The First Meeting With Your Web Designer

DISCLAIMER:  I wrote this article with small businesses in mind.  I tried to be as polite as possible in my suggestions, but upon re-reading I think that some may get the impression that I am expecting too much.  I think it should be made clear that no web designer should expect you to have all of these steps completed upon your first meeting.  I think that you and your designer will both be much happier if you do, though.

Sometimes I’ll be at a meeting with a potential client and I will think to myself: “Wow, this would be a lot easier if they had just thought of this and this and that before we met.” But this isn’t fair to you, the client.  You’ve inquired about our business because we’ve got a little more experience than your accountant’s nephew.  We’re supposed to be the ones who know how all of this works.  And nobody has bothered to tell you what you should know before meeting with a couple of computer nerds who may hold your company’s future in their hands.

Considering how important your web presence is to your business, your designer should be responsible for preparing for and explaining all of the work that goes into it.  But there are a few things that you can do to make that first meeting a lot less confusing and probably a lot shorter.

1.  Familiarize yourself with the world of web design.

This will make the entire process of developing your site a lot easier on both parties.  You don’t have to take out any books about HTML or Flash, but know the difference between a “page” and a “site.”  Know what a “header” and “footer” should contain.  Know what a “domain” is and what a “URL” is.  Know what a “navigation bar” refers to and what “hover” means.

Try to pay more attention to the layout of the websites that you, personally, like to browse in your free time.  Think about the fonts used, the placement of the graphics, and the colors.  When talking to your designer you should try to be as specific as possible.  Rather than asking them to simply “make it look cooler,” you should tell them that you want the spacing to be tighter, or that you’d prefer a different font.

Try to be as up-to-date with web terminology as possible.  This doesn’t include studying any coding or graphic design terms, but you should be able to explain what you want without using too many hand gestures.

2.  Don’t expect too much, or too little.

Most people are very habitual about their browsing these days.  They may have a few social networks they belong to or a favorite sports site, but people rarely browse for the sake of browsing anymore.  Therefore, not everybody on the internet is going to see your site.  We wish there was a way to change this, but unfortunately it’s just not possible.  In fact, chances are that not even every person in your industry will see your site.

You shouldn’t go into the first meeting with a web designer expecting them to make a site that is going to change the world, especially if your budget is a little tight.  If you run a small non-profit organization, you probably shouldn’t tell your designer that you want your website to be like the United Way site.  If you run a local bar and grill, you shouldn’t tell your designer that you want your website to look like the TGI Friday’s site.  You get the picture.

At the same time, you should never assume that your designer cannot do something for you.  If you’ve seen a very specific visual on another site, like a navigation technique or some cool animation, then ask your web designer what it would take to get something similar implemented on your site.  Chances are it will run you a couple extra bucks, but you’ll get a great big smile on your face when you see the end result.  We love that smile as much as you do.

3.  You can never be too prepared.

This piece of advice could form its own sub-list of things to prepare for, but we’ll be a little more general.  You should do as much research as possible on web design before meeting with a web designer.  The best way to conduct research for your site is to find as many websites as you can from multiple companies that you consider to be your direct competition.

When looking at the competition’s sites, keep these questions in mind:
What do all of them have in common?
What are they missing that you want to include?
How could you improve their site?
Why is your company a better choice?
How can you highlight the advantages of your company on your website?

Write down any thoughts that go through your head while browsing.   Afterwards, form some specific questions based on your notes and be ready to ask the designers as many questions as possible.  Chances are, they’ll be excited that you now have a general idea of what your industry requires from a website.

4.  Create a “site map” and gather your content.

A site map is simply a graphic representation of the hierarchy of your website.  You want all of your blenders under the “Kitchen Appliances” category, which in turn falls under the “Products” category.  Try to think of almost everything you want to be on your website, and write it down.  Afterwards, try to organize the information into 5-7 distinct categories.  From there, you should try to fit everything into as many sub-categories as you need.

Immediately after creating your site map, you should begin working on fleshing out the content of the site.  Whether it’s a text for the “About” page, video for the “Media” section, or the captions for your image gallery, this is usually the most important thing to have at your first meeting.  It’s surprising how many people schedule a meeting regarding a website for their business without having any content prepared at all.

Keep all of the content organized the way you’d prefer it to be on the site.  Your designer will be thanking you when he isn’t awake at 3 in the morning, scratching his head, wondering if the product page for blenders goes under “Kitchen Appliances” or “Small Appliances.”  The less your designer has to assume about your business, the better.  Give them what they need to know and they will be grateful.  It will also speed things up and prevent you from getting any e-mails requiring responses that you feel should be common sense.

If you’re a little confused about “site maps” here is a very simple example of a site map from a site most people are familiar with: Google.

5.  Figure out your updating situation in advance.

Thinking about updating before your site is even built may seem a bit overwhelming, but it is essential to know who will be “in control” of the site once it leaves the designers hands.  If you have an employee who has some software and a basic knowledge of HTML, have him or her attend one of your meetings with the designers (probably not your first meeting) and they should be able to tell you, privately, whether or not that person has enough know-how to keep the site up-to-date.

Paying somebody who is already working for you a little bit extra to maintain your website is a worthwhile investment.  Eventually, this employee will learn more about how the site was built, allowing them to do more than just update.  This person should, eventually, be able to help decrease the number of calls you make to “tech support” as well as enhance the site’s accessibility based on customer feedback.

If you don’t have the resources to hire from within, there are a few more options you have for making updates on your site.  One option I’ll mention here is to hire the designers to handle a good sized batch of updates at a scheduled time.  This is something you should ask your designers about during your first meeting, as you should never assume that they will be available to work for you at no charge after the site is built.  Often times, your designer will charge an hourly rate for updates that should be fairly reasonable, considering you have already established a business relationship.

Well, that about does it.

I hope this has been informative to small business owners and other individuals who are looking into hiring a professional team (or a professional freelancer) to build their website.  If you have any recommendations or questions (from either side of the fence) please leave them in the comments.