When you are hiring a web designer in Ireland…

(or anywhere in the world for that matter), you are paying a professional to build you a website that works for you and your business goals.

Every business will have different website requirements and some may start small and expand as their business grows. 

However, when hiring a web designer there is some work required from you too in order to build your website efficiently.

When you start your website design process you want to make sure that you have these 5 things ready to go and have these things prepared so your designer can launch the best site possible.

5 things your web designer needs to build your website

1. Copywriting

The words or text across your website are also known as copywriting. This covers all of your text, including headlines, body copy, and button call-to-actions. This content appears on each page of your website. You may need to create employee bios, service descriptions and explanations, “About” information for your business, frequently asked questions, and anything else you need to convince customers to buy your service or product.

The majority of small business owners write the content for their own websites, and this is typically the best option. Why? Because who better to explain who you are, what you do and best communicate to your prospective consumers and clients than the person who is the creative force behind the company? Who knows your business better than you?

However, if you don’t already have the copy for your website and words are not your strong point, some website designers may offer copywriting services for an additional cost, or they may be able to recommend someone to outsource to do this for you. 

2. Imagery

Photos and images will make a huge difference to your website and should be of the highest quality possible. 

Your designer will specify when they need the images but it’s good to have them as early as possible (ideally before the project starts). 

If possible, I strongly recommend investing in a photographer to shoot your images. Brand photography will upgrade your site, represent your business better, help you establish yourself as a professional and make you appear more trustworthy and sincere about your business.

However, you can also use stock imagery if brand photography is not an option for you. I recommend Pexels and Unsplash for royalty-free good quality stock imagery. 

If you don’t have any photos ready, at least describe the types of images you want to use – eg. images of your workplace, store, practice, staff headshots, and things you sell. Again some web designers will help you source imagery at an extra cost, just check with your web designer if this is something you need help with. 

Unless discussed in the scope of your project, be sure to provide images that are already edited to your liking.

3. Social media integrations and market platforms

If you haven’t already, make sure that you have social media accounts set up for every platform you plan on using for your business. Are you using Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter, Pinterest, Email, or Linked In…? Your web designer will need the URLs to the profiles of each platform you plan on linking to your website. 

If you are planning on using email marketing (for example Mail Chimp) you should have your account set up and ready to go. I recommend you create a landing page for any e-mail sign-ups and any lead magnets* that you plan on using to capture more emails.  To integrate email subscriptions into your website, your web designer will either require the URLs to these landing pages or your account details.

*If you plan on using email marketing, a lead magnet or “freebie” is something that you should think of developing before hiring your web designer. A lead magnet refers to any free incentive you give your audience in exchange for joining your email list,

4. Blog posts

If your website is going to include a blog, make sure that you have some posts ready to go for your website designer to upload before launch. 

I recommend having 3-4 blog posts written when you are ready to hire your web designer in Ireland or abroad. If you don’t have content ready to go, your website may look unfinished in some sections when you launch. 

5. Legal statements

Legal statements such as privacy policies, terms and conditions, and disclaimers, are sometimes forgotten or overlooked yet are really essential to include on your website. Don’t put off taking care of these until right before your launch! If you do, it can result in a significant delay when you’re ready to launch your new website.

Legal statements are so important to have on your website because they protect your business and your unique content. 

You can gather these statements in a few different methods in advance of the launch of your website:

• Hire a legal expert to draft one for you

This is the best option to get these statements for your company. Employing a specialist guarantees that your company is entirely protected legally for the particular needs you have.

• Invest in a template

Many legal businesses produce legal statement templates. This is a fantastic middle-ground alternative where these statements are more tailored to match the particular requirements of your sector.

• Source a generic statement online

Online generic legal statements are the final choice. Be careful where you get them from, and make sure you read them well before utilising them. Because you might not be completely covered for all of your needs, these are not advised for long-term use.

Now you know the basics your web designer in Ireland or anywhere will require in order to develop a great website. Now that you have a to-do list, you can get started right away and feel completely ready to start building your new website.