Working with a website designer can feel like a big step and is one that you’ll want to get absolutely right. As well as this, there might be some things about working with a website designer that you may not already know, especially if this is your first experience of working with a website designer. All website designers work differently, but here are 4 things to consider before working with me…

Website Copy

This is something that’s so often overlooked. Website copy is so important for a number of reasons. Your website is the place to tell your ideal clients exactly what you do, who you do it for and why you are the one for them. This can’t be done effectively without words. The words you use on your website are so important but this can often be left until the last minute in a website project. “Oh yeah, I should probably write something and put it on my website”.

Instead it’s important to consider that website copy and design should actually go hand in hand and that one won’t work without the other. I would recommend working with a copywriter in some capacity as writing copy for your own business website can be a lot more difficult than you think. Plus, while you know your business better than anyone else, it doesn’t mean you can necessarily write about it in the best way that website copy should be written. 

The best website copy should be written strategically, designed to speak directly to your ideal clients and bear in mind your SEO keywords you want to rank for on Google too. This is a lot to consider,m especially if it’s new to you and you aren’t familiar with SEO. I provide website copy guides to all my webs design clients but I also recommend they have the help of a website copywriter in the form of an editorial review. Alternatively, you can have a website copywriter create all of the words for your site for you if you really aren’t keen on doing the job yourself. 

There are different options for different businesses and budgets, but in general as a website designer I will need your website words in place before working with you on your website project so that I can begin designing your site strategically and with your ideal clients in mind. Find out more here about working on your website copy.

Images

The same as with your website copy, I’ll also need you to provide your website images. I highly recommend working with a photographer to create photos that really reflect your brand and the aesthetic and mood you want to give on your website. The images you use can really make or break a website’s design and so high quality images are a must. As well as this it’s important to feature images of yourself, your team and your workspace or work environment to create a strong about page and show the behind the scenes of how you work and what you have to offer.

While I would also generally say to steer clear of stock images for your website as they won’t showcase your brand and consider your goals and ideal clients specifically, there are some really great stock image sites and resources out there you can use as background images on your site. Take a look at Moyo Studio, Floral Deco, Creative Market, Unsplash and Pexels as really good places to start. My rule of thumb with stock images if you do go for them is to make sure they aren’t too obvious, stick to the same style of photography, the same photographer and try to make sure they suit your brand.

Your goals

It’s so important that we know exactly what needs to be included in your website project before we start designing it. When you work with me on your website project, we will have a website strategy call to identify what those goals are and this will bring up some potential options for you that you may not have considered before. For example, we will need to look at what your website needs to do? Is it needed to get you new leads, to sell a product or get sign ups to your email marketing? Using this information along with your business and website goals we will then be able to decide what pages and sections your website will need to have. It’s worth considering before you work with a website designer to mention any specific functions you’d also like your website to have or any other ideas you have to make sure these are included in your project before starting.

It’s a collaboration 

Before I start working with any clients, I make sure I emphasize to them that this will be a collaborative process. For me to be able to create a great website for any business, I need a lot of input from the business owner. I’ll need to do research, we’ll need to identify your business and website goals and your ideal clients. This is all stuff you will be the expert in as you know your business inside out better than anyone else.

I’ll also need you to be on hand throughout the project as I’ll need your feedback so that we can proceed to the next stage of the project. My clients have said that while working with me on their branding and website had been quite an intense period of time, it had increased their confidence in their business and they had been on a journey of discovery learning so much about their businesses and that working with me had been invaluable because of this.

I’d recommend not picking the busiest time of the year to work on your new website. Try to pick a time in the year that might be quieter for you if there is one and think about when it will be best to launch your new site too. Will it be in the new year, spring or in your quiet period?

Before working with a website designer, remember to consider that they’ll need you to be on hand so make it a time you can be available to give feedback. You can find out in more detail why working with a website designer is a collaborative process in this blog post. 

And you can find out more about working with me and the services I offer or get in touch to ask any questions you might have!