Practical advice (from a woman who’s screwed up again and again) for getting a website you love

by Carrie Garbas

One super-expensive team missed my must-not-miss deadline by months. A small firm cashed my deposit cheque and ran, after one mock-up but not a lick of code. A freelancer met all my deadlines (hallelujah!) but the website was, well, ugly. I was beginning to take it personally. Now that I’m on the other side of the fence (I run my own marketing communications boutique), I see where I went wrong with my hiring decisions as well as my direction. Learn from my mistakes, positive, fabulous women! I’ll tell you everything I know.

Step 1: Figure out what you need

Before googling “web designers Toronto”, sit down at your kitchen table, pour yourself a glass of cab-merlot or mug of green tea, and figure out what work your website needs to do for you. You’re going to use this figuring when you contact web designers so make sure it’s thorough. Write down each of the subheads below and then answer the questions that go with each and you’ll be well on your way to an excellent briefing document.

Project name:

Project description: Is this a brand new website, an add-on or change to an existing site, or a redesign?

Current situation: Why are you starting this project? Are you a new business in need of web presence? Is something not working about a current site? What do you hope this website project will do for you and your business?

Audience: Who do you hope to have visit your site? Picture your dream customers and then describe them in detail.

Definition of success: How will you know if your website is successful? Lots of traffic? People calling after they’ve been to the site (building business)? Lots of user-generated content? Sales made on the website? People telling you it’s beautiful? Feeling proud?

Must-haves: Contact form? Map? A new logo? A place for visitors to upload content or download photography? E-commerce? Integration with Facebook and/or Twitter? Ability to update content yourself? Embedded video? Copywriting or proofreading? Web hosting? (where your site lives) Domain registration? (purchasing your website address) Search engine optimization? (yes, always!) List all the basics and bells and whistles on your wish list. If you need some inspiration, look at other websites in your industry and see what they’ve got.

Content: You don’t have to have it written at this point but you do need to know the subheadings (About Us, Services, etc). How many pages will your website be in total?

Timing: When do you need the website launched?

Budget: What amount is your business willing to invest?

Step 2: Finding your designer

Know someone with a great website? Ask them who did it and how it went. Check for referrals on GigPark (www.gigpark.com). Check the footers of websites you really like – often a designer will include a link to his or her own site. When you’re looking at a designer’s site, you’re allowed to be judgmental. Do their links work? Is the site cared for? Do they demonstrate attention to detail? Is it easy to find your way around? Now have a look at their portfolio. Does everything look the same? If you love their style, this could be a good thing. Often, though, the mark of a strong firm is an ability to create effective design that looks good and suits individual tastes (of their clients, not just their own).

In web design, like anything, you do get what you pay for. Your nephew may do beautiful work but if you’re not paying full rates, you may not get the site finished as quickly as you hoped. Friends and favours and websites make poor bedfellows. (Trust me on this!) A too-good-to-be-true deal of a freelancer may not have the experience or training to produce a sophisticated site. And a budget-friendly DIY Flash site may look pretty but be slow-loading and difficult to find with a search engine. On the other end, expensive agencies aren’t necessarily more talented – they just have higher overhead. Imagine your website is a dress you’re going to wear every day. It should feel good and fit and look stunning. It doesn’t need to be Gucci but you should spend as much as you possibly can for sumptuous fabric that drapes over your hips just right, shouldn’t you?

You’ve picked out the designers with style you like, now make contact. Many have online forms that will prompt you with questions about your project. Some just have an e-mail address to contact. Share with them the brief you’ve made, including budget. This is a quick way to see if there’s a fit. When you get a response, make a date to meet. It’s one thing to see a portfolio online and it’s another to hear someone talk about the thinking that went into it.

On top of getting a feel for their style, you also need to gauge chemistry. This is a person you’re going to speak with nearly every day for the duration of your project. You’re going to share with her your concerns about your business. You’re going to trust him to help you. You’re going to feel vulnerable. You want to make sure this is someone who “gets” you and someone you like. Frankly, life is just way too short to work with anyone who doesn’t make you glad to know them. Do NOT underestimate the importance of your gut.

Step 3: Checking references

Please, please, please do not skip this step. Ask for at least three references and, before signing anything, call all three. Ask how they enjoyed working with the designer. “Can you describe a time you didn’t see eye-to-eye and tell me how it was resolved?” “Were all your deadlines met?” “Did the project go over budget?” “Was there a lot of back-and-forth to get the finished project?” “Are you getting the results from your website you hoped for?” This can give you great insight into how your project might go.

Step 4: Getting started

In your brief, you’ve already told your designer what you need. The creative brief is where you get to tell them how you want it. And this stuff is no less important. The way your website looks and feels will play a significant role in whether a customer or client feels they can relate to you – a key to business success.

Finish these sentences for your designer:

• When they come to my site, the first thing a visitor will feel is… (excited, calm, efficient, sexy,…)
• Before leaving my site, I want visitors to… (buy something, sign up for a class, sign up for a newsletter, have spent 3 minutes on the site, bookmark it, read 2 pages, contact me…)
• Three websites I really like are: __, ___, ___ because… (these sites do not need to be in your industry.. they just have to reflect your tastes)
• My website must match…(provide any samples of marketing creative you’re already using and happy with – brochures, business cards, etc)
• My website should stand out from these competitors: ___, ___, ___. (provide links to websites)

Step 5: Getting it done

You’ve given your designer excellent direction. (Nice job, lady!) Now you need to hold you both accountable. Set out a reasonable timeline together that includes milestones along the way so you know when to expect the first creative options, for instance, and when to provide your feedback. If necessary, schedule weekly check-in phone calls so you can’t forget about each other (or miss an e-mail). Meet all the deadlines your designer sets for you. If you’re providing content, make sure it’s ready when he needs it or expect the timeline to shift accordingly.

When you provide feedback, be clear and straightforward. What do you like and what isn’t working as you hoped? Don’t feel you have to give specific instructions (“Make that box red and use this photo I found”) but instead tell the designer what you hope to achieve (“I’d like the feeling to be warmer. Can you think of ways we can address that with colour or photography? What are your ideas?”) Be open to your designer’s opinion – you hired her for her expertise. If you are really unhappy and aren’t getting what you want, don’t be afraid to be direct and firm. Remember, this is your hot dress.

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Carrie Garbas is a Toronto-based writer, secret poet, novelist-in-progress and president of Pink Elephant Communications www.pinkelephantcommunications.com