Business Website Design Checklist | What to Prepare Before Hiring a Developer

Business Website Design Checklist: What to Prepare Before Hiring a Developer

Building a direct booking platform for your Red Sea excursion or dive center requires more than just hiring a developer. When tourism operators rush into website development without internal preparation, the resulting platform often functions merely as a digital brochure rather than a sales engine. This forces the business to continue relying on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Viator or GetYourGuide, surrendering 20% to 30% in commission fees. Compiling the right operational, multilingual, and technical assets before contracting a web design agency ensures your project stays on schedule and is engineered to capture direct margins.

Phase 1: Operational & Compliance Assets

Your website must reflect the physical realities of South Sinai marine and desert logistics. Before development begins, gather your core operational documentation:

• Accreditation & Safety Standards: Prepare high-resolution logos and certificates for your PADI/SSI affiliations, Green Fins sustainability surveys, and Chamber of Diving and Watersports (CDWS) compliance.
• Digital Waivers: Draft your medical screening questionnaires and equipment sizing forms (wetsuit/BCD measurements) so developers can integrate them into the checkout flow.
• Park Fees & Cancellation Policies: Clearly document national park marine ticket regulations (e.g., Ras Mohamed, Tiran) and your strict refund policies to prevent future chargebacks.

Phase 2: Multilingual Content & Localization

European inbound travelers account for approximately 70% of all visitors arriving in Sharm El Sheikh. A monolingual English site will leak conversions.

• Identify Target Languages: Prepare to translate your core excursion pages into German, Italian, and Russian based on your primary source markets.
• Native Terminology: Avoid machine translation. Ensure your prepared texts accurately reflect regional marine terms and local desert safari logistics.
• Media Gallery: Organize your high-quality, uncompressed photos and videos into specific excursion folders (e.g., Intro Dives, Private Yacht Charters) to accelerate the design phase.

Phase 3: Booking & Technical Integrations

To retain up to $97 in net profit from a $100 excursion, your website must process transactions natively.

• Payment Gateways: Establish your merchant accounts with local or international payment processors (e.g., Paymob, Fawry, Stripe) and have your API keys ready] .
• Communication Channels: Verify your official WhatsApp Business number to allow developers to integrate Meta-approved WhatsApp Business API workflows for 24/7 automated inquiry capture.
• CRM Access: Have the administrative credentials for your current reservation management software ready for third-party API linking.

The Final Pre-Development Checklist for Tour Operators

1. Complete list of all excursions with updated 2026/2027 pricing grids.
2. High-resolution brand assets (Vector logo, brand color codes) .
3. Domain registrar login credentials (if you already own your domain).
4. Staff profiles and instructor bios for the “About Us” page.
5. Links to your Google Business Profile and Tripadvisor for review integration.