How to Prepare for Your Website Design

If you have ever booked a service with me, we usually start with a clarity call depending on where your head is at regarding your project. Some of my clients are already eager, clear and ready to go — thus, not needing a clarity call.

HOWEVER, the clarity calls are there for those who need more in-depth details on what’s going to be happening in their project. Outlined in this call, I always tell my clients that they are going to have homework.

This homework is essential to getting our project done in a timely manner. Especially for website designs, it is sooo important to get this homework done so that the process runs smooth by the time I’m ready to start designing.

I usually book out my projects several months ahead, so — time is of course in your favor! You have a month or greater to get in there and get it done!

So — what kind of “homework” is this?

Let me tell you — THIS is how you can prepare for your new website design:

1. Know Your Brand Vision.

It is crucial as a designer to have an established brand to work with when designing a website. Oftentimes, this is why I offer branding services along with a website design.

Make sure that you have all of your logo variations, color palette and typography suite. These will all be used throughout your website to stay cohesive and on-brand!

2. Have an Established Program Suite.

It’s very convenient when a client has their program suite mapped out. This means — you know what you want to offer. If you are a service-based business, these are your services you provide.

If you sell courses, know what courses are important to highlight — as a designer, this helps me know how to structure your website. I wouldn’t want to highlight a service that might not be one of your top-tiers.

3. Have Professional Photos.

This one is a YES.

This is me shouting it louder for the people in the back!

Having professional photos can make or break the look of your website. As amazing as iPhone photos can be, we don’t necessarily want them on our website.

Hire a photographer and get a suite of photos that are very on-brand. I love having so many photos to choose from so that I can pick and play with what looks good on different areas of your website!

4. Brainstorm Website Copy/Hire a Copywriter

When you book a website design with me, you will get a shared Google Drive folder where both of us have access to. In there, I will provide some basic homework tasks for you to provide me as well as a document for every page that your website will have (Home, About, Contact, Portfolio, Services as an example).

This can make or break the timeline of your project.

I am a website designer — not a copywriter. I wrote my own copy on my website, but it can definitely be better. This is where a copywriter comes into play.

If you are someone who isn’t good with words, hire. a. copywriter. to get it done for you! I’ve partnered with copywriters and have only had amazing experiences with them!

Make sure you are filling your documents with the needed copy — this will allow me to do my job of designing the website, with ease of copy provided by you/the copywriter!

These four things are so important for me to have as a website designer — of course there are so many things that are unmentioned, but if you are prepared and ready to go with these basic items, your website design will go so smooth!

Chat soon,