Your website content template needs more than a page list
Your client opens a document titled “Website content” and sees six empty page headings. They ask what to put under Services. A page-by-page website content template should answer that question before they have to ask: name each section, request the facts or files it needs, and show who will turn those inputs into final copy.
Use the template below for a small service business website. Copy the parts that match your sitemap into a shared document or content collection tool, then remove the rest. Each row is one field to request, not an instruction for the client to write polished marketing copy.
Set up the template before you send it
Put the project name, the agreed page list, and a due date at the top. Then name two roles: the person supplying information and the person approving the final page. If your studio writes copy, say so. A client who thinks “content” means finished paragraphs may leave every field blank while they look for time to write.
For each page, keep the same small header:
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Page owner | One person responsible for gathering answers and files |
| Approver | One person who can confirm that the finished page is accurate |
| Due date | The date the inputs are needed, not the launch date |
| Status | Not started, waiting on client, ready for review, changes requested, or approved |
Make the request explicit: “Short answers and existing files are fine. We’ll draft the website copy from them.” If the client will write the copy themselves, replace that line with the sections and approximate lengths you expect. Don’t leave the writing role implied. For a fuller collection process, see how to get website content from clients.
Copy the page-by-page website content template
The sections below are the request you can adapt and send. Each field asks for source material the client is likely to know. Skip fields that don’t apply; add the missing sections from your actual sitemap before sending it.
Site-wide details
Collect these once. They appear in navigation, footers, forms, and sometimes more than one page.
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Business name | The exact public name, including capitalization |
| Contact details | Public phone number, email address, and the inbox that should receive form submissions |
| Location | Public address or service area, plus any location details customers need |
| Hours | Opening hours and any seasonal or appointment-only exceptions |
| Social links | Complete URLs for accounts that should appear on the site |
| Primary action | The one action a visitor should take most often: call, book, request a quote, or something else |
| Brand files | Original logo file, available font files or names, and any existing brand guide |
| Existing material | Brochures, menus, proposals, or old site pages that still contain accurate information |
Ask which details are confirmed and which are still under review. A phone number copied from an old brochure shouldn’t become the new site’s footer by accident.
Home page
Hero section
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Main offer | What do you do, for whom, and where? One plain sentence is enough. |
| Visitor’s next step | What should someone do after reading the first screen? Include the booking or contact URL if there is one. |
| Hero image | An original photo that shows the business, its work, or the result. Say what it shows and who owns it. |
Services preview
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Featured services | Which two to four services should appear on Home? Give each its public name and one factual explanation. |
| Priority | Which service matters most to the business right now? |
Proof and final action
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Proof | Two or three facts a customer could verify: years operating, a credential, number of projects, or a specific result. Include a source for each number. |
| Testimonial | Exact approved quote, customer’s display name, and permission to publish it. Leave blank if none is approved. |
| Final call to action | What should the visitor do at the end of the page? Confirm the destination link or contact method. |
The studio can write the headline and button label. The client supplies the offer, proof, and action those words must represent.
About page
Business story
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Beginning | When did the business start, and what problem was it created to solve? |
| How you work | What actually happens when a customer works with you? Give one concrete example. |
| Difference | What do you do differently in practice, rather than as a slogan? |
People and credentials
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Team members | For each person shown: public name, role, relevant experience, and what they do for customers. |
| Headshots | Original image files, matched to names, with permission to publish. |
| Credentials | Exact names of licenses, certifications, awards, or memberships, with dates or links where relevant. |
Don’t ask for a 500-word company history unless the site needs one. A three-sentence account of why the business exists and how it works gives a writer more to use than a long paragraph of generic values.
Services page
Repeat this block for each service. If the sitemap has separate service detail pages, give each service its own page in the template. If all services live on one page, keep one block per section.
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Service name | The name customers recognize, not an internal package code |
| Who it’s for | The customer or situation this service is meant for |
| Problem | What prompts someone to seek this service? Use the words customers use when they call. |
| What’s included | The main steps or deliverables, in order if order matters |
| What’s excluded | A common assumption you need to correct before someone books |
| Process and timing | What happens after inquiry, and how long does a typical engagement take? |
| Pricing approach | Published price, starting price, estimate process, or a clear reason prices vary |
| Proof | A relevant result, example, credential, or approved quote |
| Image | Original photo of the service, team, or finished work; include ownership and permission |
| Next step | Where should a visitor go from this service description? |
For example, “garden maintenance” isn’t enough to write a service page. “Monthly visits for homes in north Seattle; pruning and bed care included; tree removal excluded; quote after a site visit” gives the writer usable boundaries. The client didn’t have to produce a headline to give you that information.
Work or case studies page
Repeat this block for every project you plan to show. Start with two or three good examples, not an open request for “portfolio content.”
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Project label | Public project name or an approved anonymous description |
| Starting situation | What did the customer need before the work began? |
| Work done | What did your team actually deliver? |
| Outcome | A specific change or result, with a source for any number |
| Images | Original before and after images, with captions and permission to publish |
| Customer approval | Can the customer’s name, quote, and images appear publicly? Who confirmed it? |
If no one can approve the images, hold that case study back. A finished page doesn’t need an unverified result or a photo copied from a message thread.
FAQ page
Don’t invent questions to fill space. Ask the person who answers calls or email for the five questions customers ask most often.
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Question | The customer’s wording, or a close version of it |
| Answer | The factual answer, including conditions or exceptions |
| Owner | The person who can confirm the answer is current |
| Related service | The page this answer should link to, if any |
If the same answer changes by location or service, record that condition in the field. “How long does it take?” has no useful answer until you know which service the customer means.
Contact page
| Field | Ask the client for |
|---|---|
| Contact methods | Public phone, email, address, and whether customers may visit without an appointment |
| Form destination | Inbox that receives inquiries, plus a backup owner if that person is away |
| Form questions | Only the information the team needs to respond to a first inquiry |
| Response expectation | What can you truthfully promise about response times? |
| Map and directions | Confirmed address, entrance or parking details if visitors come in person |
| Booking link | Exact URL and which services can be booked through it |
Send a test inquiry before launch. A correct-looking contact page can still point to an inbox nobody watches.
Add only the pages your project actually has
A pricing page needs package names, inclusions, exclusions, and the date prices were last confirmed. A team page needs one consistent bio block per person. A location page needs that location’s address, hours, service area, and photos. Copy the relevant fields into a new page rather than sending every possible page to every client.
Legal and policy pages need their own review path. Record who supplies and approves their text; don’t present a generic template as approved legal copy. Likewise, mark claims about results, credentials, and customer quotes for verification before publication.
Turn answers into approved pages
When the client submits the template, check each page against the build. Is the Home offer specific enough to write? Does every service have an included and excluded scope? Are the original images available? Is the form destination confirmed? Ask for the missing field by name, while the answer is still fresh.
Then draft and review one page at a time. Record which version the approver accepted and keep that approval beside the page. The template has done its job when your team can see what is missing, what is usable, and what can safely enter the build. A page-by-page website content collection tool can hold the answers, files, and approvals together if a shared document becomes hard to track.