What to prepare before hiring a web designer: a checklist

1. Accounts and access

1. Your domain name. Know where it is registered (GoDaddy, Hostinger, Namecheap and so on) and make sure you can log in. If a previous designer registered it, ask them to transfer it to you now.
2. Your existing website, if any. The login for the platform or host, so content can be copied and old addresses redirected rather than lost.
3. Business email. Where it is hosted, because moving a website can affect email if the domain settings are changed carelessly.
4. Tools you already use. Booking, online ordering, payments, newsletters or reviews. The website should link to or embed these rather than replace them.
5. Google Business Profile. Make sure you can manage it; your website address and details should match.

2. The words

For each page, jot down what a customer needs to know. Bullet points are fine. A designer can edit for tone and length, but cannot invent facts about your business. Cover:

• What you do, in the words your customers use (not industry jargon)
• Each service or product, with prices or starting prices if you publish them
• Your area, hours, address or service area, and how to book or order
• The questions people ask you most often, with your usual answers
• A short, honest story of who you are and why you do this

If writing is the part you dread, say so up front. Our packages include editing help with text you supply; professional copywriting is from $150/page.

3. Photos and brand

• Your logo in the best format you have (a vector file such as SVG, AI or PDF is ideal)
• Colours or fonts you already use on signs, menus or cards
• Photos of your place, your team and your work. Recent phone photos in good light are often better than old professional ones.
• Confirmation that you own the photos or have permission to use them

4. Decisions to make early

1. The main goal. What should a visitor do: call, book, order, visit or send an enquiry? Pick one main action. It decides what goes at the top of every page.
2. The page list. Most small businesses need four to six pages. Each extra page adds design, writing and testing; ours are $175 each beyond the package.
3. Who approves. One or two decision-makers. Feedback from a committee adds rounds of revisions and weeks to the schedule.
4. Who keeps it current. Will you edit the site yourself, or send changes to someone? This decides whether you need an editing system.
5. Budget and timing. Include ongoing costs (domain, hosting, email, subscriptions), not just the build. Our website cost guide lists them.

5. Examples you like (and do not)

Collect three to five websites you like and a couple you do not, from any industry, with a note on why. “Easy to find the menu”, “feels calm”, “too busy” are all useful. Add two or three competitors so the designer knows what customers compare you with. You can see a range of directions in our work.

Putting it together

With the above in one place, a good designer can give you a firm scope and price quickly. Our project brief form asks for the essentials, and you can send the rest later.