[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":1168},["ShallowReactive",2],{"site":3,"post-website-migration-checklist":156,"more-website-migration-checklist":452},{"id":4,"contact":5,"description":12,"extension":13,"footerCompany":14,"footerServices":33,"foundingYear":58,"legalLinks":59,"legalName":69,"meta":70,"name":69,"nav":71,"serviceMenu":85,"social":137,"stats":143,"stem":152,"tagline":153,"twitterHandle":154,"__hash__":155},"site\u002Fsite.yml",{"email":6,"phone":7,"phoneHref":8,"whatsapp":9,"canadaPhone":10,"replyTime":11},"info@spectrondigital.com","+92 326 9394125","+923269394125","923269394125","","We reply within one working day. WhatsApp is fastest.","Spectron Digital is a digital agency serving clients worldwide. We design brands, build websites, stores and apps, run social media and ads, and deliver ecommerce solutions for clients worldwide.","yml",[15,18,21,24,27,30],{"label":16,"to":17},"About","\u002Fabout",{"label":19,"to":20},"Work","\u002Fwork",{"label":22,"to":23},"Blog","\u002Fblog",{"label":25,"to":26},"Free tools","\u002Ftools",{"label":28,"to":29},"Resources","\u002Fresources",{"label":31,"to":32},"Contact","\u002Fcontact",[34,37,40,43,46,49,52,55],{"label":35,"to":36},"Branding & logo","\u002Fservices\u002Fbranding-logo-design",{"label":38,"to":39},"Websites & stores","\u002Fservices\u002Fwordpress-development",{"label":41,"to":42},"Shopify apps","\u002Fservices\u002Fshopify-app-development",{"label":44,"to":45},"Web & mobile apps","\u002Fservices\u002Fweb-app-development",{"label":47,"to":48},"SaaS & AI tools","\u002Fservices\u002Fsaas-development",{"label":50,"to":51},"Social media","\u002Fservices\u002Fsocial-media-management",{"label":53,"to":54},"Fixes & migration","\u002Fservices\u002Ffixes-migration-maintenance",{"label":56,"to":57},"Ecommerce solutions","\u002Fecommerce-solutions","2022",[60,63,66],{"label":61,"to":62},"Privacy policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy",{"label":64,"to":65},"Terms","\u002Fterms",{"label":67,"to":68},"Sitemap","\u002Fsitemap.xml","Spectron Digital",{},[72,75,78,80,81,82,83,84],{"label":73,"to":74},"Home","\u002F",{"label":76,"to":77},"Services","\u002Fservices",{"label":79,"to":57},"Ecommerce",{"label":19,"to":20},{"label":25,"to":26},{"label":22,"to":23},{"label":16,"to":17},{"label":31,"to":32},[86,99,113,123],{"group":87,"links":88},"Design",[89,90,93,96],{"label":35,"to":36},{"label":91,"to":92},"Social creatives","\u002Fservices\u002Fsocial-media-creatives",{"label":94,"to":95},"UI \u002F UX","\u002Fservices\u002Fui-ux-app-design",{"label":97,"to":98},"Print & packaging","\u002Fservices\u002Fprint-packaging-design",{"group":100,"links":101},"Development",[102,104,108,111,112],{"label":103,"to":39},"WordPress & Webflow",{"label":105,"apps & ecommerce":106,"to":107},"Shopify",null,"\u002Fservices\u002Fshopify-development",{"label":109,"to":110},"Laravel & Next.js","\u002Fservices\u002Flaravel-development",{"label":44,"to":45},{"label":53,"to":54},{"group":50,"links":114},[115,117,120],{"label":116,"to":51},"Posting & management",{"label":118,"to":119},"Paid ads","\u002Fservices\u002Fpaid-ads",{"label":121,"to":122},"Reels & creatives","\u002Fservices\u002Fcontent-reels",{"group":124,"links":125},"Software & AI",[126,128,131,134],{"label":127,"to":48},"SaaS products",{"label":129,"to":130},"AI micro-software","\u002Fservices\u002Fai-micro-software",{"label":132,"to":133},"AI web apps","\u002Fservices\u002Fai-web-apps",{"label":135,"to":136},"Automations","\u002Fservices\u002Fautomation-chatbots",{"linkedin":138,"facebook":139,"instagram":140,"x":141,"youtube":142},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fcompany\u002Fspectrondigital\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Fspectrondigital\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fspectrondigital\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fx.com\u002Fspectrondigital","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002F@SpectronDigital\u002F",[144,146,149],{"value":58,"label":145},"Founded",{"value":147,"label":148},"100s","of clients served",{"value":150,"label":151},"500+","websites built","site","Brand, websites, apps, social media and complete