Preparation Questions for a Web Design Meeting
October 17, 2018
Going to a web design meeting for the first time may seem a bit intimidating. What will the designer ask? How much will it cost? Will they think I am ignorant? These are some of the questions that may go through your head, but you will feel much more confident if you approach the meeting well- prepared.
While there are many more questions your web designer will ask, I'd like to highlight 7 of the main topics so you have an idea of what information to gather before meeting with your web designer.
What is the purpose/goal of your website?
You should have a reason for putting up a website. What is its purpose? Maybe it's to simply provide information on a particular topic or you may want to sell items on it and make money from it. Whatever it is - know your purpose.
You also want to think about what the goal of the site is. Is it to create a community around a specific topic? Is it to sell products and bring in a certain amount of money each month? Purpose and goals go hand in hand, so know what they are before you even begin to think about the design process.
What Look and Feel Do You Want Your Website to Have?
If you look around the web today, there are all kinds of websites. Some are very formal and official; others are more fun and playful. You want the look of your website to correspond with the type of business you have. Think about the difference between a lawyer's type of work and someone teaching yoga/fitness for a living. The lawyer will need a professional, more formal look, while the fitness trainer will want something more exciting and upbeat.
It is always helpful to us if a client has some examples of sites they like that are in the same or similar business. It gives us an idea of what look they are going for. Before you have your first web design meeting, take a look at other sites in your same field and make note of the ones you like.
What are Your Color Preferences?
Your web designer will ask you what your color preferences are. Different colors are known to produce different types of emotions and feelings. Blues are very calming and promote trustworthiness, while reds and oranges have a more exciting nature. Again, think about your business and the feelings you want to encourage when someone visits your website. Consider who your target audience is when choosing colors. According to an article by Graphic Design, there is a differance in color preference that comes with different age groups. In their article, they included this quote, "With maturity comes a greater liking for hues of shorter wave length (blue, green, purple) than for hues of longer wave length (red, orange, and yellow)." - Faber Birren
Do you have a logo already? If so, your web designer will most likely coordinate the colors of your logo into the colors he/she uses on the website.
What is Your Preferred Time Frame?
Your web designer will want to know if you are looking to have your site completed in a month or six months time (or anything in between.) Your time frame may be dependent on their workload, but they will want a general idea of what you need. A good designer will not take on a project if they cannot meet the deadlines you have.
Do You Have Images and Content for the Website?
Your web designer will want to know if you have the content and images needed to build the website. I know this is one of the main holdups we run into when we build a site. We can get the site structure up fairly quickly, but oftentimes, we wait to receive the content and images from the client. This can definitely effect the timeframe of site completion, so your designer will want to know what you have so they can plan their schedule accordingly.
Hosting/Domain
Your designer will want to know if you already have a domain and hosting for the site. If you do, bring the information to your web design meeting.This will include the name of the companies that hold your domain and hosting, plus your login details.
We offer our clients the option of hosting with us or they can go with another company. This does effect where we build the website, so we like to know this upfront.
Special Features
Will your website need sny specific features? If so, this is something you want to let your web designer know early on. Special features might include a membership section, forum or a chat feature. It could need an eCommerce platform. Any of these types of features should be brought up in the initial meeting.
I have outlined 7 of the main questions we always ask our potential clients in the first web design meeting. If you would like to consider other questions your designer may go over, visit Marketing Land for a list of 100 questions that every web designer should ask.