 minutes.
19:00. Choose and upload the photos, 40 minutes.
19:40. Check the contacts, 10 minutes.
19:50. Choose a template, fill in the details and look at the result.
What you do not need to prepare
A logo in several formats: one version is enough to start.
Texts for every section: the ones that answer the client's questions are enough.
Perfect photos: they can be replaced later in the panel.
A separate page about the history of the company: two sentences in the description will do.
When everything is ready
Choose a template for your trade, fill in the details and look at the result. It is free: you pay once, when you publish the site, with no monthly subscription. See what it costs on the pricing page, and why a one-time payment is usually better value in the article on builders with no subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Can a site really be put together in one evening?
Yes, if the texts and photos are ready beforehand: on a ready template all that is left is to enter the data and check the result. A rough plan for the evening is given above.
What takes the longest to prepare?
Reviews: they can take up to a day, because you have to ask your clients and wait for a reply. That is why this step is worth starting in advance.
Can I launch with photos that are not perfect?
Yes. Six clear shots are better than twenty blurred ones, and you can replace them later in the panel.
What should I check before publishing?
The phone number, the address and the opening hours: compare them with Google Maps and social networks and call the number from the site on another phone. How to get onto the map is covered in “How to add your business to Google Maps”.