How to Choose a Squarespace Web Designer
Not all websites are created equal, even when designed by a professional. In the last couple of months, I’ve been contacted by clients whose websites needed to be “updated.” The first thing I do as a web designer is set up a discovery meeting and take a look at the client’s website. Most of these websites seemed to be disorganized and missing key components such as page descriptions and website optimizations that should be a standard part of any good design package. Below is a list of “must haves” for a competitive website:
DISCOVERY MEETINGS with clients
A discovery meeting is a key component for gathering all the necessary information about clients and their business. It helps your web designer create an appropriate and effective design that draws in potential clients. After being contacted by a potential client, most web designers research the business to understand what might be needed. Whatever information I can’t find online, I ask about in the discovery meeting. If my client has a brand new company and needs a new website, I usually ask what the company does, whether they have an existing brand package and logo, their goals for having a website and the information they want to put on it. I also ask them about their main competitors and to send me examples of websites (or sections of websites) that they like and don’t like.
If I’m revamping an existing website, I ask more questions about the people who visitor the business’ website–who they are and what they want when they click on my client’s website. I also ask what they hope to gain from a redesigned website, what they like about their existing website, and how their customers find them, albeit word-of-mouth or keyword searches in Google.
For both a new website and a redesign of an existing website, I ask about both budget and timelines. After a client signs my contract, I begin building wireframes based on the information they’ve given me, obtain their approval, and then move on to designing in Squarespace.
CONTENT for headers and website copy
Good, well-written headers and website content speak to your target audience, and website designers play a role is helping you select the right keywords to help potential clients find your business. Most of my clients willingly write copy for their websites. On occasion, I’ve had to strongly encourage others to do so. The bottom line is this: If you want your website to show up on Google, you need to have content placed in a particular order with keywords incorporated into the copy. When you book a website design package or revamp with Kicky Creative, you receive help with writing your content and a site design that is functional and optimized for the web.
Your website content should also address the pain points of your potential clients. For example, your company might deliver great results quickly. The call-to-action buttons should link to the information or pages that those clients most need.
BRANDING and choosing the right colors and fonts for your business
Is your business playful and fun or serious and corporate? Your vision your business should be reflected in your website, social media posts, and print designs. While Kicky Creative doesn’t offer full branding packages, I do offer help with colors and design some simple custom logos. If you’re in East Idaho or western Wyoming, check out The Brandstalk and business owner Erica Rice for top-notch branding and marketing work.
RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN with mobile optimization
The majority of people use mobile devices to access websites, a fact that mattered a great deal to a locksmith whose clients needed to be able to bring up his number on there phones. After all, if you’re locked out of your vehicle, you probably won’t have your laptop available. When your potential clients bring up your website on their mobile devices, it needs to look balanced and professional. If your website designer hasn’t taken the time to optimize your website for mobile devices, it could reflect badly on your business and affect the number of potential clients contacting you.
DESIGN ELEMENTS your web designer should know
When too much is squished into a page, nobody understand will find the important information. Good design has breathing room—areas of the page with white space (negative space) that help create visual balance and unity. Unity is the element that brings together the brand as a whole, such as the consistent use of the brand’s colors and graphics. Colors need some contrast and the website should contain repetition, the same colors and shapes throughout, texture, and appropriate images. The call-to-action buttons should be place correctly and advantageously, both of which help potential clients click on them.
Choose your next web designer carefully. Make sure that they understand what to include in the web design package and ask some questions about website organization. Google the websites they’ve designed and see if you like them before booking.
