Five things I need to know before designing your website.

Every website project is diverse, and each client has their own needs, goals and pain points that must be solved to be successful.

So it is fundamental for me (and any other designers/agencies) to know as much as we can about the project we are getting into. This enables us to create the best designs for the project and to build solutions that cater to that specific web project. So before you, the client send that email or make that call to your local web designer be prepared to do the following:

1. Have an in-depth meeting with your designer

My first contact with future clients starts with an email, a phone call or occasionally a WhatsApp message. Generally the potential client will say they need a website – and then reel off a list of requirements such as the number of pages or sections they want, the photos they need, how they want their site to list first on a Google search and then they will ask how much will it cost and can the project be completed in X amount of time – my response to these queries is always the same. I talk about how Naiad Digital works, what we do and how we do it, what our clients can expect from us and most importantly a link to our client questionnaire as part of our client onboarding procedure and a request to meet in person, even if that meeting is an online google meet or zoom meeting.

Why is an in-depth meeting so important?

There are two reasons for having an in-depth meeting with potential clients. First of all we are trying to provide a service with a new potential client and this also gives you, the potential client, a chance to see if you are on the same page with your designer. The second reason is to get more in-depth information about the project. At Naiad Digital, we insist that every potential client fills in a rather tedious client questionnaire so I can get as much information from potential clients as possible. This is so when we meet I can then go through this questionnaire to gain even more insights into the project.

2. The goal of your web project

Why does your business need a website? What do you hope to achieve by having a website? Before meeting with your web designer make sure that you have a goal in mind for your web project. Just remember that your objectives should be clear, concrete, achievable, attractive and measurable.

Why is this important?

Our whole design strategy will depend on the answers to the above question. Your goals will also serve as a guide to your designer and will make sure that everything involved is working towards the same goals. Your goals also serve as a guide to focus on what is relevant to your project, if it helps get you to your goal it’s in: if it doesn’t then it’s out. Most web project goals will have one large general objective and then some smaller more specific objectives.

3. Tell us about your business

Be prepared to tell your designer everything about your business. They will need to know exactly what your business does, how your business operates, the services you offer, your available products, your mission, your vision, the market you want to attract, your context and your competitors. Without this valuable information, we cannot understand the project or solve some of the unique issues that the project may have.

Why do I need to know about your business?

Web designers often work with people and businesses in all kinds of sectors, I’ve made websites for retailers, tour companies, safari guides, blogs, real estate agencies, NGO’s and more. So how do I know all about the ins and outs of all these different sectors? I don’t. I have to rely on what my client tells me about their business and rely on my endless curiosity to find out how they work, what they care about, what their mission is and more. So don’t be shy. I love listening to you tell me in detail about your business.

4. Know your target audience

This is one of the most important pieces of information to give your web designer. As a business owner, you should know what your customers will want from your website. If at all possible try to have several ideal client/customer profiles along with a detailed profile of your target audience for your web designer.

Why do we need to know your target audience?

I need to know who is going to be looking at your site, and what your customers or clients want from your site. Websites are designed and built for the person on the other side of the screen. We build them because we want to get something from the interaction between the site visitor and the website and this can only happen if I know the people that will be interacting with the website. Knowing who the target audience is will help me to focus on the functionality and design of your website.

5. Content structure, pages, sections and functionality for your project

Will your project need integration with POS and inventory management software, how many pages and sections will your project need and does it align with the goals of your web project?

In an ideal world, the content for any web project will have been created before the design phase and the designer would be designing for and based around the content (and not the other way round) but this rarely happens and what we designers need before we start is a basic structure of the site.

Why is having a basic site structure so important?

We will need a basic structure in place so that we can anticipate what we are going to need to build in terms of content, resources, development work and time. After all, there are several ways to build an e-commerce site, multiple design options for a basic service site and thousands of combinations of all the above. How your site is laid out and structured impacts how your customers interact with your business. Having a basic site structure will also help you, the client clarify what kind of site you will get and prepare you to work on what material (text, images, video etc) you will need to provide to your web designer.

As every web project is unique, with each project having its own needs, goals and more importantly the people it relates to, it is important that you the client, are prepared with the above information before you meet with your web designer or web agency. This will ensure that you are giving your designers the necessary tools to design a solution that answers your specific project.

Remember, as web designers, we rely on our clients to give us relevant information about their business, their customers and their goals for their website and as a good web designer, it is our job to know what to ask so we can build a better project proposal and design the best possible outcome for you.