Have you ever hired a website designer?
If not, you may be asking yourself “How long does a website take to create?”
You may be surprised to find out that the turnaround time almost always depends on you, the customer.
You see, throughout the project, we’re going to have questions and need to gather information from you. This will be by email, phone or through our project management tool. Even if this is a one-page website, we will need to communicate with you to make sure we’re all on the same page.
Of course, this takes time.
When we contact you, how long do you take until you’re able to get back to us?
This will greatly influence the turnaround time on your website project.
Now that you understand this common hiccup, let’s talk about what you can do now to help speed up your website project.
There are quite a few important items we’ll need before we get started.
The biggest item that delays any website project is content.
Content
Content includes the text and images on each of the pages.
This is no easy task. Creating content can be a burden for anyone who doesn’t do it for a living.
Therefore, we provide two options:
- You create the content
- We create the content
In the first scenario, this is where website projects can hit a snag. The customer underestimates just how long this will take to create. Not only that but once it’s created, there are people in their company that need to approve it. If they don’t approve it, there will be changes. This takes a whole lot of time.
The first “trick” to speed up a web design project is to have your content created ahead of time.
To help you get started ahead of time, look at a website that you really like and act like it was your brand-new website. It doesn’t have to be in your industry, although it does help if it is. You’ll notice there are multiple headings, calls to action, unique selling propositions, etc.
Now, open a Word document and start replacing that content with your own unique content. Yes, unique content. Please, do not copy content from another website, not only is it illegal, but Google will penalize your website for duplicate content which will make your website practically useless.
As with everything in life, when in doubt, go with your conscience and do the right thing.
With the example website, don’t be stuck on the layout of the website. What you’re doing is creating a lot of content that we can use when designing your website. Most people are visual, so by using this website as an anchor, it can help stir up creativity.
If we create the content, we work directly with you.
We’ll have a few conversations to help us gather the necessary information to get started. When we’re finished, we’ll share the content with you and we’ll discuss it together.
We’ll typically make a couple rounds of edits, and after that, we’re ready to move forward.
This option is far less time intensive and in the end, the copy is almost always better. Reason? It’s not only difficult to write about your company, but it’s difficult for someone attached to a business to have a true outsider’s perspective unless you’re a marketer or copywriter.
Sitemap
Make sure you also think through all the pages you want on your website. We call this a sitemap, but it’s basically a bullet list of the pages.
While you’re creating content, make sure you have content for each of these pages. Also, make sure you have a lot of photos to choose from for each of these pages as well. If your business is local, we have a photographer who we recommend. If you aren’t, we can help you find a quality photographer in your area.
When we start working together, we may suggest different pages for your website, but you’ll be much more prepared when we do start by thinking this through first.
I can’t overstate how by having your content ready will speed up your website project. It seems like a lot of work (and it is) but it must be done eventually, so why not finish it before starting your project? After all, while you’re going through this exercise I’m certain you’ll rethink your sitemap and website strategy entirely which will also speed up your website project.
Bonus Tip: Purpose
The most important question you should be able to answer: What’s the purpose of your website?
Why does this website need to exist? If you have an existing website, why are we redesigning your it?
Thinking through the answer to this question will greatly influence your website and the direction we take. Of course, you don’t have to have all the answers, but it’ll help if you’ve already thought through questions like these.
Final Takeaway: Schedule
Finally, when you start a web design project, make sure you’re ready to make time for us. If not, then your website project is certainly to be delayed. Even though you’re not creating the website, it takes time to make sure everyone is on the same page. Plus, a good web designer will want to keep you involved throughout each step of the project, rather than simply unveiling your brand-new website that’s off base. No one wants that.
Want to Learn About Our Web Design Service?
You can read about our custom web design and development service here.
You can call or text us (360) 450-3711, too. Always happy to help.
Thanks for reading!
