3 Things To Have Ready And Invest In Before A Website Design Project

Today we’re going to jump straight into this. Websites are a big project! Or at least they can be. There are a lot of moving pieces and parts to make a really great one. You know all about this if you’ve tried to DIY one before. I’d bet even if you’ve worked with a designer you still see how big of a project they can be (even though you’re happy you handed it off). 

There are 3 key aspects to your website that are part of a successful design, and equal happy paying clients 💲💲.

That’s your branding, your images, and your copywriting.

Here’s my designer “secret.” You CAN do all of these yourself. You can build your whole website yourself too if you want. You can do some from scratch, some from templates, stock etc. and come out with a great looking design. 

We would argue here that someone who does a lot of strategy in the website design process, like we do, is going to give you head and shoulders a better result than a totally DIY project, but trust us, you can do it yourself and your business will be just fine too!

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I want you to keep in mind your commitment level can vary in each of these areas.

While you might try to do one part by yourself, you may find it actually more economical to hire out another piece. Let’s dig into each a little more so you can see where that commitment is going to lie for you. I’ve outlined the higher and lower financial commitment options below for each.

Branding

High

Have someone else do it totally for you, the whole process. They’ll likely start with questionnaires and really dig into the core of your brand and business. Premium branding comes with a premium price tag but these experts really know what they’re doing.

Low

You could buy a branding kit or download a logo from Creative Market, Envato Market, or plenty of other creative small businesses that offer premade logos and brand kits.

Images

High

Invest in a professional branding shoot by a photographer. Even better if the photographer specializes in branding shoots...not just your friend who’s a wedding photographer.

Low

Find curated stock images. My favorites that are paid but still really reasonable are Deposit Photos, Moyo Studios, and Envato Market. If you need completely free ones, Unsplash grows by the day as well as Pexels.

Copy

High

You could Invest in full website copywriting! This would likely be the largest of these investments if you have someone else do it. But it could pay off 10x on your website. Your Copy is a measurable asset. Unlike a logo or brand colors, you can change around the copy and see (or not see) a direct result of your efforts. Paying for copywriting might be a great way to go if you can afford it. I’d encourage you to ask some copywriters what their packages entail, I think business owners often think it’s a really high ticket service but it might not be as large of an investment as you’re thinking.

Low

You can take plenty of courses (I love and have taken Ashlyn Writes Copywriting for Creatives). There are also options for templates and fill in the blank style workbooks offered online.

These three areas are crucial to your website. If you’re planning to hire a website designer, go ahead and also look into having these items taken care of, or on your radar, as you approach a website design project. Invest where you can, put in the sweat equity where you can, and you’ll end up with an amazing result in the end.