Having your company website redesigned can be exciting, but also a bit nerve-wracking. While the thought of a sleek new presentation is certainly appealing, there is also the possibility for miscommunication and frustration. This can be mitigated and even avoided, of course, by simply ensuring clarity in expectations. To do this, you’ll need to be willing to ask specific and pointed questions of your Web designer—but what kinds of questions should you be asking, exactly?
To some extent, the answer here is to ask anything that you are curious or concerned about. Don’t hesitate to lean on your designer’s expertise, and to expect clear answers to any inquiries that come to mind.
In addition, we invite you to consider some of the following lines of thought—all good questions to ask as you seek to ensure clear communication between you and your designer.
Questions to Ask Your Website Designer
What’s my role in the process? Though your web designer will be handling all the technical stuff, you may be called upon to provide your opinion or your approval for various elements of the website. It’s smart to know in advance what’s expected of you so that you can be ready to hold up your end of the bargain. You don’t want the process to be held up because of a lapse on your end.
How will you be communicating with me during the design process? Should you be waiting for phone calls from your designer? Skype messages? Emails? More likely than not, your designer will be happy to communicate with you however you like, but it’s good to think it through and come to an agreement. You don’t want to be in a position where you are constantly missing your designer’s phone calls while you are stuck in a meeting.
What resources can I provide you with? Ideally, you’ll be able to furnish your designer with marketing materials, style guides, old websites to reference, competitor sites that you admire, etc. A good designer should welcome all of this input.
What’s the process for adding new content to the site? Will you be tasked with uploading new pages, or does that job fall to the designer? And how many pages of content are included in your contract? What will the fee be for any added pages? Make sure you’re on the same page here.
What are the “extra” costs associated with the website? You’ll need both a domain and hosting, and both of these might involve monthly or yearly fees—usually minor, but still costs you will want to ask about up front.
Will the website be responsive/ mobile-friendly? It’s vitally important to have a website that can be easily accessed and navigated by mobile users. Make sure you affirm this important point with your designer!
Will it be easy for me to make changes to the website after it goes live? Ideally, your site will have a simple content management system (CMS) where you can log in and quickly make minor tweaks to your site content. Your designer should be happy to show you how the CMS works.
Again, ask anything that’s on your mind—and make sure you get a clear answer. We’re always happy to answer any questions about the Web design process, so don’t hesitate to contact enCOMPASS today.
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