ecommerce, built by one accountable team.","@spectrondigital","FQRe7u68K_H0VkaNGGc2EGTCR3jTe_MGytKMlfr60pA",{"id":157,"title":158,"author":159,"body":160,"category":438,"cluster":439,"date":440,"description":441,"draft":442,"extension":443,"meta":444,"navigation":445,"path":446,"readTime":447,"seo":448,"seoTitle":449,"status":106,"stem":450,"updated":106,"__hash__":451},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwebsite-migration-checklist.md","Website migration checklist: move platforms without losing traffic","Spectron Digital Team",{"type":161,"value":162,"toc":425},"minimark",[163,171,174,179,185,191,197,203,209,213,219,225,231,237,243,247,253,259,265,269,275,281,287,293,299,303,309,315,321,327,338,342,364,368,379,387,391,397,403,409,415,419],[164,165,166,170],"p",{},[167,168,169],"strong",{},"Short answer:"," a safe migration comes down to four things: a full inventory of what you have, a tested copy on the new platform, a redirect for every old URL, and a monitored switch-over. Skip any of them and traffic or data tends to disappear.",[164,172,173],{},"This checklist applies whether you are moving host, changing platform (for example WooCommerce to Shopify) or redesigning on the same system.",[175,176,178],"h2",{"id":177},"before-you-touch-anything","Before you touch anything",[164,180,181,184],{},[167,182,183],{},"1. Back up everything."," Files, database, media and settings. Store the backup somewhere other than the old server, and confirm you can restore it.",[164,186,187,190],{},[167,188,189],{},"2. Record how the site performs today."," Save your current traffic, top pages, rankings for important keywords and conversion numbers. You will compare against them afterwards.",[164,192,193,196],{},[167,194,195],{},"3. Crawl the old site."," List every URL, title, description, heading and redirect. A crawling tool or your sitemap is a good start. This list is the backbone of the project.",[164,198,199,202],{},[167,200,201],{},"4. Decide what to keep, merge or remove."," Pages with traffic or links should be kept or redirected to the closest match. Old thin pages can be merged. Do not delete a page that ranks without a plan.",[164,204,205,208],{},[167,206,207],{},"5. Freeze changes."," Agree a date after which content on the old site stops changing, or plan how to sync late changes.",[175,210,212],{"id":211},"build-and-test-the-new-site-on-a-staging-copy","Build and test the new site on a staging copy",[164,214,215,218],{},[167,216,217],{},"6. Build in a private environment."," Block search engines on staging with a password or a noindex rule, then remove the block at launch. Forgetting this is one of the most common launch mistakes.",[164,220,221,224],{},[167,222,223],{},"7. Move the content and data."," Pages, posts, products, variants, customers, orders and media. Check a sample by hand: images, formatting, prices, categories.",[164,226,227,230],{},[167,228,229],{},"8. Recreate the features."," Forms, search, payments, shipping rules, tax settings, email notifications, tracking and integrations.",[164,232,233,236],{},[167,234,235],{},"9. Keep the SEO fundamentals."," Titles, descriptions, headings, image alt text, canonical tags, structured data and internal links should come across. Better yet, improve them.",[164,238,239,242],{},[167,240,241],{},"10. Test like a customer."," Place a test order, submit every form, try on a phone, and click every menu link.",[175,244,246],{"id":245},"redirects-where-rankings-are-won-or-lost","Redirects: where rankings are won or lost",[164,248,249,252],{},[167,250,251],{},"11. Map old URLs to new URLs."," Use a spreadsheet with two columns. Send each old address to the most relevant new page with a permanent (301) redirect, not to the home page.",[164,254,255,258],{},[167,256,257],{},"12. Test the redirect list."," Run every old URL and confirm it returns a single 301 to a live page. Chains and loops waste ranking signals.",[164,260,261,264],{},[167,262,263],{},"13. Check the small things."," Old image URLs, PDF files, feeds, and URLs with parameters can still receive traffic.",[175,266,268],{"id":267},"launch-day","Launch day",[164,270,271,274],{},[167,272,273],{},"14. Pick a quiet time"," and tell the