PLAN YOUR WEBSITE
How to prepare a content inventory for a website project
Content delays often arrive after the layout has been approved. A simple inventory exposes those gaps before the project starts. Create one row per page, then track the text and assets needed to build it.
Use a small set of columns
Record the page name, current URL, content owner, decision, missing material and approval status. Use decisions such as keep, rewrite, combine or remove. Separate a draft from content that has been approved for publication.
Collect material you can actually use
Put final service descriptions, contact information and approved photographs in a shared project folder. Name files so they can be identified without opening every one: service-installation-01.jpg is clearer than final-new-2.jpg. Keep original images alongside web versions so the developer can make appropriate crops.
Check rights and sensitive information
Record where each photograph, logo and font came from and what permission or licence applies. Ask before publishing a customer's name or work. Remove account passwords, private customer records and internal prices from the folder. The developer needs publishing assets, not unrestricted access to your business files.
Resolve conflicting versions
If two documents describe the same service differently, appoint someone to choose the final wording. Mark the approved version and stop circulating multiple files called “final.” Keep a dated change note for corrections that arrive after approval.
Fill out an example row
An illustrative entry could read: “Services / installation; rewrite; owner: business manager; missing: lead times and exclusions; status: waiting for approval.” That row identifies a concrete blocker. “Services page not ready” does not tell anyone what to do next.
Before handing over, compare the folder against the planned page list. Make sure links, downloads and image captions have been considered too. Ask the developer to flag content that does not fit the proposed layout instead of silently trimming it. Preserve important existing URLs in the inventory, even if the wording will change, so migration decisions can be made separately.
Download the content inventory (CSV). Open it in a spreadsheet and replace the blank fields with your own project details.
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