Business details
The legal name and the name customers know you by, your address, main phone, email and hours, plus any licenses or certifications you are allowed to display. Note whether customers come to you or you go to them.
What to Gather Before a Website or App Project (Owner Checklist)
A project moves faster when the basics are in one place. Use this list to collect what a website or app needs, and to find out who really controls each of your business accounts.
By Jonathan Champion, founder of ChampEntra · Published October 12, 2026
Start here
You do not need everything on day one
Gather what you can and mark what is missing. Gaps are normal, and a first conversation can start with nothing more than an idea.
The list does a second job, too: it shows who controls your domain, listings and email. It is far better to learn during planning, not on launch day, that a former employee owns your Google Business Profile. When you are ready to share files, ChampEntra sends a secure upload link, so nothing has to be squeezed into email attachments or text messages. If you are outside Tennessee, the remote services page explains how the whole project runs online, and the project request form is the easiest place to begin.
The business basics
These details show up on nearly every page of a business website, so accuracy matters more than polish.
Services and published prices
List each service in your own words. Mark the prices you are willing to publish, such as a starting price or a fixed package, and the jobs that always need a quote. Note the work you do not take, too; it saves calls on both sides.
Service area
Write down the towns, counties or states you actually serve, how far you travel and whether you also work online. Honest area pages help customers and search engines without implying an office in every town.
Files
Logo, photo and brand files
Original files make a sharper site. Upload them through the secure link instead of texting them, because messaging and social apps often shrink images.
Name files plainly if you can, such as “roof-repair-before.jpg,” so it is clear what each one shows.
LogoIdeally a vector file (SVG, EPS, AI or PDF) from whoever designed it, plus a large PNG with a transparent background. If all you have is a small copy saved from social media, send it anyway and say so.
PhotosOriginal files straight from the phone or camera: real jobs, your team, vehicles, storefront and equipment. Note who took each one and confirm you have the right to use it.
Brand colors and fontsColor codes if a designer gave you any, or something to match, such as a sign, truck wrap or business card. Include font names if you know them.
DocumentsBrochures, price sheets, estimate templates, intake forms and checklists you already use. For an app project, these show how the work runs today.
Accounts
Existing accounts, and who owns them
For each account, write down the login email, the person who controls it today and when it renews.
- Domain registrar, where your web address is registered and renewed
- Website hosting, if it is separate from the registrar
- Email provider, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or mail that came with your hosting
- Google Business Profile and Bing Places for Business
- Google Search Console and Google Analytics, if anyone ever set them up
- Social pages such as Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn
- Tools the site may connect to, such as scheduling, payments or online forms
Watch for accounts held in someone else’s name. A domain registered by a past web designer, or a Business Profile owned by an employee’s personal Gmail address, should move to an account the business controls before the new project depends on it.
Access
Grant access by official invite only
Never send passwords by email or text, and do not put them in the upload link either. The major platforms each have a way to add a person without sharing your login.
A Google Business Profile owner can invite managers, and each person signs in with their own Google Account. Search Console owners can add users, and Google Analytics administrators can add people by email address with a chosen role. Look for a similar team or “add people” setting with your registrar, host, email provider and social pages. If one has no such option, set it up together on a shared screen while you type your own password.
- Turn on two-step verification for your own accounts first.
- Use the platform’s invite or add-user screen, and give the lowest role that gets the job done.
- Stay the owner. You can remove a manager or user whenever you choose.
- Keep a short list of who has access to what, so cleanup is easy later.
Legal pages, reviews and goals
Legal pages
Send current versions of any privacy policy, terms or required notices. If you do not have them, ask your attorney what your business needs, especially if your forms collect personal details. ChampEntra can place these pages but does not give legal advice.
Reviews you may quote
Copy the review text, where it was posted and the reviewer’s name as they want it shown, and get their permission before it appears on your site. Quote reviews as written. Never edit one to change its meaning or write one yourself.
Goals and measurement
Pick one or two outcomes, such as more quote requests from a service-area page or fewer calls asking for your hours. Decide how you will count them, such as form submissions, calls from the site or booked appointments, and compare the same numbers before and after launch.
For an app or business system
Describe how the work runs today: who does each step, which paper forms, spreadsheets or group texts are involved, which phones people carry and what records you must keep. The custom app page shows what can be built for iPhone, Android and the web.
Questions
Common questions
What if I can’t find my domain login?
Start with the registrar’s account recovery, using the email address on file. A public domain lookup usually shows which registrar holds the name. If a former designer or employee registered it, ask them to transfer it to an account the business controls.
Should I email my passwords so the project can start sooner?
No. Use each platform’s invite or add-user feature instead. If a service has no way to add another person, set it up together on a call while you type your own password.
What logo file format is best?
A vector file such as SVG, EPS, AI or PDF from the original designer, plus a large PNG with a transparent background. If you only have a small copy, send it anyway so the gap is known early.
How do I send large photos and documents?
ChampEntra sends a secure upload link at the start of the project. Upload original files there instead of emailing or texting compressed copies.
Next step
Start a ProjectHave part of the list ready?
Send what you have. ChampEntra will help sort out the rest, from domain ownership to photo files, before any design work begins.