When (And When Not) to Hire a Professional Website Designer
Not sure if you’re ready to invest in a professional website designer for your online business?
You’re in luck!
I’m breaking down the key aspects to be aware of when considering hiring a designer.
This post is specifically for coaches, creatives and other service providers who are ready to go all in and invest $4-8K on website design and branding.
Ready?
Let’s dive in!
Here are the signs that you’re ready to invest in a professional website designer.
1. You have extreme clarity on the audience you serve and the problem you solve
This is number one because it’s so important.
Many new business owners think they need to have a website to be “official,” so they slap one together without having any real idea of the types of clients they want to attract or the specific problem they help them solve.
Why is this so important?
Because while design entices people to stick around your website, it’s the copy that gets them to take action.
If you can’t communicate your offerings or your ideal clients’ struggles clearly, then you’re not ready for a website.
How do you get clarity? Start taking on clients. The more experience you gain, the more information you’ll be able to gather for the website copy.
Quick note: sometimes, all you need is help from a copywriter to help you more persuasively and strategically communicate what you do. If you’ve already been working with clients and just need a little help, then consider investing in a copywriter as well!
Read more: 4 Benefits of Hiring a Copywriter and Website Designer for Your Rebrand
2. You have the funds, and investing in professional website design won’t break the bank
Whether you have some savings from your 9-5 that you can dig into or you’ve created a financially stable business over the past couple years, you want to move into a website design project confidently.
Investing in a website shouldn’t feel like emptying your bank account.
You’re not ready for a high-end professional website if you’re looking for the end result to be your magic pill.
Although a website can dramatically enhance your professionalism and help you get found in Google by people searching for your services (with the power of SEO), it’s not a quick result.
As a long term marketing strategy, SEO can take months or years to see big results.
If you don’t have the funds to invest, consider purchasing a template for a much lower cost. Then you can save up for when you decided to invest in a custom website.
3. You know that your time is more valuable working with clients and staying within your zone of genius
If you’re a 6 or 7 figure entrepreneur who wants to protect their energy, you know the power of staying in your CEO role and outsourcing the rest.
It’s not worth your time to learn:
website design strategy
design theory
copy best practices
SEO
the technical pieces of a website builder
and more!
As you may or may not know, website design is not all about the aesthetics. There is much much more that goes into it, as listed above.
Read more: 4 Essentials For a Highly Converting Squarespace Website
You know that bringing in a professional designer will make your website look 10x better than you could do on your own at a quarter of the timeframe it would take you to do it yourself.
Not to mention that from a technical and SEO perspective, it will be set up correctly.
If you’re too much of a “control freak” (no judgment here) or want to be extremely present for every tiny detail of the website, it may not be a good idea to outsource it.
4. You’ve never had a website but want to take your online presence to the next level
Maybe you’ve been surviving off a landing page as your “website.”
There’s no shame in that, but there’s definitely an excitement around kicking it up a notch and investing in your business’ online presence.
A professional website is the perfect place to showcase your story, services, digital products, past client results, blog or podcast content, and free offers - such as evergreen webinars or free PDFs - so that you can grow your email list.
It truly becomes your online home - the perfect hub for people to go to learn more about you.
And it truly enhances your professionalism when you have a stunning website that showcases you in the best light.
In other words, an amazing website makes you look legit.
5. Your website no longer represents where you’re at in business
This might align with you if you’ve been in business for a couple years and your vibe has changed.
Or maybe you’re completely pivoting from a done for you service - like copywriting for example - to business coaching.
You’ll need an overhauled website to showcase this new direction you’re heading in so that new people coming into your business circle are given the most up to date information.
Many clients come to me with an outdated vibe and realize that the aesthetic of their current website feels so “old” and “not them” anymore after being in business for 2-3 years.
And I’ve been through this pivot myself.
Every entrepreneur will change the vision for their business at some point, and it’s an exciting time to get updated visual branding elements and a brand spankin new website to celebrate this shift.
6. You can identify a time in your schedule that you can give appropriate energy and attention to the process
This aspect is focused on a literal timeline.
Keep in mind that website designers are typically booked 1-3 months in advance.
You want to plan accordingly so that the timeframe works out. Nothing is more frustrating to a website designer than when clients don’t respect the project dates that were originally agreed upon (and stated in the contract).
Make sure that you don’t have any intense program or course launches overlapping with your project.
Read more: 6 Tips to Having an Amazing Experience with Your Website Designer
There you have it - that’s the list of 6 key aspects to consider when thinking of hiring a professional website designer.
Have questions? Drop them below!
As a Squarespace and Showit website designer, I help my clients completely overhaul their online home. Whether you currently have a DIY website or an outdated professional website, I’m here to give it the uplevel it needs.
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