Preparing for a Web Designer

You first need to outline your wants, goals, and dreams for your website. Do the initial work and find a few websites out there that are in the same business you are. Take your time and decide what you like.

Short on time? Your designer (Preferably Us!) can put a portfolio together and have you look through those and decide what will work best for your business.

When searching for a website from a similar business as you, the bigger the other business on the web the better. They have spent money on focus groups to see what works best for them, and that will probably work for you on a much smaller scale. Try not to break the mold too much but know you have the control to put your own personal touch and style on it.

Any designer can emulate another website out there, so go ahead and find one you like. Ask if the designer can do for you what you desire – make sure you lay the detail out in a contract. Do not fork over money to someone who says they can do something and then delivers something totally different. We’ve all been there, so keep everyone to their word. Look out for number one, YOU!

Go into your first meeting excited and with an open mind. Do not be fearful to share what you want out of your website and make sure you lay it all out there. They will have ideas as well to add on or reasons to take something away, so pay attention and build a solid plan together.

Have your domain name in mind and research prior to the meeting to see if it is available. To do that simply type it into the address bar on your browser and see if it goes anywhere. If it does, it has already been taken. Make sure you retain ownership of the domain name in your contract so you can easily switch to another web designer if something happens. The last thing you want to do is build a brand around a domain name and then not have the ability to take it with you when the time comes.

Have fonts, colors, and schemes in mind. Do not go crazy when it comes to font types. Keep it simple and consistent. You do not want to make it difficult for people to read what you want to share.

Your designer and you can mock up what the site will look like on paper right then and there and can work on ideas to make it work best as a tool to help you succeed. Be sure you are clear on what you are getting and what the designer is building. You do not want any surprises when it comes to receiving your product. Once the designer starts building it won’t be long until your website is complete. If you both agreed upon something on your website and then you change your mind, know that change will cost you a little more to fix.

Think you are ready to sit down with a web designer? You certainly will be after a little preparation on your part. To get more ideas and questions to ask in your sit down, visit our Website Checklist to get informed and dream about the future of your website.