So you have decided it is time to rebuild your website or maybe you are ready to launch your first website. Regardless if you do the development work yourself or hire someone there are a few things you can do in advance to help the development move along without delays. I have built more websites than I can count, going back to my very first website in 1995, and I have worked with great and not so great clients. If you want to be a great client read this list and prepare now.

15 Items You Need When You Begin Building Your Website

1. Your website host, username and password. – I wrote a article that applies directly to items 1 and 2. You will need these so your developer can access your server backend and point your domain to the new website.

2. Your domain host, username and password. – Where you host your domain can and is often different than where you host the website.

3. Your biography. – In three lengths. 140 characters for use on Twitter and other profiles, 500 words for a medium length biography and then a full length biography. Don’t cut corners on your bio. This may be what a newspaper or website grabs to print or post. It needs to “sell” you!

4. Music Releases. – Covers, track listings, credits, lyrics – all releases should be included. You need a discography page. Don’t wait until the last minute to track down all this info.

5. Your Logo. – Ideally your logo should work nicely on a white background and a black background. Provide the the master Photoshop layered file.

6. Background image or color. – Your site most likely will support some form of a background image or color. Decide now what it should be. Provide a number of choices.

7. Everything reviewed, approved, and spell checked. – EVERYTHING you provide to your developer should be ready to use. Don’t pay your developer to check your spelling. Don’t pay your developer to create or change your images.

8. Press – As text documents – any reviews and press you want to include on your website, include links if possible to the original source.

9. Photos – LORES 72 DPI max 1024 wide, organized into folders by subject. File name is a short description. Provide a text document with detailed description of each image, referenced by file name. Please, please, please… your website does not need hires 5000 pixel wide photos. You will be paying your developer to resize your images so they are useable. Do it first and submit ready to use!

10. Links to videos on YouTube. – Don’t ask your developer to search YouTube for videos. Provide a list of videos you want embedded on your site.

11. Your various social networks. – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc urls and usernames and logins – what are the urls so they can be listed in the site. The access is required because often the various sites will be rebranded to match your new website.

12. Email list. – Where is it hosted, username and password for access, embed code to a signup box can be added to your website.

13. Store – Where is it hosted, username and password for access, embed code if available to add your store to your website.

14. Fonts – Does your logo or covers use a special font, provide it to your developer so they have it if needed.

15. Colors – What are the colors you use in your logo, in your cover. Not just red or blue, but the specific hex code for the exact color.

If you spend just a bit of time in advance preparing these various items your developer will love you so much more, lol. Building your website will be much less painful because you are not scrambling to find these items at the last minute, or worse just skipping them and launching a website that is not complete.