Maker website checklist
A practical way to check whether a new visitor can understand your work and take the right next step.
A maker website is ready when a new visitor can understand what you make, see real examples, trust that the work is yours, and take one clear next step. That step might be asking about a commission, viewing available work, joining a workshop, or following a payment link.
You do not need every feature before publishing. You need a truthful route from the visitor's first question to the action you want them to take.
01
The first screen says what you make
A visitor should not have to decode a slogan or guess whether the page is for a studio, shop, portfolio, or service.
02
Real work appears early
Use current photographs of your own work. Do not lead with generic stock imagery or a catalogue that no longer represents what you make.
03
The maker is identifiable
Include your name or studio name, location when useful, and a short explanation of the practice.
04
The work has context
Explain the material, process, scale, or reason the work exists. Context helps a visitor decide whether to stay.
05
Available work is distinguished from past work
Mark pieces as available, sold, archived, or commission-only. Do not make a visitor infer availability from an old gallery image.
06
Commissions have a clear route
Say whether commissions are possible, what kinds of requests are realistic, and how someone should ask.
07
Products have honest facts
Show the name, photograph, price, currency, and next step only when the maker has confirmed those facts.
08
The visitor can contact the maker
The contact action should be easy to find on mobile and should not depend on a buried social-media link.
09
The site explains what happens next
Tell the visitor whether they should expect an email, a payment provider, a booking response, or a conversation before purchase.
10
The mobile version works
Check the first screen, photographs, menus, enquiry action, and payment links on a phone.
11
Legal and privacy information is reachable
Include the information needed for the maker situation. Do not copy claims or policies that do not apply.
12
The maker can maintain it
A website is not ready if changing a photograph, product, price, or enquiry route requires a technical project the maker will avoid.
Ask someone who does not know your work to answer these questions after 20 seconds:
- 1.What does this maker make?
- 2.Can you name one real piece or service?
- 3.Is anything available now?
- 4.Can this maker take a commission?
- 5.What would you click next?
If they cannot answer, the problem is usually clarity and route design, not a lack of decoration.
Start with the work, then review the website privately.
DriftLess starts with the maker's real work and answers, creates a private website first, and lets the maker review the result before publishing. It does not promise traffic or sales, and it does not automatically replace existing channels.
Start free with Draft