What to Bring to a First Consultation
@sergiojhfj058
October 23, 2026 · 5 min read
A first consultation is a short meeting with big effects. It is where an agency learns what you need, and where you learn whether they are a good fit. A little preparation turns a vague chat into a useful plan.
You do not need a polished brief. You need honest answers and a few items on hand. This article lists what to gather so you can walk in ready.
Know What You Want the Site to Do
Start with the result, not the design. Do you want more phone calls? More booked appointments? More online orders? Write one sentence that starts with "I want my website to help me..."
One clear goal is better than five fuzzy ones. If you have several, rank them. A good partner will use your ranking to decide what the site should do first and what can wait.
If you are not sure, say so. Part of a consultation is helping you sharpen the goal. My Web Innovations as a possible partner for your project describes its first stage as learning your goals and building a strategy, so arriving with rough ideas is fine.
Describe Your Customers in Plain Words
Think about the last ten people who bought from you or booked with you. Who were they? Where do they live? How did they find you? What made them hesitate?
You do not need charts. A few notes are enough. A retail owner might say, "Most buyers are nearby families who browse on their phones first." A trades owner might say, "People call after a pipe breaks and want someone fast." These small details shape layout, wording and which tools make sense.
Bring Examples You Like and Dislike
Collect three to five websites that you admire, and a couple that bother you. They do not have to be in your industry. Write one line about each: "I like how fast it loads" or "I hate the pop-ups." More background on the Shopify platform is available for anyone who wants it.
These examples save a lot of guessing. Words like "clean" and "modern" mean different things to different people, but a link shows exactly what you mean.
Bring your current site too, if you have one. Note what works, what annoys you and what customers complain about. Do not worry about being fair to your old site. Honest frustration is useful data.
Gather Your Current Assets and Access Details
Make a short inventory of what you already have. Think of it as a list of parts the agency can reuse.
- Your logo files and brand colors, if you have them
- Photos of your work, products, staff and location
- Your business name, address and phone number, written exactly as you want them shown
- The name of the company that holds your domain
- Any accounts you use for email, booking, payments or inventory
You do not need passwords at a first call. You only need to know where things are and who controls them. Many owners discover during this step that a former web person set up the domain in their own name. It is much easier to learn that now than in the middle of a build.
Write Down Your Must-Haves and Deal-Breakers
Some things are non-negotiable. Maybe you must accept a certain payment type. Maybe the site must connect to your point-of-sale system. Maybe it has to be ready before a seasonal rush.
Make a short list of must-haves and a second list of things you want to avoid. Be specific. "No long contracts" or "I need to edit prices myself" gives the agency something concrete to answer.
If you have a rough idea of which marketing jobs you want help with, note them as well. You can list the marketing scope you want a partner to handle and compare it with what the agency offers, whether that is visibility work, email or social posting.
Come With a Budget Range and a Timeline
Money and dates are the two things that most shape a project. Decide a range you are comfortable with, even a loose one. Decide whether you have a hard deadline, such as a store opening, a holiday or a busy season.
Look at the pricing page before the call so you know what the agency publishes. The site lists one-time package prices, with final scope confirmed in consultation. If you review the pricing page to bring to your first consultation, you can arrive with sharper questions about which package fits and what might change the final scope.
Say your budget out loud. Agencies cannot suggest the right fit if they are guessing. A frank range lets them tell you what is realistic and what to postpone.
Prepare Questions About Ownership and Support
The consultation is your chance to ask how things work once the project is done. These topics vary between agencies, so ask rather than assume. Good questions include:
- Who owns the site, the content and the accounts when the project ends?
- How do updates and training work after launch?
- What support is available if something breaks?
- What would I need to take with me if I changed providers?
Treat the answers as items to confirm in writing, not promises made in passing. Ownership and support web design Bellevue WA terms are questions to settle during the consultation.
Know Who You Are Meeting
It helps to read a little about the company before you talk. You can read the agency's about page before you meet to see where it is based and who it serves. My Web Innovations is headquartered in Bellevue and serves Bellevue and beyond, which may matter if you like meeting in person or want someone who knows the Eastside.
Look over the services page to review before your consultation and mark the items that sound useful. Then circle the ones you do not understand. Those are your best questions.
Book the Call and Keep It Simple
You do not need a slide deck. A page of notes will do. Bring your goal, your customer notes, your examples, your asset list, your must-haves and your budget range.
When you are ready, request a consultation with the Bellevue team or call 833-216-0900 between 8:00am and 6:00pm Pacific, Monday to Friday. Take notes during the call, and ask for a summary in writing afterward. That summary is the start of your project's scope, and it keeps everyone honest about what was agreed.