Client Onboarding Checklist for Web Designers and Agencies

The first two weeks of a project set the tone for everything that follows. A confusing start leads to late content, unclear feedback and arguments about scope. A structured onboarding process prevents most of that. Use this client onboarding checklist as a starting point and adapt it to the way you work.

Before the kickoff: agree and prepare

• Signed agreement and deposit. Do not start until both are in. It protects you and signals commitment from the client. See what a contract should include.
• Welcome email. Introduce the team, confirm the start date and tell the client what will happen in the first week.
• One main contact. Ask the client to name one person who gives feedback and approves work.
• Project workspace. Set up a shared folder and a task board, and share the links.

Information to collect

Send the client a short questionnaire so you do not have to ask for everything on a call. Cover:

• Business, audience and goals (see our list of questions to ask a new client).
• Brand assets: logo files, colours, fonts and brand guidelines.
• Existing content, photography and videos.
• Competitors and websites they like.
• Technical details: domain, hosting, current platform, analytics and any integrations.

Access you will need

Gather access early, because waiting for a login can delay a project by days. Typical items are the domain registrar, hosting, the current website admin, analytics, search console, email marketing and social accounts. Ask clients to share logins through a password manager or by inviting you as a user, never by email.

Set expectations in writing

Most friction comes from unspoken assumptions. In your welcome guide, spell out:

1. Communication. Which channel for what, and your response times.
2. Feedback. One consolidated message from the client's team within an agreed number of working days.
3. Revisions. How many rounds are included, and what extra rounds cost.
4. Content. Who writes it, and the date it is due.
5. Payments. When invoices are sent and due.

Run a kickoff or discovery workshop

A 60 to 90 minute kickoff meeting aligns everyone on goals, scope, timeline and roles. For larger projects, run a discovery workshop with the people who know the business best. A simple agenda is: introductions, goals and success measures, audience, scope, timeline, risks and next steps. Our kickoff deck and discovery workshop pack give you the slides, exercises and interview guides.

Build a shared timeline

Turn the schedule into something both sides can see, with client tasks such as content and approvals shown alongside your own. When a client sees that the launch date depends on their content arriving, deadlines are met far more often.

The checklist at a glance

• Agreement signed and deposit received
• Welcome guide sent
• Main contact and approver named
• Questionnaire completed
• Brand assets and content received
• Access to domain, hosting and analytics shared securely
• Kickoff held and notes sent
• Timeline shared with client tasks marked

Save time with ready-made documents

You do not have to write all of this from scratch. The Welcome onboarding pack includes a client welcome guide, an onboarding questionnaire, a content checklist and an Excel project timeline that updates itself when you change the start date. Browse every client onboarding template to see what else is available.