The question comes up constantly, especially for early-stage businesses: should we get the website live first, or sort out the brand before we build anything? The honest answer is that it depends on your situation, but the way most people answer it ends up costing them more in the long run.
What happens when you build the website first
You pick fonts because the theme looked good. You choose a colour because it was the default. You write copy that describes what you do rather than why anyone should choose you over the alternatives. Six months later, you have a website that functions but does not convert, and you end up rebuilding it anyway, this time with a brand behind it.
What you actually need before a website
You do not need a full brand system before launching. But you need three things: a clear positioning statement that tells you who you are for and why they should choose you. A primary logo and colour. A tone of voice, even if it is just three words. With those three things, even a simple website becomes purposeful.
A website without a brand is a brochure. A website with a brand is a sales conversation.
The exception: MVP launches
If you are testing a product or validating a market, launch fast with whatever you have. But as soon as you are spending money on driving traffic to that site, the brand conversation becomes urgent. Every visitor you are paying to arrive is being evaluated against your competitors the moment they land. How you look and what you say determines whether they stay.