team.",[164,276,277,280],{},[167,278,279],{},"15. Lower DNS time-to-live"," a day or two in advance so the switch propagates quickly.",[164,282,283,286],{},[167,284,285],{},"16. Switch the site."," Update DNS or the host, install the SSL certificate and confirm the site loads on the right domain with HTTPS. Pick one version (with or without www) and redirect the other.",[164,288,289,292],{},[167,290,291],{},"17. Remove the staging block."," Make sure search engines can crawl the live site, and that your robots file and sitemap are correct.",[164,294,295,298],{},[167,296,297],{},"18. Test again on the live domain."," Orders, forms, payments, tracking and email.",[175,300,302],{"id":301},"after-launch","After launch",[164,304,305,308],{},[167,306,307],{},"19. Submit the new sitemap"," in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.",[164,310,311,314],{},[167,312,313],{},"20. Watch for errors."," Check crawl errors, 404 pages and server logs daily for the first two weeks. Fix missing redirects immediately.",[164,316,317,320],{},[167,318,319],{},"21. Compare performance."," Review traffic and rankings against your baseline. A small dip for a few weeks can be normal after a big change. A continuing drop means something is wrong.",[164,322,323,326],{},[167,324,325],{},"22. Keep the old site and backup for a while."," Do not cancel the old hosting until you are sure everything is safe.",[164,328,329,332,333,337],{},[167,330,331],{},"23. Set up maintenance."," Updates, backups, monitoring and security checks should be in place from day one. See our ",[334,335,336],"a",{"href":54},"care plans",".",[175,339,341],{"id":340},"common-mistakes","Common mistakes",[343,344,345,349,352,355,358,361],"ul",{},[346,347,348],"li",{},"Redirecting everything to the home page.",[346,350,351],{},"Leaving \"discourage search engines\" switched on after launch.",[346,353,354],{},"Forgetting tracking codes on the new site.",[346,356,357],{},"Changing URLs unnecessarily.",[346,359,360],{},"Cancelling the old host too early.",[346,362,363],{},"Not testing checkout with real payment methods.",[175,365,367],{"id":366},"moving-between-ecommerce-platforms","Moving between ecommerce platforms",[164,369,370,371,375,376,337],{},"Store migrations add products, variants, customers, orders and gift cards to the list. Do a trial import first, compare totals, and keep order history accessible. If you are considering a move, read ",[334,372,374],{"href":373},"\u002Fblog\u002Fshopify-vs-woocommerce","Shopify vs WooCommerce"," and see our ",[334,377,378],{"href":107},"store migration help",[164,380,381,382,386],{},"Need a safe pair of hands? ",[334,383,385],{"href":384},"\u002Fcontact?fix=Migration","Ask us about a managed migration"," and we will give you a plan, timeline and estimate before we start.",[175,388,390],{"id":389},"common-questions","Common questions",[164,392,393,396],{},[167,394,395],{},"How long does a migration take?"," A small brochure site can move in days. A large store with thousands of products, custom features and many redirects takes weeks, mostly for testing. Plan time for review, not just the transfer.",[164,398,399,402],{},[167,400,401],{},"Will I lose rankings?"," A short fluctuation can happen even with perfect work. Loss is far more likely when redirects, titles, content or page speed change for the worse. Following this checklist keeps the risk low.",[164,404,405,408],{},[167,406,407],{},"Should I change the design at the same time?"," It is possible, but doing both at once makes problems harder to trace. If rankings matter a lot, consider moving first and redesigning afterwards, or at least keep URLs and key content stable.",[164,410,411,414],{},[167,412,413],{},"Do I need downtime?"," Usually not. Building the new site in parallel and switching DNS at a quiet time means visitors see little or no interruption.",[175,416,418],{"id":417},"what-we-send-you-before-a-migration","What we send you before a migration",[164,420,421,422,337],{},"A written plan with scope, timeline and milestones, the list of URLs and redirects, a test plan, a rollback plan and a clear estimate. If you would like one, ",[334,423,424],{"href":384},"request a migration