A website content collection template that shows what’s missing

Asking a client to “send over the content” produces a folder of mixed drafts, a long email thread and no clear answer to the only question that matters: which pages can we build now? Collecting per page makes each package reviewable on its own. The services page can be ready while the about page is still waiting for photos, and everyone can see that.

It also separates two facts that are easy to confuse. Receiving content is not the same as the content being complete and approved. The form records what the client sent; the sheet records the team’s judgment on whether it is usable.

Our Website Content Collection template asks for one page per response. Its nine questions: page name and planned URL, what a visitor should learn or do on the page, a link to the copy document, copy approval status (Approved for build, Draft awaiting review, Changes requested), a link to images and assets, who confirms asset permissions and credits, what is missing and who will supply it by when, the content approver and next review date, and page-specific build notes.

Two design choices matter. Copy is collected as a link to a document, not pasted into a text box, because clients revise copy and a link lets you name the version you reviewed. And the “What is missing?” question carries the instruction “Write None if the page package is complete”, which asks clients to state gaps instead of leaving you to discover them.

Use a dropdown so status stays countable: in Google Sheets, select the column and choose Insert, then Dropdown (or Data, then Data validation). Five values cover most projects: Not started, Waiting on client, In review, Changes requested, Ready to build. Resist adding more; a status nobody can define precisely is one nobody updates.

Only the team moves a page to Ready to build, and only after opening the linked copy and assets with the access the build team will use. A client choosing “Approved for build” in the form is an input to that decision, not the decision.

Decide this before sending the form, because upload limits vary by plan. A Zunoform file upload question accepts up to 10 files per question, can be restricted to images, documents or video, and allows 10 MB per file on Free, 100 MB on Pro and 1 GB on Business. Uploaded files stay attached to the response in Zunoform; submit a test and check how the file answer appears in your sheet before relying on the sheet as your asset index.

For a page with a handful of images, direct upload is simplest. For photo shoots, brand kits and video, ask for a link to a shared folder instead, and ask who can confirm the rights and credits for each image. Large raw files rarely belong in a form, and a link keeps the client in control of the originals.

Work backwards from launch and give each page its own due date instead of one deadline for everything. Illustration for a 10-page site launching on 1 December: build needs final content two weeks ahead, so the last pages are due 17 November. Stagger earlier dates by build order: the homepage and main service pages first, legal pages and blog posts last. Put the dates in the inventory, share them at kickoff and name the client-side owner for each page.

Chase by page, not by project. “The about page is waiting on team photos, due Friday” gets a faster answer than “we’re still waiting on content”. A weekly filtered view of rows with Days overdue greater than zero, sent to the client contact, keeps the list short and specific. If a page is still blocked a week before launch, agree a placeholder or move it to phase two rather than delaying everything.

Zunoform gives you the collection form (the Website Content Collection template, document or single-page layout), native Google Sheets delivery and file uploads on the Free plan, with 500 responses a month, which is ample for per-page submissions. Pro adds 100 MB uploads and removes Zunoform branding from forms your clients see.

It does not chase clients for you, check that a copy document is complete or approved, or publish content to your CMS. If automatic reminders and per-item client portals are the main need, a dedicated tool such as Content Snare does that job, at a separate subscription. If your clients live in Google Drive already, a shared folder per page plus the Review tab above may be all you need.