What assets should you expect a designer to ask for before building your website
If you are working with a designer for the first time and want to be prepared for the process, this post will cover what most designers will ask for as you start onboarding with them! Consider this your onboarding cheat sheet!
Domains and Web Hosting Access
You will want to gather your domain and web hosting access as part of the onboarding process. Some designers specialize in specific sites such as Showit, Wix, or Squarespace. If you are working with me, we will be Squarespace people 😉 Having your login access to your registrar available, and making sure your domain and your web hosting site are ‘talking to each other’ is a great help in the beginning stages. For example, if you purchased a domain from GoDaddy but are building a site with Squarespace, you will want to make sure the domain is transferred and then that you purchase a web hosting subscription with Squarespace.
Start Mapping Out Your Site
When you visit different websites, you are sure to see different layouts, tabs, forms, etc. Start thinking about what kinds of tabs and menu drop-down organizations you might need. This brainstorming phase can definitely happen in tandem with your designer, but it helps to have a rough estimate coming into talks. Many website contracts are based on a 5-page base, and then additional pages tend to be extra add-on costs.
For more consideration:
What major pages do you need? (Home, About, Services, Contact, Blog, Shop, etc.)
What is the goal of each page? (ex, lead generation, storytelling, product showcase)
Any specific features (blog comments, scheduling integration, booking system, etc.)
Need a second to pick a creative’s brain?
Schedule an office hours call and we can problem solve together!
Branding
If you already have a branding kit started or have professional branding done, your designer will want all of this as soon as possible. Here are a few things this can include:
Branding Guidelines
Primary logos, secondary logos, and logo marks
Colors in a variety of color codes (such as: HEX, RGB, CMYK, or PMS)
High Quality Brand Photos
Fonts and typeography hierarchy
If you are working with a designer to accomplish branding first and then build it into the website, you can expect that the branding will take place first and then the website to follow. My advice to partner best with a designer is to know exactly what you are looking for when meeting with them. Are they here to plug your branding into a website? Are they here to edit a website that already exists? Are they here to build out your brand more fully and then also apply it to a functional site they are building for you? Having a clear picture of what you already have and what you need to outsource will help you pick a designer and will give them more clarity on how best to partner with you.
High Quality Photos
The best investment in your brand, in my opinion, is professional photos. You are telling a story, you are capturing leads with a visual identity, you are presenting a product or service and iPhone photos are not going to cut it. They don’t translate well to the web. You don’t want stock images, you want “hero” photos that stand out and keep your audience engaged on your site. If you have old branding photos, consider updating them before design work begins. Your other option would be to have your designer give strategic and creative direction to a photographer that you work with to create a mood board, shot list, and design words to make sure the photos captured are aligned with your visual identity.
Links Links Links
Another item to start gathering is links to various platforms that you exist on. Consider making a Google Doc where hyperlinks live. Sometimes, during a website build, your designer might need a system or form from you. It is better to have thought that system all the way through rather than coming up with it on the fly. Your website designer might be building out your email newsletter flow on your website; however, it is still your responsibility to make sure it works.
Possible links for you to gather, depending on your industry, could include:
Emails, Email Newsletter sign-up forms (Flodesk, Mailchimp, Substack, etc.)
Email automations and integrations (Flodesk, ConvertKit, etc.)
social media links and handles: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Pinterest links
ShopMy and/or LTK
LinkTree
Google Forms, Google accounts (like email addresses), to be connected to forms made on a website
Donation Platforms
Contact Flow - phone numbers that can be public, customer support, etc.
E-commerce platforms and payment gateways (Shopify, PayPal, Stripe)
Calendly, booking systems, or donation widgets
Content and Copy
Depending on your contract with your designer, copy might be included. This is the actual text that appears on your website. If you are the one supplying copy, you can start to consider what blocks of text you want to include on your home page, about section, product descriptions, etc. Your website designer will likely ask for permission to suggest changes to support SEO. Many successful websites also have secondary sections that answer frequently asked questions, such as in an FAQ page, or long form content (like this one!)
Start considering the kind of content you want featured. What sets you apart? What questions can you answer for your customer/reader/future client? What might they not even be thinking about that you can offer them for free? What would be helpful for them to expect before working with you? Writing this content out, even if it is messy and in brain dump format, is incredibly helpful to your designer.
Often overlooked but often required is the use of disclaimers or legal pages. As the business owner, you will be responsible for the legality of this wording.
Privacy Policy + Terms of Use (even a basic template)
Any disclaimers (for affiliate links, coaching, or medical/legal services)
