3 easy ways to start preparing before you hire a web designer

Even if you are not ready to hire a web designer yet, you can start preparing for that creative collaboration today. I want to share 3 of my favorite ways because they are easy, fun, and will help you later on down the road no matter who you decide to work with.  

1. Create a capture list of websites you like and dislike
2. Start an inspiration file of colors, fonts, images, etc. 
3. Investigate what the other people in your industry are doing

Whether you start tackling your website today or next year, doing any one of these will give you a head start. You can be sure that your web designer will ask you a ton of questions both during the initial call and later after you sign an agreement and officially start working together. You’ll be ready.

Create a “capture list” of websites you love

All my writer friends keep “Capture Lists” for ideas they want to write about in the future. I recommend you make a capture list for your website. Start making a note today of websites that you like (or dislike!), keeping in mind they do not have to be in your industry. 

There are three easy ways to do this. 

1. Write it down – Choose one place right now where you can keep track of the websites you love. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A notebook, a Word Doc, a Google sheet, a notes app. Just make sure it’s something/somewhere you can keep coming back to easily. 
2. Bookmark it – When you’re on your computer, bookmarking the website is an easy way to keep it for future reference. If you are used to using bookmarks, I recommend grouping the bookmarks into a folder. You can make multiple folders if you need. 
3. Take a screenshot with your phone – When you find a website, take a screenshot and save it to your photos. Later you can go back and save all the website screenshots into one album. 

Though I use all three, I found that keeping a notebook or document was the most useful because I could note why I liked the website. Bookmarking the site or taking a screenshot is easy to do, but sometimes I can’t remember why I saved the website. 

Start collecting images, colors, and fonts you like

When you work with a web designer, you’re going to talk a lot about your brand. Remember, your brand is more than your logo. Your brand is also more than your images, colors, and fonts. Though your web designer will take you through a process to develop your brand, it helps if you start noticing now what you like. 

One of the best tools you have for this is your smartphone. Get in the habit of taking photos. If you see a cushion you love, take a picture. See a plate with a fancy swirl painted on the side, take a picture. Watching a commercial on TV and see a color combination you love, take a picture. See a pattern in a gate you walk past every morning, take a picture.

Pinterest is another great tool for collecting images, colors, and fonts you like in one place. I often use Pinterest boards when I work with clients. If you create a board, be sure to make it a secret board unless you don’t mind people seeing it. Here’s the board I created when I was in the thinking/gathering stage for my site.

Start investigating how other people in your industry use their websites

I love this one because somehow, it feels deliciously naughty to be snooping into what other people are doing, and I am giving you permission to do it anyway! But we’re not going to be snarky about it. 

I want you to visit the websites of people in your industry that you respect and show up online in a way you admire. What do you see? Grab your notebook and start making a list. (They have a free guide, they have a blog, they don’t have a blog, they have photos of themselves, they have no photos…)

Plan to spend about 10 minutes on each website, no more. Don’t let yourself get distracted by reading the articles. Remember, you’re there to investigate their site, not to consume the content. 

I recommend reviewing 3-5 websites. I wouldn’t spend more than 2 hours doing this. 

When you get done. Look over your notes. Any commonalities? Any must-haves? Anything you’d like to include on your website? Anything that scares you? 

Help your future web designer read your mind

Your future web designer should have experience creating websites for people in your industry. Even so, they’ll want to help you make a site that is unique to you. They’ll want to get in your head, but unfortunately, they can’t read your mind.

The three exercises above will help you get used to noticing both what you like and what you think is important to include on your site. 

Which one will you try today?