plan",{"title":10,"searchDepth":426,"depth":426,"links":427},3,[428,430,431,432,433,434,435,436,437],{"id":177,"depth":429,"text":178},2,{"id":211,"depth":429,"text":212},{"id":245,"depth":429,"text":246},{"id":267,"depth":429,"text":268},{"id":301,"depth":429,"text":302},{"id":340,"depth":429,"text":341},{"id":366,"depth":429,"text":367},{"id":389,"depth":429,"text":390},{"id":417,"depth":429,"text":418},"Web","Migration and maintenance","2026-09-27","A step-by-step checklist for moving a WordPress, Shopify or custom site to a new platform or host while protecting rankings, data and uptime.",false,"md",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwebsite-migration-checklist","8 min read",{"title":158,"description":441},"Website migration checklist for SEO","blog\u002Fwebsite-migration-checklist","oFaobCNiEgLXkRWnXTcu7qigc8mNAZi-epJhMkO_fRI",[453,744,990],{"id":454,"title":455,"author":159,"body":456,"category":438,"cluster":734,"date":735,"description":736,"draft":442,"extension":443,"meta":737,"navigation":445,"path":738,"readTime":739,"seo":740,"seoTitle":741,"status":106,"stem":742,"updated":106,"__hash__":743},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fa-fast-website-is-a-sales-tool.md","A fast website is a sales tool: what actually slows you down",{"type":161,"value":457,"toc":721},[458,463,466,470,473,493,501,505,508,540,543,547,550,564,570,574,577,596,600,603,617,620,624,638,642,645,649,670,674,677,688,690,696,702,708,714,718],[164,459,460,462],{},[167,461,169],{}," most slow websites are slow for four reasons: oversized images, too many scripts, heavy fonts and weak hosting. Fix them in that order and most sites get noticeably faster without a rebuild.",[164,464,465],{},"Speed matters because people leave slow pages, search engines measure it, and every extra second of waiting is a reason to doubt a business. A fast site feels trustworthy.",[175,467,469],{"id":468},"what-to-measure","What to measure",[164,471,472],{},"Google's Core Web Vitals give three targets for a good experience:",[343,474,475,481,487],{},[346,476,477,480],{},[167,478,479],{},"Largest Contentful Paint (LCP):"," how quickly the main content appears. Aim for 2.5 seconds or less.",[346,482,483,486],{},[167,484,485],{},"Interaction to Next Paint (INP):"," how quickly the page responds when someone taps or clicks. Aim for 200 milliseconds or less.",[346,488,489,492],{},[167,490,491],{},"Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS):"," how much the layout jumps while loading. Aim for 0.1 or less.",[164,494,495,496,500],{},"Test your key pages on a mobile connection, not just on a fast office computer. Run our ",[334,497,499],{"href":498},"\u002Ftools\u002Fwebsite-seo-audit","free website audit"," to get a starting score and the top fixes.",[175,502,504],{"id":503},"_1-images-the-biggest-win","1. Images: the biggest win",[164,506,507],{},"Images are usually the heaviest part of a page.",[343,509,510,516,522,528,534],{},[346,511,512,515],{},[167,513,514],{},"Resize"," images to the size they are shown. A 4000 pixel photo in a 600 pixel slot wastes bandwidth.",[346,517,518,521],{},[167,519,520],{},"Compress"," them and use modern formats such as WebP or AVIF where supported.",[346,523,524,527],{},[167,525,526],{},"Lazy load"," images below the first screen.",[346,529,530,533],{},[167,531,532],{},"Set width and height"," so the layout does not jump.",[346,535,536,539],{},[167,537,538],{},"Prioritise"," the main image above the fold instead of lazy loading it.",[164,541,542],{},"On WordPress and Shopify, check that your theme serves responsive image sizes and does not upload originals straight from a phone.",[175,544,546],{"id":545},"_2-scripts-the-silent-cost","2. Scripts: the silent cost",[164,548,549],{},"Every tracking tool, chat widget, pop-up, review badge and font service adds JavaScript. Together they can delay interaction even when the page looks ready.",[343,551,552,555,558,561],{},[346,553,554],{},"List every third-party script on your key pages.",[346,556,557],{},"Remove anything nobody uses.",[346,559,560],{},"Load the rest after the page is interactive, and after cookie consent where the law requires it.",[346,562,563],{},"Be careful with tag