1. Start with one priority
'I want a modern website' is a preference, not a goal. Try completing this sentence: I want someone to visit my website and be able to… understand my services, request an appointment or decide whether I'm the right professional for them.
You may have several needs, but choosing one main priority helps decide what to show first. A practice offering many services needs a different structure from a page dedicated to a single consultation.
A small exercise: write one sentence saying what you do, who it's for and the need it meets. If that's difficult, let's work on it before choosing colours and animations.
2. Choose the format, not the page count
Landing page
A focused offer, a specific audience and one main action. A good fit for a service or launch that can be explained in a single journey.
Explore landing pages ↗Full website
Several services, a story to tell and content to organise. Useful when people arrive with different questions.
Explore websites ↗If you sell products, manage bookings or need to connect other systems, tell us at the start. These are functional requirements that affect design, tools and pricing, not simply extra pages.
3. Prepare the materials that matter
- Services: what you offer, to whom, how it works and its limits. Avoid phrases that could describe any business.
- People and contact details: a clear introduction, accurate details and how you'd like to receive enquiries.
- Images: relevant, good-quality photographs you have permission to use. If you don't have them, plan how to source them.
- Identity: your original logo and available variations, plus colours or guidelines already in use.
- References: websites or projects you like, with a specific explanation of why.
- Genuine evidence: projects, certifications or testimonials only where they can be substantiated and you have permission to use them.
Don't have everything yet? That's normal. The important thing is to separate what you already have from what needs creating, so copywriting, photography or image research can be included in the scope.
4. Judge a quote by what it includes
Two websites with the same page count can involve very different amounts of work. Before comparing totals, check which content, revisions, features and launch tasks are included.
- Are the pages and their content listed?
- Who prepares and approves the copy and images?
- Are the logo, variations and delivery files included?
- What does 'SEO' cover?
- How are feedback and additional requests handled?
- Which costs are one-off and which are recurring?
- Who manages the domain, hosting and support after launch?
As a guide to our pricing, Segnodo's Formula Start starts at €990 + VAT for a logo and starter website of up to four pages, with copy and images supplied by you. Optional website care, requested separately, costs €290 + VAT per year. Additional work and features are quoted separately.
5. When redesigning, keep what works
A new design doesn't mean throwing everything away. Before a redesign, gather your existing page addresses, content that's still useful and the questions you hear most often. Identify links you've already shared through other channels.
If an address needs to change, consider redirecting it to the relevant new page. Keeping useful URLs and content prevents information people already know from becoming unreachable.
Also flag email accounts, forms and links to external tools that need preserving. Don't send passwords in an initial form: technical access is handled in a dedicated step.
6. Be understood before being found
SEO starts with useful pages: titles that accurately describe the content, clearly explained services, meaningful links and answers to real questions. Important copy needs to be readable on the page, not just embedded in an image.
The same applies to AI-powered search. Helping a system understand a business isn't about filling a page with keywords. Consistent information, a clear business identity and structured data that reflects the visible content are stronger foundations.
Google explains that its AI features don't require special files or markup beyond established SEO good practice. No optimisation guarantees indexing, citations or rankings. Read Google's official guidance on AI features ↗.
7. Test the journey before launch
Open your website on a phone and ask whether you can find the service, contact details and key information without already knowing the layout. Then test links and the form, checking not just the on-screen confirmation but also that the enquiry actually arrives.
Check that headings, images and contact details are correct. Privacy, cookie and external-service requirements depend on the tools in use: assess them for the actual project before launch.
Your brief in five lines: what you do; who you want to reach; the result you're looking for; the materials you have; and your expected budget and schedule. That's enough to start a useful conversation.
Tell us about your project or explore our ten visual directions to find a starting point.