The Website Design Process: Key Considerations Before Hiring a Designer
In today's digital age, having a website is a non-negotiable aspect of running a successful business, but simply having a website isn't enough. In order to make an impact and achieve your business goals, you need a website that's strategically designed and equipped with the right tools and features.
While it's true that some situations call for a DIY approach to building a website, there are plenty of other scenarios where it's best to leave it to the professionals. Building a website can be a daunting task, requiring a lot of attention to detail and LOTS of moving parts- from design strategy to user experience, and copywriting.
And there comes a time in every busy entrepreneur's journey when it's a huge benefit to hand this task over to an expert so you know your website is smart, strategic, and built to bring in new clients, customers, and leads.
When is the right time to hire a designer?
There is never a "right" or "wrong" time to hire a designer. But doing it right also requires a substantial investment. So how do you know if you're ready?
Here are some helpful guidelines that might indicate you’re ready to invest in a website designer:
You've been in business for a while and you're ready to graduate from a DIY site and level up.
You're rebranding or relaunching your business, and know now is the time for an upgrade.
You require a highly customized site or have needs that a DIY approach just can't meet.
"I'm ready to hire a designer for a new website, now what??"
I'm of the opinion that any designer worth their salt should approach design projects from a strategic perspective. That means designing the a site is WAY more about strategy than aesthetics.
A strategic designer is going to do the heavy lifting to help you figure a lot of stuff out. But, there are a few things to consider before meeting with or hiring someone:
Decide on the purpose and goals of your site.
Before starting the redesign, it's important to have a clear understanding of the purpose and goals of the website. What is the website intended to achieve? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure success? These questions will guide the design and development process.
Nail down your Target Audience.
When designing a website, it's important to consider the needs and preferences of the target audience. This can include creating user personas that represent different types of customers and their motivations for visiting the website. By understanding the needs and preferences of the target audience, the website can be designed to provide a better user experience and improve conversion rates.
If you think you need help with this, you can ask your designer if this is something they include in their Brand or Website Strategy. (I include this with all Website Strategy & Design projects I do with clients.)
Create a punch list of everything you'd love to have or think you may need with a new site
When you’re ready to hire a website designer, it's important to have a good idea of the list of items that you need or would love to have included on your new site.
Beyond functional things like integrating a course or funnel platform, it's also important to look into the next 6-12 months of your business. Will you be launching any new services or products that you don't currently offer? For example, maybe you provide services right now but are planning on branching out into products or courses. Or, are there things that just don't work on your current site that you need but want more elegant solutions for?
Things a designer can help you strategically consider for your website redesign
As I’ve alluded to previously in this post, not all designers are created equally. If you’re making the investment, you’ll want to work with someone who equally considers strategy & aesthetics.
If you’re unsure about or need help with your Brand or Website Strategy, these are some things a designer could include in your package:
Branding: The website design should align with the branding of the company or organization. BUT. (And this is a big but...) only if you've already gone through the process of creating a Brand Strategy & a professional brand identity already. There is no sense in building your website on a rocky brand foundation. So be sure to consider ALL of your branding (this includes things like mission, value, positioning, messaging, tone of voice, etc.) when investing in a custom site. If it's not already on your radar as part of the project, you should consider talking to your designer about adding it to the project.
User experience: Often, website owners or designers focus too much on the aesthetics of the website and forget about the user experience. It's essential to make sure the website is easy to use, intuitive, and provides a good user experience for visitors that optimizes creating leads and conversions for you.
SEO: Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for ensuring that the website is visible in search engine results pages (SERPs). It's important to consider SEO best practices during the design and development process, such as optimizing page titles, descriptions, and headings, as well as implementing a site structure that is easy for search engines to crawl.
Content strategy: A website redesign is an excellent opportunity to revisit the content strategy for the site. This includes evaluating existing content, identifying gaps, and developing a plan for creating new content that aligns with the website's purpose and goals.
Wrapping up
Hiring a website designer is a great way to take your business or organization to the next level, but it's important to consider all the aspects involved with creating a successful website.
From deciding on the purpose and goals of the website to nailing down your target audience, to considering branding, user experience, SEO, and content strategy, there's a lot that goes into creating a website.
Investing in the right website designer and taking the time to consider all of the factors involved can help ensure that the new site fulfills its purpose and meets your goals.
And if now is the time for you to invest in a custom website, we should talk!
Learn more about my services and packages here.
Meet Sarah
Sarah is an award-winning Designer, Creative Director & Brand Strategist for billion-dollar companies turned entrepreneur. She loves exploring the areas where business, branding, and personal growth comingle to create magic. And she’s also passionate about empowering entrepreneurs with easy tools to transform the way they do business.