How to Prepare Content
for Your Website Redesign

The most common reason website projects stall isn't design or development — it's content. Specifically, waiting for content that hasn't been written, photography that hasn't been taken, or decisions that haven't been made.

I've seen website projects stretch from weeks to months because content wasn't ready. The design is complete, the structure is built, but there's nothing to fill it with. Every delay waiting for a testimonial or a service description adds time to the project and pushes back your launch date.

The good news is that with a little preparation, you can avoid this entirely. Content preparation isn't glamorous work, but it's essential work. Here's how to gather and organise your content before your website project begins.

Start with What You Have

Before you worry about what's missing, take stock of what you already have. You might be surprised how much usable content is already sitting in various places:

• Existing website content: Even if you're redesigning, some text might be worth keeping or adapting. Your current about page copy, service descriptions, or project descriptions might need updating rather than rewriting from scratch.
• Project photography: Gather high-resolution images from all shoots. Check external hard drives, cloud storage, and any files your photographers have sent. Organise by project.
• Client testimonials: Collect any feedback you've received via email, on review platforms, or in conversations. Search your inbox for phrases like "thank you" or "wonderful experience."
• About you: Bio text, team photos, anything about your background. Check speaking engagements, awards submissions, or press features — you may have written about yourself before.
• Service descriptions: How you currently describe what you offer. Look at proposals, welcome packs, or other client-facing documents.

Create a folder — either physical or digital — and organise everything you have. Label it clearly. This becomes your starting point, your content audit. Knowing what you have makes it much clearer what you still need.

Clarify Your Services

One of the most important pieces of content is your service offering. Yet it's often the most neglected. Many designers haven't clearly articulated their services since they first started their business — and a lot has changed since then.

Before writing anything, answer these questions honestly:

• What services do you currently offer?
• What services do you want to offer more of?
• What services do you want to phase out?
• What's included in each service?
• What's your pricing structure?
• Who is each service for?
• What makes each service different from competitors?

Your website should reflect where you're going, not just where you've been. This is a chance to be intentional about what you're offering. If there's a service you're tired of delivering, don't put it on the new website. If there's a service you want to offer more of, feature it prominently.

For each service you plan to include, write a brief description covering: what it is, who it's for, what's included, how it works, and approximately what it costs. Even rough notes will give your designer something to work with.

Curate Your Portfolio

Quality over quantity, always. This is one of the hardest things for designers to do — every project represents real work and real relationships. But your portfolio isn't a complete record of everything you've done. It's a carefully selected showcase of the work you want to attract more of.

Select 6-10 of your strongest projects — work that represents the type of projects you want more of. If you want to do more high-end residential, show high-end residential. If you want to move into hospitality, your hospitality projects should be prominent. Your portfolio attracts similar work, so be strategic about what you include.

For each project, you'll typically need:

• Project name/title — this can be the client's name or a descriptive title
• Location — city or region is usually sufficient
• Brief description — 1-2 sentences about the project scope and approach
• 4-8 high-resolution images — carefully selected, not everything the photographer delivered
• Optional extras: The original brief, your design approach, challenges overcome, client feedback

Organise each project in its own folder with images labelled clearly. Use names like "Kitchen-wide-shot.jpg" rather than "IMG_4582.jpg." Your future self will thank you.

Write Your About Content

Your About page is often the second most-visited page on your website, right after your homepage. It's where potential clients decide whether they connect with you personally — whether they can imagine working with you, trusting you with their home.

Many designers find this the hardest content to write. Writing about yourself feels awkward. But don't overthink it. Write conversationally, as if explaining your work to someone at a dinner party. Cover:

• Who you are and what you do — in plain language
• How you got into interior design — the honest story, not the press release version
• Your approach or philosophy — what matters to you about design
• Who you work with — the clients you serve best
• Something personal — optional but recommended, it makes you human

A professional photo of yourself is important here. People want to see who they'll be working with. If you haven't had a headshot taken recently, schedule one before your website project begins. This photo appears on your About page, but also in press features, speaking bios, and anywhere else you need to represent yourself.

Gather Social Proof

Testimonials and client feedback build trust more effectively than anything you can say about yourself. A potential client might be skeptical of your claims, but they'll believe what your past clients say.

Reach out to past clients and ask if they'd be willing to share a few sentences about their experience working with you. Most are happy to help — they just need to be asked. Many designers feel awkward making this request, but clients typically enjoy the opportunity to express appreciation.

For each testimonial, collect:

• The quote itself — in their words, not edited to sound like marketing copy
• Client name — with their explicit permission to use it
• Company/studio name — if applicable
• Location — city or region
• Photo — optional but adds authenticity
• The project — what did you do for them?

Aim to collect more testimonials than you think you need. Three to five strong testimonials is typically enough for a website, but having options is valuable. And once you start asking, you'll often be pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the feedback.

Think About What's Missing

Once you've gathered everything, take an honest look at the gaps. What content do you still need to create? Common things that need creating include:

• Updated service descriptions that reflect your current offerings
• New bio text that sounds like you, not like a formal CV
• Professional headshot taken in the last year or two
• FAQ content addressing questions clients commonly ask
• Contact page copy explaining how you work and what to expect
• Any legal content — privacy policy, terms of service

Make a list of what needs writing or shooting, and tackle it methodically. Your website designer may be able to help with content structure and editing, but they'll need raw material to work with. No one can create your content from nothing.

The Ideal Timeline

If you're planning a website project, start gathering content 4-6 weeks before the project begins. This gives you time to:

• Schedule any needed photography — photographers often book weeks in advance
• Request testimonials from clients — some will respond quickly, others need reminding
• Write and refine your copy — first drafts are rarely final drafts
• Make decisions about services — these strategic decisions shouldn't be rushed
• Gather images and organise files — more time-consuming than most people expect

Having content ready means your project can move forward smoothly, without the stop-start that delays so many websites. It also means you'll be happier with the result — you won't be rushing to produce content at the last minute, and you'll have time to refine things until they're right.

Content Preparation Is Strategic Work

Preparing content for your website isn't just administrative busywork. It's strategic thinking about your business. What services do you want to offer? What work do you want to attract? How do you want to be perceived? These are important questions, and the answers shape your website — and your business — for years.

Give yourself the time and space to think them through properly. Your future website — and your future business — will be better for it. If you'd like to see examples of how other designers have approached this, take a look at my portfolio.