managers: they make it easy to add things and easy to forget them.",[164,565,566,567,337],{},"On Shopify, unused apps often leave code behind after you uninstall them. An app clean-up is a quick speed fix. See ",[334,568,569],{"href":54},"fixes and maintenance",[175,571,573],{"id":572},"_3-fonts","3. Fonts",[164,575,576],{},"Fonts block text from appearing nicely if they load late.",[343,578,579,582,585,588],{},[346,580,581],{},"Use as few families and weights as you can.",[346,583,584],{},"Host fonts on your own domain, which avoids an extra connection.",[346,586,587],{},"Use modern font formats and subset to the languages you need.",[346,589,590,591,595],{},"Set ",[592,593,594],"code",{},"font-display: swap"," so text shows immediately.",[175,597,599],{"id":598},"_4-hosting-and-caching","4. Hosting and caching",[164,601,602],{},"If the server is slow to respond, nothing else can be fast.",[343,604,605,608,611,614],{},[346,606,607],{},"Choose hosting that matches your platform and traffic.",[346,609,610],{},"Use caching so pages are not rebuilt for every visitor.",[346,612,613],{},"Put a content delivery network (CDN) in front of static files.",[346,615,616],{},"Keep your platform, theme and plugins updated.",[164,618,619],{},"Static sites, which are pre-built files, can be extremely fast and cheap to host. This website is built that way.",[175,621,623],{"id":622},"_5-code-weight-and-design-choices","5. Code weight and design choices",[343,625,626,629,632,635],{},[346,627,628],{},"Remove unused CSS and JavaScript.",[346,630,631],{},"Avoid heavy sliders, auto-playing video and large animation libraries above the fold.",[346,633,634],{},"Prefer CSS animation using transform and opacity.",[346,636,637],{},"Keep the page structure simple.",[175,639,641],{"id":640},"_6-measure-again","6. Measure again",[164,643,644],{},"After each change, test again, and write down the result. Speed work is easy to undo by accident when someone adds a new plugin. Schedule a monthly check.",[175,646,648],{"id":647},"a-quick-speed-plan","A quick speed plan",[650,651,652,655,658,661,664,667],"ol",{},[346,653,654],{},"Test your home page and top three landing pages.",[346,656,657],{},"Fix images.",[346,659,660],{},"Cut scripts.",[346,662,663],{},"Trim fonts.",[346,665,666],{},"Review hosting and caching.",[346,668,669],{},"Re-test and record the improvement.",[175,671,673],{"id":672},"does-speed-really-help-sales","Does speed really help sales?",[164,675,676],{},"Speed alone will not rescue a weak offer, but it removes friction. A faster page lets more visitors see your message, supports better search visibility and makes checkout and forms feel reliable. It is one of the few improvements that helps nearly every metric at once.",[164,678,679,680,684,685,687],{},"If you would rather hand it over, our ",[334,681,683],{"href":682},"\u002Fservices\u002Fnuxt-nextjs-development","web development team"," builds fast sites from the start, and our ",[334,686,336],{"href":54}," keep them fast.",[175,689,390],{"id":389},[164,691,692,695],{},[167,693,694],{},"What is a good load time?"," There is no single number, because it depends on the page and the visitor's connection. Use the Core Web Vitals targets above as your guide, and compare your key pages against each other and against competitors on a mobile connection.",[164,697,698,701],{},[167,699,700],{},"Will a faster site rank higher?"," Page experience is one of many signals, and relevance still matters most. Speed helps indirectly too: fast pages keep visitors engaged, which supports every other goal.",[164,703,704,707],{},[167,705,706],{},"Do I need to rebuild my site to make it faster?"," Often not. Image, script and hosting fixes deliver most of the gain. A rebuild makes sense when the platform or theme itself is the bottleneck, for example a page builder that outputs very heavy markup.",[164,709,710,713],{},[167,711,712],{},"How often should I test?"," Test after every significant change, and run a scheduled check monthly. A new plugin, banner or tracking tool can undo months of careful work in a single afternoon.",[175,715,717],{"id":716},"a-worked-example","A worked example",[164,719,720],{},"Imagine a small service business whose home page takes six seconds to become usable on a phone. A review finds a 3 MB hero photo, five tracking scripts, two chat widgets and four font weights. Compressing and resizing the hero image, removing the duplicate chat widget and two unused trackers, and cutting the fonts to two weights can remove most of that delay without touching the design. The page looks identical, loads in a fraction of the time and keeps visitors long enough to read the offer.