Building a new website can be an exciting yet complex process, especially when you want it to reflect your brand perfectly. Whether you’re launching a new business or giving your online presence a makeover, it’s essential to collaborate closely with your web designer to achieve the best results. A successful website isn’t just about aesthetics—it needs to function well, meet your business objectives, and provide a great user experience. Clear communication and providing the right resources from the start are crucial to avoiding unnecessary delays and revisions.
To ensure a smooth project, there are several important things you need to supply your designer with before they can begin building your site. This article outlines nine key items that will help your web designer craft a site that not only looks great but also serves your business needs effectively. By being prepared and organized, you’ll set your project up for success and allow your web designer to work efficiently.
9 Things to Give Your Web Designer Before Building a New Website
Before diving into the actual website development, there are several things you should give your web designer to ensure the process runs smoothly. These elements are crucial for shaping the look, feel, and functionality of your website. By gathering these items ahead of time, you’ll provide your designer with the tools they need to build a website that aligns with your vision and business goals. Let’s explore the nine essential things you should have ready for your web designer.
1. Brand Guidelines
Your brand is more than just a logo. It’s a comprehensive identity that communicates your business’s values and personality to your audience. If you already have established brand guidelines, provide these to your designer.
Brand guidelines typically include:
- A detailed color palette
- Typography specifications
- Logo usage rules
- Tone of voice for copywriting
Providing these guidelines helps your designer ensure consistency across your site, aligning with your broader marketing efforts. For example, if you’ve already invested in brand visuals for print or social media, the website should match those elements.
2. Logo Files
A logo is one of the most crucial aspects of your brand identity. Be sure to provide your designer with high-quality, scalable logo files. Ideally, these files should be in a vector format such as AI, EPS, or SVG. If you have different variations (for example, a light and dark version or a horizontal and vertical option), send them all.
Your designer will use your logo across various parts of the site, from the header to the footer, and having the right files means they can place it without sacrificing image quality or clarity.
If you are building a new website for the first time and do not have a logo created yet, here are some inexpensive solutions:
3. Website Content (Text and Images)
Content is king, and it’s vital to have your website content ready before the design begins. Whether it’s page copy, product descriptions, or blog posts, providing this early ensures that your designer knows how much space to allocate and what style to use.
You should also supply any images you plan to use, including original, high-resolution photos of your products, services, or team. These images will enhance the visual appeal of your site and provide context for your visitors. If you don’t have your own photos, consider using high-quality stock images or hiring a professional photographer.
If you are building a new website for the first time and do not have any images yet, here are popular free stock image sites to consider:
TIP: Take a look at 32 Best Sites for Free Stock Photos – The Secret List!
For a small investment, there are many sites that have excellent choices for stock images that can be purchased, such as Shutterstock, iStock, and Bigstock.
4. Social Media Links
Linking to your social media profiles is a great way to drive engagement and connect with your audience. Provide the URLs for all your active accounts—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, or any others that are relevant. Your designer will add icons and links to your social media profiles, usually in the header, footer, or sidebar of your site, giving visitors easy access to follow or connect with your brand on other platforms.
5. Domain and Hosting Credentials
Your web designer needs access to your domain registrar and hosting provider to set up your new website. If you already have a domain (yourwebsite.com), make sure to provide the login credentials for your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy or Namecheap). Similarly, share the credentials for your hosting account so the designer can upload the site files and ensure your website is live.
If you’re starting from scratch and don’t have a domain or hosting, your designer may offer guidance on the best providers to use based on your needs.
6. Functional Requirements
Beyond aesthetics, your website needs to function in ways that benefit your business. Do you need an online store, contact forms, booking systems, or customer portals? Provide a clear list of any specific functional requirements you have for the site. For WordPress websites, your designer may recommend specific plugins to help achieve these functionalities. If you know you’ll need features like e-commerce, CRM integration, or email marketing sign-ups, letting your designer know in advance will ensure these are implemented correctly.
7. Competitor Research
One of the best ways to give your designer a clear vision of what you want is to supply examples of websites you admire. These may be from competitors in your industry or completely different markets. Provide links to competitor websites or others you find visually appealing, along with a note on what you like about each one. This research gives your designer insight into the features, layouts, or design elements that resonate with you, while also helping them stay competitive with industry standards.
8. Design Inspiration
Similar to competitor research, sharing design inspiration helps guide your web designer toward your preferred aesthetic. Inspiration can come from anywhere: websites you’ve seen, color schemes, typography styles, or even branding materials like brochures and business cards. If you have a mood board or examples of visual elements that inspire you, share them. The more your designer knows about your design preferences, the better they can align the website with your vision.
9. Sitemap and Page Structure
A sitemap outlines the structure of your website, showing how pages are organized and linked together. Providing a clear sitemap gives your web designer a roadmap for how users will navigate the site. If you don’t have one yet, work with your designer to outline the main pages (e.g., Home, About, Services, Contact) and any subpages. This step helps ensure the website is user-friendly and logically structured for your visitors.
The following are suggestions for creating a visual sitemap online when building a new website:
- Slickplan (free trial)
- Dynomapper (free trial)
- WriteMaps (2 free projects)
Putting It All Together (How to Get the Content to Your Web Designer)
Now that you know what to provide, the next step is delivering everything in an organized way. Here are some tips on how to get all the materials to your web designer efficiently:
- Use Cloud Storage: Services like Google Drive or Dropbox are ideal for organizing and sharing large files such as images, logos, and content. Create folders for each section of your site (e.g., homepage, product pages, blog) and add the relevant files to each folder.
- Email for Quick Communication: Use email for quick updates or to send small files, like text revisions or minor image changes. However, avoid sending large attachments over email to prevent confusion or delivery issues.
- Organize Your Content: When sending content, name your files clearly and in a way that corresponds to the sections of the website. This will save time and prevent errors during the design process.
By organizing your content and using cloud storage to share materials, you’ll ensure a smooth and efficient workflow, helping your designer stay on track and avoiding unnecessary delays.
Final Thoughts
Building a new website requires collaboration between you and your web designer. By providing these 9 key materials upfront, you’ll help ensure that the project runs smoothly and that the final product reflects your vision. A well-designed website is one of the most important tools your business can have, and the more prepared you are, the better the outcome.
Remember, your web designer is there to bring your ideas to life, but they can’t do it without your input. Whether you’re building a WordPress site from scratch or redesigning an existing one, taking the time to gather these essentials will pay off in the end.
For more tips and suggestions, take a look at the articles 5 Tips for a Better WordPress Web Design Process, Best Free Fonts for Awesome Websites, and 5 Golden Design Rules to Follow When Creating Your Company Logo.
Need help? Our WordPress Web Design service is the perfect starting point for small to medium-sized businesses. Call us at 602-633-4758 for a free consultation.
This article is incredibly useful and informative for anyone looking to build a new website. I appreciate how you’ve broken down the essential elements to provide a web designer—especially the focus on brand guidelines, website content, and functional requirements. It’s great advice for ensuring that both the design and functionality align with business goals. The tips on using cloud storage to organize and share materials are very practical too. Overall, a helpful guide for those embarking on a web design project!