How can I prepare myself to get the very most from my relationship with my web designer, and how can I make it the most productive and successful partnership possible?
In the Internet world, change happens quickly. Styles evolve. Tools improve. Technologies advance. Audiences grow and learn. However, common sense approaches have not changed much over time, including the basics of business skills, logic, organization, process-based thinking, mutual trust, and respectful behavior.
Web Diva® Wisdom: How to Find, Hire, and Partner with the Right Web Designer for You shares the tips and tricks that will:
- enable you to choose the right web designer for you
- allow your web designer to work more efficiently on your behalf
- help you collaborate to develop the best website for your services and products
This book is a compilation of the information in a format that will be useful to anyone working with a professional web designer. In the end, you will:
- control the project cost and schedule
- reduce errors
- avoid rework
- minimize your frustration
- shorten the timeline to launch your website
- create the best possible website to meet your goals of budget, timeline, and functionality
The material is organized in standalone sections. You can read the entire book now and get value from it, but it can also be relevant as a step-by-step resource, to be read in sections, based on where you are in the process. This book will give you the tools to get the most out of a working relationship with your web designer so you can create the best website possible for your needs.
Everything you need to know about working with a web designer, in the order you need to know it
Web Diva® Wisdom: How to Find, Hire, and Partner with the Right Web Designer for You should be an essential reference for anyone working with—or planning to hire—a web designer. Its goals are to provide basic guidance for the newcomer embarking on the process for the first time, as well as to offer lessons and process improvements for those already working with a web designer.
Whether you are ready to partner with a web designer for a new website, a redesign project, or major updates to an existing website, you’ll find helpful guidelines, tips, and best practices.
As a client, you are ultimately the creator and owner of your website. If you don’t collaborate with your web designer and actively participate in the process, you won’t end up with the website of your dreams.
Hiring someone to design your website should not be a one-time, short-term project but rather the start of a long—and hopefully productive and successful—business partnership. Let this book be your guide to getting the most out of your relationship with your current or future web designer.
How this book is organized:
- Part 1: Building Blocks – Understand where you are in the website lifecycle. Know the basic building blocks of any website, including the players.
- Part 2: Do Your Homework – Pinpoint budget and timeline constraints. Do your prework by gathering information, conducting competitive analysis, identifying your audience, and drafting a marketing plan.
- Part 3: Discovery – Search for qualified candidate web designers that fit your requirements. Initiate contact, complete the investigation and proposal process, and check references.
- Part 4: Development -Hire your web designer and build a working relationship of open and honest communication, trust, respect, delegation, and partnership. Design and build your website, understand the creative process, and actively participate in iterative development and refinement.
- Part 5: Delivery – Launch and announce your website. Keep your website current in both content and presentation. Know the options if your web designer relationship status changes.
“I especially liked the pros and cons/dos and don’ts in each section and the thought-provoking questions listed for owners to ask themselves as they are going through the process.”
“After reading this book, we were able to articulate what we wanted efficiently with more direction at less cost. This book is an invaluable resource for any business owner/individual considering a new website or redesign of their current site. You’ll get the best results when you follow Web Diva Wisdom!”
“Wow — this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’ve got several ideas for websites and really had no idea where to start. The classic “I didn’t know what I didn’t know.” This book not only provided the overview I needed, but also got into specifics as to how organize my own thinking and prepare for interviews with potential web design partners. I found the checklists and real-life examples to be very helpful. Well written, well organized and, well, really helpful.”
“This book is such a great source of information! There were a lot of great tips in the book about ways to be more concise, creative, and direct while working with your web designer.”
“As the CEO and founder of a marketing agency, part of the work we do is website design and development. Some of our smaller startups are not always super experienced about how to work with a web designer or marketing agency. There are a lot of tips in this book that could really help our clients do a better job of providing the information needed to complete their project efficiently – which ultimately saves our clients time and money. I can’t imagine a startup that doesn’t want that outcome! In fact, I think we should provide a copy of this book to all new clients, to get them started on the right foot.”
“Web Diva Wisdom is an invaluable resource. Its comprehensive checklists (in the form of exercises) and strategies for managing the process to choose a web designer are written in easy-to-understand language. This book makes a potentially complicated process a simple one.”
“This book is well written in a way that even a very non-technical person could understand. Because of this, I purchased several copies of this book to give to friends as I thought it would be really useful for them in managing their own businesses. It would be a great gift for a self-employed person.”
“I read this book cover to cover. It was easy to understand, confirmed some of the knowledge I already had, and gave me new insights on what I didn’t know earlier.”