Most web projects do not fall apart because of bad design or bad code. They fall apart because the client was not ready when the work started. Preparation is not exciting, but it is the single biggest factor in whether your project goes smoothly or drags on for months.
Here is what to have in order before you reach out to anyone.
Six things to have sorted before you reach out to anyone: your goals, your content plan, your brand files, your technical setup, your budget range, and your decision-maker.
- Know what you want the site to do — not just what it should look like
- Have a content plan: who is writing the copy and supplying the photos
- Have your logo files, brand colors, and fonts ready or know they don't exist yet
- Know who hosts your current site and where your domain is registered
- Have a budget range in mind, even a rough one
- Know who the final decision-maker is before the project starts
Know What You Actually Need
This sounds obvious. It is not.
There is a difference between wanting a website and knowing what that website needs to do. A site that books appointments operates differently than a site that sells products, which operates differently than a site that simply explains who you are and what you offer.
Before you talk to a designer, be able to answer: what do I want someone to do when they land on my site? One clear answer to that question is worth more than a dozen mood boards.
Have Your Content Ready or Know Who Will Write It
Content is the part that stalls more projects than anything else. Design and development can move fast. Waiting on copy, photos, and a finalized service list does not.
You do not need everything written before the project starts, but you should know what pages you need and have a realistic plan for who is producing the words and images. If that is you, build the time into your schedule. If you need help, budget for a copywriter.
Know Your Brand Basics
If you have a logo, have the files. If you have brand colors, know the hex codes. If you have fonts you use consistently, know what they are.
If none of that exists yet, that is fine. Just say so upfront. Branding work before a web project is common and most designers can help or refer you to someone who can. What slows things down is discovering mid-project that none of it is settled.
Understand Your Technical Setup
You do not need to be technical. But you should know, or be able to find out, a few basic things: who hosts your current site if you have one, where your domain is registered, and who has login access to what.
Transferring a domain or migrating away from an existing platform takes time, and surprises in this area can delay a launch by weeks. A five-minute conversation with whoever set up your current site is worth having before you start something new.
Have a Real Budget in Mind
You do not need an exact number, but you should have a range you are working within. A designer who knows your budget can tell you quickly what is possible and what is not. Without that information, every conversation starts from scratch.
If you genuinely do not know what things cost, ask. A straightforward question about ballpark pricing will save both of you time.
Know Who Makes Decisions
If more than one person needs to approve the work, establish that before the project begins. The most common source of delays in web projects is feedback that arrives in rounds from different people who have never talked to each other.
If there are stakeholders, get them aligned on goals before the designer starts. Changes that happen because of internal disagreement are the most expensive kind.
The closer you are to ready, the faster your project moves and the fewer revisions you pay for.
You Do Not Need to Have Everything Figured Out
A good designer will ask questions and help you think through the parts you have not solved yet. You are not expected to show up with a complete blueprint.
But the closer you are to ready, the faster your project moves, the fewer revisions you pay for, and the better the end result. Preparation is not the designer’s job. It is yours.
If you are ready to get started, the first conversation is just a conversation.