The Client’s Role In Creating A New Website

I know what you’re thinking; the client doesn’t have a role, that’s why you hired a professional to build your website. Before you get to carried away, allow me to explain.

This career has been my passion for the better part of 20 years, and in that time almost every consultation has gone the same. We discuss needs vs wants, problems and solutions, design, budget, and at the end of the call I leave the client with a list of everything I need to move forward. I know without a doubt, more than I know the sun will rise tomorrow, that when the client tells me that list won’t be an issue, they are wrong. When I get the materials, IF I get them at all, they are almost always incomplete.

Your New Website

The intent of any website is to tell a story to your customers, based on the information that you provide. The story needs to be told in a way that is both visually pleasing and mentally stimulating, and it should lead the visitor to take action and continue through the workflow. However, with incomplete information or no information at all, that story is very difficult to tell. Without all of the content for a website, even the best website will fail. The truth is that the best websites have not only the best designers, they are owned by the best clients.

How Does This Affect You?

The most immediate impact to the project is time. Piecing together information throughout the development process means multiple stops and starts, which will cause a substantial delay in turn around time. Any legitimate web designer is going to have multiple projects, so when your project hiccups a new one takes center stage until you provide those materials and you’re able to be penciled in again.

It goes without saying, your budget will also get hit here. Everyone knows that time is money, and more time spent searching for, revising, and editing content all mean more money.

The fallout doesn’t end with the launch of your new website, it will perform poorly as SEO opportunities are missed and users fail the conversion to customer.

How Can You Help?

If you’re still reading, thank you for wanting to be a great client. The most important thing in this entire process is to be up front and honest. If you can’t get something, let your developer know. If you aren’t sure what something is or if it’s the right thing, ask. It is much easier to tackle these issues before your new website “breaks ground” than it is to fill them in after the fact.

Any information that you do provide should be complete and reviewed:

• Copy should have spelling and grammar checks completed
• Addresses should be complete and in the proper format
• Photos should be high qualify and in the sizes specified

Ensuring that you have completed these steps will make the entire process easier, faster, and cheaper. This is the closing need ot revise it.

 

TLDR: If you think you want to hire a small business, be ready and if you say you have everything we need you better mean it. I don’t leave projects or invoices open ended for months at a time. It’s unfair to me and to clients that are patiently waiting.