I am a webdesigner and many clients don’t know what a webdesigner need from clients to build it. Most of time, when a client aproach me have a single question: “I want a website, how much will cost me?”. Is a simple question but is very diffcult to answer to it because a good webdesigner need to understand what are your needs and expectations for you as client. Of course, most of webdesign freelancers, will give you a price, they will promise you the moon and the sun or a skyrocket of your sales but is not true. For any business a website is and investment and you need a return of this investment.
So, In this article I try to explain what I need from a client before we start working.
Cients think that it is the job of a web designer to provide the content for the website (pictures, videos or often text).
Unfortunately, it is NOT like that at all. The webdesigner can be a photographer (or collaborate with one) he can write texts for your website (sometimes better as a copyrighter) but it is not necessary for a web designer to be also a copyrighter and/or a photographer.
Experienced webdesigners can offer these services, but you must keep in mind that the costs for these services are NOT included in the webdesign cost and are charged separately. And the client must provide all of them.
Let me explain bellow the steps you need to do if you want a website.
1-Buy a Domain
As a client you need to buy your own web domain.
Accordind to Wikipedia a web domain, also known simply as a domain, is a human-readable and memorable name that is used to identify a specific location on the interneis an internet address for a website. It’s the name you type into a browser to visit a site, such as “example.com.“, “yourwebsite.co.uk”, “otherwebsite.eu”, “mybusiness.org” etc.
Web domains are used to establish a unique online presence and provide a way for users to access websites and other online resources. They are registered and managed through domain registrars, which are companies authorized to provide domain registration services. When you register a domain, you essentially lease the right to use that domain name for a specified period, typically on an annual basis, and you can renew it as long as you continue to pay the renewal fees.
Here is a list of few companies where you can register a domanin.
2- Buy a Hosting
AKA Web hosting is a service that allows individuals and organizations to make their websites accessible on the internet. Think of web hosting as a digital space where your website’s files, data, and content are stored and made available for people to view online.
When you create a website, you design and develop its content, including text, images, videos, and other elements. These files need to be stored on a server, which is a powerful computer that’s always connected to the internet and capable of serving your website’s content to visitors who request it.
NOTE: A webdesigner (freelancer or company) always will host temporary your website on his web hosting provider until you make the final payment. After final payment you decide if you want to pay a montly fee for hosting to your webdesigner, Also you can pay a fee updates and mainenance to the webdesign company or, if yoiu have skils and time you can do it yourself.
Note: a future post will explain you HOW to chose your hosting provider and a list of options with good hosting providers.
3- Content
The content of a website refers to the various types of information, media, and interactive elements presented on its web pages. It encompasses everything that a visitor can see, read, watch, or interact with when they access a website.
What kind of content you must to provide to a webdesigner?
There are various types on content (see examples bellow) but the most important are IMAGES and TEXT.
1- Text: Written information, articles for blog posts, product descriptions, instructions, and any other textual content that conveys information to visitors. Examples: if you have a page “About us” you need to provide all information about your company/business (area of expertise, goal, history of company, etc. ). If you havea a physical address you need to provide that informations to your webdesigner for Contact Page.
FREE BONUS TIP. I used to work on Mass Media and Public Relations for few years and helped me later to write articles for my blog or text for clients websites. I give you this informations for FREE [I saw people charging £160/h for a consultation] because I think is important for my clients to undertand how to deliver the content for their website. Even they write themselfs or they pay someone to write for it.
So here is the:
Any text you write must use “The 5Ws and H Rule”. What is that? They are the questions whose answers are considered basic in information gathering or problem solving.
There is a list of examples and I hope You will understand the principles.
- a: Who? [are you]. Ex: a recruting company
- b: What [are you doing, offering]. Ex: selecting and recruiting temporary staff/employee, intermediate and helping businesses find and hire qualified candidates for job openings.
- c: Where? ( are you offering your services/products). Ex: Birmingham and around UK.
- d: When? (are you open/are you recruiting)
- e: Why? (clients or job seekers must choose you?. ex: because, your agency is already in contact with major employers in area, and have a database with people who is looking for work.
- f: How? (it works). Ex: You post a job on website. You need to explain, to job seekers how they get paid, if job is short or long term, etc
2- Images:Pictures, videos, graphics, illustrations, and photographs that enhance the visual appeal and communication of the website. It says the a picture is worth 1000 words. Have in your mind is a good ideea to use the 5Ws and H Rule, for pictures aswell. Also, very important: all pictues must be in high resolution [at least 1920×1080 pixels].
NOTE: Personal, I prefer to use original photos, made for each website I am building. but sometimes the client cannot afrod the price. If you cannot afford to pay for original photos of your company and staff, you have two options:
A- go and download free photos on a site like PEXELS (there are more) that offers millions of high-quality photos (and videos) for FREE. In this case, sometimes, you will have to mention the name of the photographer and the website from which you download the photo on EACH photo.
B- You can buy photos for your website from a website like Shutterstok, mentioning the author is no longer necessary in this case. Sometimes even us pay for photography or video footages fom Shutterstok. If you buy a montly subscribtion a picture can cost 0.25$. But alos, you must have in mind, other people or organizations can buy it too and they can use it.
3- Downloads: Another kind of content are files that visitors can download, such as PDF documents, e-books, software, templates, and more.
4- Contact Information: Details like address, phone number, email, and contact forms that allow visitors to get in touch with the website owner or organization.
5- Audio: Sound recordings, music, podcasts, and other audio content that can be played directly on the website.
What is next?
After you have all content (in special text and pictures) ready for your pages you have to provide all of this information to your webdesigner. Try to explain him what colors you prefer for your wbesite, what pictures want to use for main page, or for other pages like services or contact. If You don’t know, ask him for suggestions.
Important: a serious webdesingner, will not ask you for a full payment but at least you have to pay 50% upfront, another 30-40% when you and webdesigner decided the site is done and ready to be moved on your own hosting. After final payment the webdesigner will move your website on your hosting (you need to provide the credentials – username and passwords) and will give you the full access. From that point you, as website owner, must decide if you will pay a fee for maintenance/updates to webdesinger or you will do it yourself. This can be a montrly fee or you can choose to pay for services only when you need an update.
NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS NOT FINAL AND CAN BE UPDATED IN TIME ONCE I GET NEW INFORMATION.
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