Whether you’re building your company’s first-ever website or simply giving a face lift to your old one, collaboration with your designer is key. You likely have a vision for how your new site should look, or at least some notion of how the site should reflect your branding. It’s important to make that known, and also to understand your role in the ongoing development and site maintenance processes.
In other words, it’s important to communicate—and that means asking your website designer all the right questions before and during the design stage. Anything that’s important to you is fair game to ask the designer—and by the way, if you feel like the designer isn’t great at answering your questions, you should find a new designer.
Some specific questions to ask include the following:
What’s expected of me at each stage? Your designer will need you to provide key information, insight, or approval on the work being done, and if you delay in your response, it could stall the entire project! Make sure you have a clear understanding of your duties and expectations.
How will you communicate with me? Know whether you should be looking for emails or awaiting phone calls. Usually, designers will be happy to let you choose the communication method.
Would you like to see copies of my existing marketing materials, or the company style guide? Most designers will leap at the opportunity to review these key resources!
Will this website be responsive/ mobile-friendly? Having a site that is easily accessible to mobile users is crucial for your SEO success. Ensure that you and your designer are on the same page about this.
How easy will it be for me to change or add to the site after it’s launched? You may occasionally want to log in to modify an employee bio, or to add a news update about your company. Ask the designer to show you how the content management system (CMS) works.
What are some of the additional costs associated with the website? You’ll want to know how much you’re going to owe for the domain, for hosting, and for any future additions to the site, which may not be covered in your initial contract.
These questions offer a starting point—but again: Ask whatever you want to ask of your website designer, and ensure that the lines of communication are always open! To help tip you off to key marketing considerations, you might also spend some time on the ACES page; visit here!