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":426,"depth":426,"links":722},[723,724,725,726,727,728,729,730,731,732,733],{"id":468,"depth":429,"text":469},{"id":503,"depth":429,"text":504},{"id":545,"depth":429,"text":546},{"id":572,"depth":429,"text":573},{"id":598,"depth":429,"text":599},{"id":622,"depth":429,"text":623},{"id":640,"depth":429,"text":641},{"id":647,"depth":429,"text":648},{"id":672,"depth":429,"text":673},{"id":389,"depth":429,"text":390},{"id":716,"depth":429,"text":717},"Website speed","2026-10-03","Images, fonts, scripts and hosting, in the order that matters. A practical guide to making a website faster and why it helps enquiries and sales.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fa-fast-website-is-a-sales-tool","7 min read",{"title":455,"description":736},"Why a fast website sells more","blog\u002Fa-fast-website-is-a-sales-tool","QSrR4MXyEjLn6W4mswgFgxqGpX5uuNYRcktSB2nm6Fo",{"id":745,"title":746,"author":159,"body":747,"category":438,"cluster":980,"date":981,"description":982,"draft":442,"extension":443,"meta":983,"navigation":445,"path":984,"readTime":985,"seo":986,"seoTitle":987,"status":106,"stem":988,"updated":106,"__hash__":989},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-brief-a-web-project.md","How to brief a web project so you get the right quote",{"type":161,"value":748,"toc":964},[749,754,757,761,764,768,771,785,788,792,795,799,802,822,833,837,840,844,847,851,854,858,861,865,868,872,892,895,899,916,920,926,932,938,944,948,954,957,961],[164,750,751,753],{},[167,752,169],{}," a useful brief explains who you are, what you want to achieve, who the site is for, what it needs to do, and the practical limits on timing and size. You do not need technical language. Clear goals matter more than detailed specifications.",[164,755,756],{},"Agencies can only quote accurately when they understand the problem. A vague brief leads to vague quotes, and vague quotes lead to disagreements later.",[175,758,760],{"id":759},"_1-describe-the-business-in-a-paragraph","1. Describe the business in a paragraph",[164,762,763],{},"What do you sell, to whom, and what makes you different? Include where you operate. Link to your current site and social profiles if you have them.",[175,765,767],{"id":766},"_2-state-the-goal-in-measurable-terms","2. State the goal in measurable terms",[164,769,770],{},"\"A new website\" is not a goal. Better:",[343,772,773,776,779,782],{},[346,774,775],{},"\"Increase quote requests from the website.\"",[346,777,778],{},"\"Sell our products online across several countries.\"",[346,780,781],{},"\"Replace a slow, outdated site that is hard to edit.\"",[346,783,784],{},"\"Launch a booking portal for customers.\"",[164,786,787],{},"Add numbers if you have them: current monthly visitors, enquiries, orders. Even rough numbers help.",[175,789,791],{"id":790},"_3-describe-your-audience","3. Describe your audience",[164,793,794],{},"Who are the main visitors? What do they want to know or do? What worries them? Two or three short customer profiles are enough.",[175,796,798],{"id":797},"_4-list-what-the-project-must-include","4. List what the project must include",[164,800,801],{},"Think in features, not pages:",[343,803,804,807,810,813,816,819],{},[346,805,806],{},"Pages or sections you expect.",[346,808,809],{},"Forms, bookings, payments or accounts.",[346,811,812],{},"Product catalogue size, and how often it changes.",[346,814,815],{},"Integrations: email, CRM, accounting, shipping, marketing tools.",[346,817,818],{},"Languages and regions.",[346,820,821],{},"Who will edit content, and how technical they are.",[164,823,824,825,828,829,832],{},"Separate ",[167,826,827],{},"must-haves"," from ",[167,830,831],{},"nice-to-haves",". That one