Five things I need before starting a website design
When embarking on a website design (or redesign), it’s best to be prepared. Here are some things I’ll need before I can design your website (and a few things you don’t need right away!).
1. A clear idea about your goals
A website design or re-design isn’t worth doing unless you have a clear objective. The primary goal should be simple and straightforward (e.g. buy my book; contact me). It’s the main thing you want visitors to do – their main call to action.
The content you have on the website will be in service of supporting this goal.
Being clear on your primary goal (and secondary & tertiary goals, if applicable) is important, as many elements of your website will be in service of this goal: the words, images, links, buttons, navigation, and more. Everything they read and see will make them want to ‘action’ those goals of yours.
Some examples of a website’s primary goal could be:
Purchase something from your online shop
Subscribe to your newsletter
Contact me (this is my website’s primary goal!)
Book an appointment
Any of these could also be a secondary goal (for example, if you don’t want to have a chat about how I can help with your design project, you could buy my books or subscribe to my newsletter).
Even having a single landing page at your domain name, with the goal of directing people to your social media accounts, is better than nothing online.
2. Text for your website
Communicating in a clear and concise way who you are, what you do for whom, and why, is key to converting visitors into customers or clients. Text for your website is also important to help your website be found (and ranked highly) in search engines.
If you’re time-poor or are not a confident writer, engaging a professional copywriter to write SEO-optimised content is recommended. They will work with you to understand the strategy and values behind your business and craft words that communicate those things to your ideal customer.
You can also opt to write your own website text, and I can assist by tweaking it to be search-engine optimised. I have templates you can use to help you to write your own website copy.
3. Photography
Professional photography is more important than ever on a business’ website. A picture is worth a thousand words… if it’s not a quality picture, what is that saying about your business?
Here’s a couple of things I’ve noticed based on my experience building websites for small business clients:
Stock imagery is a very affordable way to get high-quality images for your website. While many images can be cringey or cliche, there are lots of elegant, considered options out there too. I can help to find the good ones.
Custom, professional imagery always makes a website look cohesive, and for product-based businesses, it’s even more important. Before you invest in a professional photoshoot, I can help with curating image moodboards and providing size specifications that you can share with your photographer. This way, you’ll know that the images you take will work seamlessly on your website.
If your website is about selling ‘you’ as the business or author, you’ll likely need a great bio image or headshot. Selfies or wedding party pics rarely work! A headshot by a professional photographer doesn’t have to cost the earth – ask me for some recommendations.
4. A domain name and social media handles
The earlier you secure a domain name (URL) and relevant social media handles for your business, the better. Once they’re owned by someone else, it can be difficult (or expensive) to make them yours!
I recommend clients search for a URL at the same time that they are naming their business (and doing a trademark search for that name). It’s no fun changing a website URL once you discover a similar business with the same name in your location.
My top tips for domain names and social media handles:
make them easy to say and spell
choose a .com.au or .au domain name extension if Australian clients are your main source of business
aim for the same social media handle across difference platforms: e.g. pinterest.com/tessmccabe; instagram.com/tessmccabe
5. Accounts for any connected services
Just like having your domain name and social media handles secured, it’s a good idea to set up accounts for features you want to connect to your website, such as:
Mailing list platform (e.g. Mailchimp; Klaviyo; Omnisend)
Google My Business and Google Analytics
Email addresses connected to your domain name
Payment processors (e.g. PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay)
Buy Now Pay Later accounts (Afterpay, Zip Pay)
Setting up these accounts in advance will speed up the design, build and launch of your website.
A few things I *don’t* need (yet)
1. A logo, a colour palette, or a style guide for your business
If you don’t yet have a logo or visual identity guidelines for your business yet, I can create them for you as part of your website design package.
2. A Shopify or Squarespace account
If you don’t have an existing a Shopify or Squarespace account, that’s okay - I can set one up for you and transfer ownership once the site is launched. There are benefits to you if I set it up, such as an 6-month extension on development time (the time before launch that you are required to start paying for a platform subscription), and discounts on your first year of platform subscription.
3. Experience with Shopify or Squarespace
Both Shopify and Squarespace are intuitive, easy to manage website design platforms. If you’re not familiar or lack confidence with technology (no judgement!), I’ll provide training and assistance so you can manage your website after its launch.
Having all or most of these things in place before embarking on a website design can make the process efficient, seamless and fun. Want to have a chat about a new website design?
