What to sort out before you brief a web designer
Most website projects that overrun do not overrun because of the build. They stall waiting for the client to supply something. Half an hour of preparation before you brief anyone will save weeks later, and it also gets you better quotes because the developer can see what they are actually pricing.
1. Know what the site is for
Not a mission statement — a single measurable outcome. Phone calls from local searches. Enquiry form submissions. Bookings. Applications. If the honest answer is that everyone has a website so you should too, say that; it is a legitimate reason and it changes what should get built and how much you should spend.
2. Write the content, or budget for someone to
This is the single biggest cause of delay in web projects. Design can be finished, the build can be finished, and the site sits unlaunched for two months waiting for an About page. Either write it before the project starts or pay for copywriting as part of the quote. Do not assume it will happen alongside the build; it usually does not.
3. Sort out photography
Real photos of your work, premises and team consistently outperform stock imagery, particularly for trades and local services — people are checking whether you look real. If you have nothing usable, budget for a half-day photographer. It is one of the cheapest improvements available to most business sites.
4. Find out who controls your domain
Surprisingly often nobody at the company knows. It was registered by a developer who has moved on, or through an account nobody can access. Establish this before you start, because discovering it at launch is a genuinely miserable way to end a project.
5. List what it needs to do
- Contact form — where do submissions go, and who acts on them?
- Online payment or booking?
- Do you need to edit content yourself, and how often?
- Does it need to connect to anything you already run?
- Any legal requirements — accessibility, sector-specific rules?
6. Collect three sites you like, and say why
The why matters more than the examples. I like the layout is useful. I like the colours is useful. I like it, not sure why is honest and still helps. Competitor sites you think work well are especially useful reference points.
7. Decide who signs it off
Design by committee is how projects double in length. One person should hold final say, gathering input from others. Agree that before the first design is presented, not during the third round of revisions.
What this gets you
Sharper quotes, because developers are pricing something defined rather than padding for uncertainty. Fewer revision rounds. And a realistic timeline instead of an optimistic one that slips. It is a modest amount of work up front for a considerable saving later.