distinction makes quotes far easier to compare.",[175,834,836],{"id":835},"_5-share-examples-and-opinions","5. Share examples and opinions",[164,838,839],{},"Link to two or three sites you like and say what you like about each: the layout, the tone, the speed, a feature. Mention what you dislike too. Examples are shorthand for taste.",[175,841,843],{"id":842},"_6-mention-your-content-and-brand-situation","6. Mention your content and brand situation",[164,845,846],{},"Do you have a logo, brand colours, photos and written content? Who will provide text? Will you need copywriting, photography or a new brand identity? Content is the most common cause of delay, so be honest here.",[175,848,850],{"id":849},"_7-give-the-timeline-and-any-fixed-dates","7. Give the timeline and any fixed dates",[164,852,853],{},"Is there a launch event, season or deadline? Say so, and say how flexible it is. A rushed timeline affects scope and cost, and an agency can propose phases.",[175,855,857],{"id":856},"_8-describe-the-size-of-the-project-not-a-secret-number","8. Describe the size of the project, not a secret number",[164,859,860],{},"Many people hide the budget to avoid being overcharged. A better approach is to describe the size in plain terms: a focused project, a growing business or a larger programme. Agencies can then propose options that fit, and explain what each includes.",[175,862,864],{"id":863},"_9-say-how-decisions-are-made","9. Say how decisions are made",[164,866,867],{},"Who approves designs? How many people give feedback? Clear decision-makers keep projects on schedule.",[175,869,871],{"id":870},"_10-questions-to-ask-agencies","10. Questions to ask agencies",[343,873,874,877,880,883,886,889],{},[346,875,876],{},"Who will actually work on my project?",[346,878,879],{},"What does the quote include, and what does it not include?",[346,881,882],{},"How will we communicate, and how often?",[346,884,885],{},"What happens after launch: support, hosting, updates?",[346,887,888],{},"Who owns the code, designs and accounts at the end?",[346,890,891],{},"Can I see relevant examples of your work?",[164,893,894],{},"Good agencies welcome these questions.",[175,896,898],{"id":897},"use-a-template","Use a template",[164,900,901,902,906,907,911,912,915],{},"Our free ",[334,903,905],{"href":904},"\u002Ftools\u002Fproject-brief-builder","project brief builder"," asks these questions step by step and gives you a brief you can send to any agency. If you want us to quote, our ",[334,908,910],{"href":909},"\u002Ftools\u002Fproject-scoper","project scoper"," or ",[334,913,914],{"href":32},"contact form"," will get you a plan, timeline and estimate before anything starts.",[175,917,919],{"id":918},"common-mistakes-in-briefs","Common mistakes in briefs",[164,921,922,925],{},[167,923,924],{},"Listing solutions instead of problems."," \"We need a slider and a pop-up\" tells an agency what to build, not why. Describe the problem, and let the team propose the best solution.",[164,927,928,931],{},[167,929,930],{},"Leaving out the people who will use it."," If staff will edit the site daily, say so. The best platform for a marketing team is not always the best for a developer.",[164,933,934,937],{},[167,935,936],{},"Forgetting the content."," Copy, photos and product data take longer than anyone expects. Decide early who will produce them, and by when.",[164,939,940,943],{},[167,941,942],{},"Changing the goal mid-project."," It happens, but write it down when it does, and ask how it affects timeline and cost.",[175,945,947],{"id":946},"a-mini-example","A mini example",[164,949,950],{},[951,952,953],"em",{},"\"We are a family-run furniture workshop selling made-to-order tables. We want a new website that shows our work and lets customers request a custom quote. Today we get about ten enquiries a month by phone and need more. Our customers are homeowners aged 30 to 60 who care about craftsmanship. Must-have: gallery, quote form, delivery information, easy editing. Nice-to-have: online deposits. We like two sites for their large photography and simple menus. We have a logo but need photos and copy. We would like to launch in three months, and we can describe our budget as a focused project.