The #1 Thing You Should Be Sharing With Your Website Designer
I remember being paid twice to design and then redesign the same sales page.
Yes, after designing it the first time, I was asked to change the whole thing again. Here’s what happened…
I was asked to design a sales funnel for an eCommerce app.
To start with, I was given:
👉 The logo
👉 A color combo of pink, purple and grey
👉 The copy for the 1st sales page
However, at the time, the client was too busy to discuss further details, such as the target market, marketing plan/goals, etc. I asked but I couldn’t even have a peek at the app’s UI. He simply told me to design in my usual style. (It wasn’t my first time to work with him.)
Alright. Time was running out. We were on a deadline. So I began designing.
After three days, I had the first draft for his review.
Of course, I had integrated the color scheme as professionally as I can, with lots of neutrals to offset the bright colors. All of the images and custom icons had the same color scheme.
He replied after a few hours with, “Take a look at this website. This is the style that I’m going for. We can change the logo to fit this. And here’s access to the app. Let’s talk when you’re free.”
I open the link and guess how it looks… Yup, no pink & purple, very few images, and all the icons were emojis. 🤯
Imagine the time I spent:
🔻 Creating custom icons
🔻 Searching for the right images to accompany the copy
🔻 Recoloring the images to fit the color scheme
🔻 Creating background images
🔻 Optimizing all of these for web
I honestly didn’t mind redesigning the sales page. Revisions are part of the design process. But I did care about deadlines being pushed and having the client unnecessarily spend extra money.
It could’ve been avoided. 😅
Wait. So what’s the #1 thing I should share with my website designer?
Your goals.
Actually, you should share this with everyone you work with, not just with your web designer.
Because it helps them help you achieve what you want.
Scenario #1
Client:
“I want to sell more of this product.”
WEB DesIGNER:
“No problem. We can have it as a featured product on the home page and on the products page. We can also create a landing page specifically for that.”
If the client had not identified a specific product to promote, what do you think would have happened?
All of the products on the website would have gotten the same treatment, none being promoted more than the other.
Scenario #2
Client:
“I want to build an email list.”
WEB DesIGNER:
“Alright, I can help you with that. Let me know your email service provider and we’ll integrate it with your website. Then we can also add a dedicated call-to-action section to all the pages. It will greatly help, especially in your blog posts.”
What do you think would have happened if the client had not specified that he/she wanted to build an email list?
A website, like any other online business, can have more than one goal.
As the designer, I would have assumed that the client wanted the website to focus on the goals I initially was told; perhaps to sell more merchandise through paid ads, or to show off his/her portfolio, or to promote his/her brand new podcast.
I would also have assumed that the client wasn’t ready to build an email list. Or perhaps, it wasn’t on his/her radar at all.
Scenario #3
Client:
“I want to promote my podcast on my website.”
WEB DesIGNER:
“Sure, we can do that by creating a blog post for every podcast episode you release. That will allow you to add a description, notes, podcast transcript and a comments section. Google will love that!”
If the client didn’t specify that the website’s goal was to promote a podcast, what do you think would have happened?
First, I don’t specialize in creating websites for podcasters. I do have knowledge about it. I can conduct further research and come up with a more than decent website. But it’s not going to be my first thought.
Second, I design for a wide variety of industries. I’ve helped people build and optimize websites for apps, deodorizers, interior design, etc. So podcasts will not just be my first thought, it’s also not going to be my second thought, nor my third.
Third, consequently, if you don’t mention your podcast to me, we’re going to end up with a website that’s not optimized to achieve what you want. Then what’s the point of having a website then? 😅
Moral of the story: Share as much detail as you can with your designer (or with whomever you work with).
People are rarely mind readers.
The more information you share upfront, the faster we can help you achieve what you want. 😉
Have a beautiful day,
Abby Castro
