What to Prep Before Hiring a Web Designer
Hiring a web designer is an exciting milestone—but if you want the process to go smoothly and result in a site you love, a little prep work goes a long way.
What to Prep
The most successful projects start with clarity: clarity on what you need, what you’re trying to communicate, and what kind of experience you want to create for your visitors. Here’s what I recommend gathering (or thinking through) before you reach out to a designer—and why it matters.
1. A Clear Goal for the Website
Before you talk features or colors, get clear on why you’re building or redesigning your website. Your goal might be:
To attract more qualified leads
To establish credibility in a new market or niche
To support a rebrand or business pivot
To clarify your services for potential clients
Having this goal in mind gives your designer direction. It affects the structure of your site, the messaging on your homepage, and the calls to action throughout.
You don’t have to have every detail figured out—just a solid sense of what success looks like for you. If you're unsure, a good designer will help you clarify this in the early stages.
2. Your Brand Materials (If You Have Them)
Gather any existing brand assets you have:
Logo files (ideally in vector format)
Color palette and fonts
Brand guidelines (if available)
Photography or image library
These assets help your designer maintain consistency and reinforce your visual identity. If you don’t have these yet, don’t worry—just be prepared to talk about your preferences. As part of the process, I often ask clients to send over websites they like, Pinterest boards (my preferred method), or even a few screenshots that convey a desired mood or style.
Designers like me who also offer branding services can guide you through this process. Learn more about that here.
3. Your Content—or a Rough Plan for It
Content is one of the biggest bottlenecks in any website project. Having your content ready definitely isn't a requirement to get started (most of my clients need a lot of help with this). However, even a rough outline will help both you and me understand the scope of the project and begin making design decisions with the right structure and flow in mind.
Here are a few key questions to consider:
What pages will you need? (Home, About, Services, Contact, etc.)
Do you already have bios, headshots, or team photos?
Do you have testimonials, reviews, or case studies?
Will you write the copy yourself, or hire a copywriter?
Pro tip: Don’t wait until the end of the design process to think about content. The earlier it’s incorporated, the better the design will serve your goals—and the fewer revisions we’ll need later.
And if you're stuck, I can help you prioritize. Some of my clients hire a copywriter, some write drafts themselves, and some repurpose content from brochures, proposals, or past websites. All of that is workable—as long as we make a plan early.
My services include content strategy coaching at any level you need, whether that’s brainstorming an outline, helping you prioritize which sections to tackle first, or setting deadlines and check-ins to keep things moving. My approach is flexible, but structured—I’m very good at helping clients balance their time and energy while keeping the project on track.
4. A Budget Range and Ideal Timeline
You don’t need an exact number, but having a budget range in mind allows your designer to recommend the right scope and features. Are you looking for a lean-and-mean one-pager, or a fully custom site with integrations and motion design? Knowing your range helps guide those conversations early.
The same goes for timeline: Are you launching a new business next month? Trying to refresh before a conference or campaign? Many of my clients choose a Rapid Website package—a 3-week sprint that delivers a polished, strategic site for clients who have their content ready.
Whatever your needs, being upfront about your timing helps set realistic expectations on both sides.
5. Examples and Inspiration
You don’t need to speak the language of design to communicate your taste. Share a few examples of websites, layouts, or aesthetics you like—even if they’re outside your industry. Designers are trained to spot patterns in what you’re drawn to.
Things that help:
Notes about what you like on each site (e.g., “love the whitespace,” “great typography,” “simple nav”)
Screenshots of layouts or imagery you love
Your own competitors' websites—what works and what doesn’t
If you’ve seen my Custom Website Showcase, you might even pull examples from there.
6. Think About the Back End
It’s easy to focus on how the site will look, but also ask yourself:
Who will be maintaining the site?
Will you need to update content regularly (like blog posts or staff bios)?
Do you need to collect leads, send newsletters, or integrate with any tools?
These answers inform what platform is best (like Squarespace, Shopify, or WordPress) and what features we’ll build in. It also helps your designer plan for handoff training or ongoing support.
Takeaways
The more prepared you are before hiring a web designer, the smoother and more successful the process will be. You don’t need a perfect roadmap—but having goals, content ideas, visual references, and clarity about your budget will help your designer craft a site that works for you.
At Twill Creative, I guide clients through this process with a kickoff checklist, clear milestones, and ongoing support. If you're thinking about a new site—or wondering if you're ready for one—get in touch. I'll help you figure out what’s needed and what’s not, and we’ll take it from there.
