Are you thinking about working with a web designer to launch a new website? If so, it’s a good idea to get organized first. This way, you have a clear vision of what your hope to achieve and your web designer knows exactly what you want from the start.
Knowing what to prepare before you set out to hire a web designer can be tough. After all, there’s a reason you’re hiring a professional to help.
Chances are, you probably don’t have a lot of design experience and need an expert to do things for you. And if by chance you do have enough design experience to create your own site, but are hiring a web designer anyways, that probably means you don’t have a lot of time on your hands.
No matter the reason behind hiring a web designer, we’ve set out to make things super simple on you by creating a web design checklist anyone can use at the start of a new online project.
So, check it out.
Web Design Checklist
Having at least a little bit of information prepared for your web designer is a great way to take initiative and show your web designer you’re serious about your project. Plus, it will make things a lot easier on your web designer, thus preventing future revisions.
Here are the things you should gather before meeting with a web designer for the first time.
1. A Business Card
Having a business card on hand you can show your web designer can kick off your project with a bang. After all, your business card will have a company logo, color scheme, and a certain energy that matches your brand.
Just make sure you also have on hand a digital copy of the business logo. Your web designer can’t do much with a piece of high-quality stock paper. The web designer is going to need a computer file of the actual logo created by the graphic designer.
If you’re still in the beginning stages of creating a business name, logo, and overall company design, no worries. Your web designer will be able to help you with all that. Instead, have in mind some ideas that you can bounce off your web designer during the creative process.
2. Information About Your Company
Content on your website plays a major role in web design. And while you may not have tons of written content you want to add to your website’s blog just yet, you definitely should have information about your company that can be translated into an About page.
Here are some crucial pieces of information you should have for your web designer:
- Company name, address, and contact information
- A short description of how your company got started
- A mission statement explaining who you are and what you plan to offer people
- The value proposition you plan to showcase to leads once they land on your site
Another great thing to have on hand if your business has been established for some time are testimonials from satisfied customers. Nothing says “trust us” like client testimonials. In fact, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family,
So, collect those testimonials and hand them over to your web designer. They will help shed some light on who you are as a brand and add some exceptional social proof to your website once it goes live.
3. Photos
The next thing you’re going to want to collect before meeting with a web designer are images that can be used on your website.
Humans process images better and faster than any other kind of data. So, it makes sense that you’d want to incorporate photos into your web design to get your message across and convince people to convert (whether that be to make a purchase or subscribe).
The best way to get images of your company to add to your website is to use a professional photographer. However, if you’re on a shoestring budget, using a high-quality digital camera works too.
Make sure to take clear images and label them for your web designer so they don’t have to guess what they are. The last thing you want is the wrong image representing your company online.
And don’t forget to add images of your team if you have one. Putting faces to the names of people that work for a company is a great way to build trust, especially as a new business competing with well-established online companies.
4. Video Content
In addition to having still shots of your company and team members, you might consider including some video content in your package of things to give to your web designer at the start of the project.
Here are some good approaches to adding video content to your website that site visitors will love:
- Create a demo piece showcasing your number one product and how to use it
- Include events your business has been involved in and how you aim to work within the community to provide stellar service to everyone
- Shoot an introduction video (especially if you’re brand new) to personalize your brand and become more recognizable
Just remember to always highlight what sets you apart from the competition in your video content. People have short attention spans and abandon websites immediately if they feel the company has nothing special to offer.
5. Domain Name and Web Hosting
Whatever you do, make sure you have a registered domain name and web hosting in place before you meet with your web designer for the first time.
Your web designer is going to need the following information to be able to work on the backend of your budding website:
- Website domain name and login information
- FTP credentials (for testing on a test site before going live)
If your web designer likes to work in their own testing environment that’s okay. But they are still going to need some login information when it comes time to transfer your newly created website from their server to yours.
Keep in mind, some web designers like us here at Keen to Design like to handle the domain name and web hosting for our clients so they don’t have to worry about a thing while launching a new website. That said, not all web design agencies offer all-in-one solutions like that, so do your research beforehand so you know what’s expected.
Wrapping Up
In the end, the more prepared you are when you set out to work with a web designer the better the outcome will be.
If you’re in the market for a high-quality web designer that can create a website that will generate you leads and revenue, contact us at Keen to Design for a free consultation. We can help you with graphic design, site launches, content writing, online shop creation, and even social media management. Our goal is to give our customers exactly what they want the first time around, whether they come prepared or not. So, check us out and see how we can help you succeed in this ever-expanding digital world.