\"",[164,955,956],{},"That single paragraph gives an agency far more to work with than a ten-page specification of pages and features.",[175,958,960],{"id":959},"what-a-good-agency-will-send-back","What a good agency will send back",[164,962,963],{},"Expect a clear plan: scope, timeline with milestones, approach, technology and a time and cost estimate, plus the assumptions behind it. If a quote is only a number, ask for the breakdown.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":426,"depth":426,"links":965},[966,967,968,969,970,971,972,973,974,975,976,977,978,979],{"id":759,"depth":429,"text":760},{"id":766,"depth":429,"text":767},{"id":790,"depth":429,"text":791},{"id":797,"depth":429,"text":798},{"id":835,"depth":429,"text":836},{"id":842,"depth":429,"text":843},{"id":849,"depth":429,"text":850},{"id":856,"depth":429,"text":857},{"id":863,"depth":429,"text":864},{"id":870,"depth":429,"text":871},{"id":897,"depth":429,"text":898},{"id":918,"depth":429,"text":919},{"id":946,"depth":429,"text":947},{"id":959,"depth":429,"text":960},"Working with an agency","2026-09-12","A good brief saves weeks and avoids surprises. Here is what to include, how to describe your goals, and what to ask agencies before you sign.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-brief-a-web-project","6 min read",{"title":746,"description":982},"How to brief a web project","blog\u002Fhow-to-brief-a-web-project","prFauBjQRtYhPYr1OKMEfXla3KsSvdeC9a91HzR6y9Y",{"id":157,"title":158,"author":159,"body":991,"category":438,"cluster":439,"date":440,"description":441,"draft":442,"extension":443,"meta":1166,"navigation":445,"path":446,"readTime":447,"seo":1167,"seoTitle":449,"status":106,"stem":450,"updated":106,"__hash__":451},{"type":161,"value":992,"toc":1155},[993,997,999,1001,1005,1009,1013,1017,1021,1023,1027,1031,1035,1039,1043,1045,1049,1053,1057,1059,1063,1067,1071,1075,1079,1081,1085,1089,1093,1097,1103,1105,1119,1121,1127,1131,1133,1137,1141,1145,1149,1151],[164,994,995,170],{},[167,996,169],{},[164,998,173],{},[175,1000,178],{"id":177},[164,1002,1003,184],{},[167,1004,183],{},[164,1006,1007,190],{},[167,1008,189],{},[164,1010,1011,196],{},[167,1012,195],{},[164,1014,1015,202],{},[167,1016,201],{},[164,1018,1019,208],{},[167,1020,207],{},[175,1022,212],{"id":211},[164,1024,1025,218],{},[167,1026,217],{},[164,1028,1029,224],{},[167,1030,223],{},[164,1032,1033,230],{},[167,1034,229],{},[164,1036,1037,236],{},[167,1038,235],{},[164,1040,1041,242],{},[167,1042,241],{},[175,1044,246],{"id":245},[164,1046,1047,252],{},[167,1048,251],{},[164,1050,1051,258],{},[167,1052,257],{},[164,1054,1055,264],{},[167,1056,263],{},[175,1058,268],{"id":267},[164,1060,1061,274],{},[167,1062,273],{},[164,1064,1065,280],{},[167,1066,279],{},[164,1068,1069,286],{},[167,1070,285],{},[164,1072,1073,292],{},[167,1074,291],{},[164,1076,1077,298],{},[167,1078,297],{},[175,1080,302],{"id":301},[164,1082,1083,308],{},[167,1084,307],{},[164,1086,1087,314],{},[167,1088,313],{},[164,1090,1091,320],{},[167,1092,319],{},[164,1094,1095,326],{},[167,1096,325],{},[164,1098,1099,332,1101,337],{},[167,1100,331],{},[334,1102,336],{"href":54},[175,1104,341],{"id":340},[343,1106,1107,1109,1111,1113,1115,1117],{},[346,1108,348],{},[346,1110,351],{},[346,1112,354],{},[346,1114,357],{},[346,1116,360],{},[346,1118,363],{},[175,1120,367],{"id":366},[164,1122,370,1123,375,1125,337],{},[334,1124,374],{"href":373},[334,1126,378],{"href":107},[164,1128,381,1129,386],{},[334,1130,385],{"href":384},[175,1132,390],{"id":389},[164,1134,1135,396],{},[167,1136,395],{},[164,1138,1139,402],{},[167,1140,401],{},[164,1142,1143,408],{},[167,1144,407],{},[164,1146,1147,414],{},[167,1148,413],{},[175,1150,418],{"id":417},[164,1152,421,1153,337],{},[334,1154,424],{"href":384},{"title":10,"searchDepth":426,"depth":426,"links":1156},[1157,1158,1159,1160,1161,1162,1163,1164,1165],{"id":177,"depth":429,"text":178},{"id":211,"depth":429,"text":212},{"id":245,"depth":429,"text":246},{"id":267,"depth":429,"text":268},{"id":301,"depth":429,"text":302},{"id":340,"depth":429,"text":341},{"id":366,"depth":429,"text":367},{"id":389,"depth":429,"text":390},{"id":417,"depth":429,"text":418},{},{"title":158,"description":441},1793174328406]