While I absolutely love designing websites and graphics for my client, I have learned that my design process often goes better and smoother when clients are not only cooperative but better prepared. In this blog post I am going to talk about the 4 things you should do before hiring a web designer for your website or blog. By doing your homework before hiring a designer, it makes the design process easier for both you and your website designer.
Here are the 4 most important things every web designer wants you to do before reaching out to them:
1. Research
This is often the most underrated process that most clients neglect to do. Researching your target market, what your brand will be about and how you’re going to work on it. This research process is equally important in building and growing your brand. This information is important to communicate to your designer because it helps shape the framework of the work they will do for you. It paints the picture of who you are and what you are trying to accomplish so they can better assist you in the design process. Think about the last time you purchased an item online, did you just google the item and purchase it? More than likely you googled the item, read up on some reviews, perhaps even researched similar items in order to have a better understanding of what the item offered as well as the pros and cons of the item. In addition to doing the market research for your brand, I strongly suggest researching designers. By researching web designers, you will be acquainted with different designers, their style and the work that they do which in turn will help you make a better decision when choosing who you want to work with.
2. Budget
Having a budget is extremely important because whether it’s designing a website or branding your project, there are cost associated with it. These cost include hosting your website, getting a domain name, paying your designer and any other costs that may be associated with your project. In addition, after researching designers, having a budget will help you know which designer on your list you can afford. Not all designers are created equal and pricing for design projects vary greatly. This means that by doing the preliminary work of researching designers – you will know which designer to approach based on the budget that you’ve set for your project. Most designers have a payment arrangement that is included in their terms and conditions, so be sure to read up on that to see if the payment arrangement will work for you prior to reaching out to the designer. When you find THE one you want to work with, don’t hesitate to pay them what they’re asking for. Always remember that if you really want to work with someone who is out of your price range – wait, save then reach out to them when you are ready to work with them.
RELATED: 4 Important Reasons to Ditch DIY and Hire a Web Designer
3. Purchase Hosting + Register Your Domain
In order to have your website on the internet, it must be self-hosted and you also need a domain name. If your website name will be “Life with Joyce” then you can purchase a domain name www.lifewithjoyce.com provided it is still available. My recommended hosting company is BlueHost. I have worked with them for several years and recommended them to all of my clients. As a designer, I love using BlueHost because they offer 24/7 technical support, their prices are super affordable and their customer services is truly catered to the customer and the customer’s needs. If you need to purchase hosting for your website, you can do so here:
4. Prepare Content (Images + Copy of Website)
After you have done your research, prepared your budget and registered + purchased your domain, it is now time to prepare your content and images. Think about your website as your book. Authors don’t just publish a book cover and expect people to buy it. They work on the content of their books first prior to working on the book cover. This is the same with your website design project. Working on your content prior to reaching out to your designer saves time with the design process so you don’t have to go back and forth with the designer on what is missing in order to complete your website. Keep in mind that more often than not, your designer is not a copywriter. If they don’t offer that as a service, don’t assume that they will write or edit the content of your website. It is always better to be prepared when hiring a designer for your project as it makes the process so much smoother and easy.
Don’t forget to grab this checklist to help you and your designer save time.
One more thing not to forget: Reach out to us through our social media accounts:
Facebook: Aheerodigital
Recent Comments