Before You Start: What to Prepare
Hiring a web designer is an investment, and like any investment, the more prepared you are going in, the better your return. Before you reach out to an agency or freelancer, take some time to get your ducks in a row.
Define Your Goals
What do you actually want your website to do? Generate leads? Sell products? Build credibility? Provide information? Be specific. "I want a nice website" is too vague to act on. "I want to convert visitors into enquiry form submissions" gives your designer something concrete to aim at.
Gather Your Content
This is the step most clients skip, and it causes the most delays. Your designer needs your copy (the words on each page), your logo and brand assets, and any photography or imagery you want to use. If you don't have professional photos, budget for a shoot or stock imagery. If you don't have copy written, budget for a copywriter, or be prepared to write it yourself before the project kicks off.
Set a Realistic Budget
Web design pricing varies enormously. A basic small business website might start from a few thousand dollars; a complex e-commerce build can run into tens of thousands. Know your budget range before you start conversations. Being upfront about budget helps designers propose the right solution rather than over- or under-scoping the project.
Understand Timeline Expectations
A quality website takes time. Expect a typical small business site to take 6–12 weeks from kick-off to launch, depending on complexity and how quickly you can provide feedback and content. If you have a hard deadline (a product launch, a trade show), communicate that upfront.
How to Write a Good Project Brief
A project brief is a short document that tells your designer everything they need to know to do their job well. You don't need to be technical. You just need to be clear.
A good brief includes:
- Business overview. What you do, who you serve, and what makes you different.
- Target audience. Who your ideal customer is, what they care about, and how they find you.
- Goals. What you want the website to achieve.
- Examples of sites you like. Note which ones and, just as importantly, why you like them.
- Must-have features. Contact forms, booking systems, e-commerce, blog, and so on.
- Budget range. Even a rough range helps.
- Deadline. Your ideal launch date and any hard constraints.
You don't need to write an essay. A one-page brief is often enough. The goal is to give your designer a clear picture of your business and what success looks like.
The Typical Web Design Process
Every agency works slightly differently, but most professional web design projects follow a similar arc. Here's what to expect at each stage.
Discovery
This is where your designer gets to know your business, your goals, and your audience. Expect a kick-off call or questionnaire. The output is a shared understanding of scope, sitemap, and direction.
Wireframes
Before any visual design happens, your designer will often create wireframes (simple, low-fidelity layouts that show the structure of each page without colour or imagery). This is the time to confirm that the layout and content flow make sense.
Design
Now it starts to look like a real website. Your designer will apply your branding (colours, fonts, imagery) to the wireframe structure. You'll typically review one or two key page designs before the rest of the site is built out.
Development
Once design is approved, the site is built. This is where the visual design becomes a functioning website. Depending on the platform (WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, and others), this stage can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
Review & Revisions
You'll get a staging link (a private preview of the site) to review before it goes live. This is your opportunity to check content, test functionality, and request changes. Most projects include a set number of revision rounds, so use them wisely.
Launch
Once everything is approved, the site goes live. Your designer will handle the technical side (domain pointing, SSL certificates, and final checks). Expect a brief period of monitoring after launch to catch any issues.
How to Give Useful Feedback
Feedback is one of the most important parts of the process, and one of the most commonly mishandled. Here's how to make your feedback count.
Be specific. Instead of "I don't like the homepage," say "The headline on the homepage doesn't reflect our tone. Can we try something warmer?" Specific feedback leads to specific solutions.
Reference sections clearly. "The third section on the About page" is more useful than "somewhere in the middle."
Avoid vague direction. Phrases like "make it pop," "make it more modern," or "I'll know it when I see it" put your designer in an impossible position. If you can't articulate what you want, share an example of something you like instead.
Consolidate your feedback. Don't send feedback in dribs and drabs across multiple emails. Collect all comments from everyone involved and send them in one round. This saves time and avoids conflicting instructions.
Involve decision-makers early. If someone else has final sign-off on the design, get them involved from the start, not at the end. Last-minute stakeholder changes are one of the biggest causes of project delays and budget blowouts.
What Happens After Launch
Launch day is exciting, but it's not the end of the story. Here's what a good agency will hand over, and what you should plan for ongoing.
Handover
You should receive login credentials for your website's CMS (content management system), your hosting account, and your domain registrar. A good agency will also provide basic training so you can make simple content updates yourself, such as changing text, adding a blog post, or updating your opening hours.
Ongoing Maintenance
Websites need regular maintenance: software updates, security patches, backups, and performance monitoring. Neglecting this is like never servicing your car. Things will eventually break. I offer ongoing maintenance plans that handle all of this for you, so you can focus on running your business rather than worrying about your website.
SEO Monitoring
A new website won't rank on Google overnight. SEO is an ongoing process of monitoring your rankings, fixing technical issues, building content, and earning links. Ask your agency what SEO support is available post-launch, and make sure your site is set up with Google Search Console and Analytics from day one.
Common Mistakes Clients Make (and How to Avoid Them)
After working with many small business clients, certain patterns come up again and again. Here are the most common pitfalls, and how to sidestep them.
- Not having content ready. Waiting until the site is built to write your copy is a recipe for delays. Get your content sorted before the project starts.
- Changing scope mid-project. Adding new pages, features, or requirements after the project has started will cost you time and money. Nail down the scope upfront and stick to it.
- Too many stakeholders. Having five people with equal say over the design leads to design-by-committee and a website that pleases no one. Nominate one or two decision-makers.
- Ignoring mobile. More than half of web traffic is on mobile devices. If you're only reviewing the desktop version, you're missing half the picture. Always check the mobile design.
- Skipping the brief. Jumping straight into a project without a clear brief leads to misaligned expectations, wasted revisions, and frustration on both sides. Take the time to write one.
Making the Hiring Process Easier
Hiring a web designer doesn't have to be stressful. When you come prepared, communicate clearly, and work with a designer who takes the time to understand your business, the process is straightforward, and the results speak for themselves.
My web design and development work follows the same written process: brief, scope, structure, build, and post-launch support. Send the project brief with your goals and current site, and I will reply by email with the next step.
