What You’re Really Paying for When You Hire a Website Designer.

13 Feb

Whether you’re a designer trying to figure out your prices, or a curious client wondering how designers get to the figures they do, I wanted to break down what you’re really paying for when you hire a website designer, whether that’s me or someone else.

I know that at first glance, the price can seem a little bit higher than what some expect, but that’s because you’re getting more than just a website.

Of course, every designer’s process will be a little bit different, but here’s what you get if you decide to work with me.

(I guarantee the last two alone are worth more than what you pay!)

CLARITY CALLS

I offer free Clarity Calls to anyone who is interested in working with me, wants to chat through my offerings or find out more about how I can help them.

These normally last anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes, and my main goal from these calls is always to get to know you, your business and your big vision and goals.

I always aim to do some research before these calls, and will spend time searching your existing website (if you have one), reviewing your social media and looking into your competitor space.

Sometimes, some clients need more than one Clarity Call - and that’s okay! I understand what an investment it is to hand over your business or website to someone else, and I always want anyone who works with me to be 100% confident they are making the right decision, and are financially comfortable with the investment, too.

Time taken: up to 3 hours.

CLIENT AGREEMENT DRAFTING

Once a client feels confident and ready to go ahead, it’s time for me to get drafting our Client / Designer Agreement.

I tailor each one of these to each of my client, as the deliverables inevitably are always different.

Yes, the high-level outcome is mostly similar; a Squarespace website, however the scope of each one will vary.

Some clients require an e-commerce shop, some require a membership portal, some are focusing solely on content, blogs and videos, others simply want a landing page to build awareness and generate leads.

Some clients have requested branding and logo design to go along with their websites, some need help connecting their domains and others hire me to help with their strategy, too.

Each of my client agreements will document all of the agreed deliverables in detail, to ensure we both have the same expectations and there is no misunderstanding when I start the work.

Time taken: 2 hours.

PLANNING CALL (IF NEEDED)

Some clients then need a further planning call, to really get into the nitty gritty of their site. This can be done via a call or email.

What I aim to get out of this includes the following -

Who are your target audience? No but, really?
- What’s their demographic?
- What are their likes and dislikes?
- What’s their education level and occupation?
- What are their hobbies?
- What’s their “average day in the life” like?
- When, where and how will they mostly be interacting with your site?
- What other brands do they enjoy, interact with or consume?
What’s your aim with your website? Which one of your business goals will it contribute to, and how?
What pages do you want on the site?
Which features and functionality do you want on each page?

I will then also task you with coming up with the copy and providing any imagery you would like on your site.

If you’re unsure or struggle with writing copy, I can help you with this too! Simply let me know you’d like the copywriting add on and we can get started.

Time taken: up to 2 hours.

DESIGN MOCK-UPS & REVISIONS

Then, it’s time for me to go away and start creating!

I will, firstly draft up both your sitemap and what we call wireframes. These are essentially the skeleton or blueprint of your website - sometimes digital and sometimes hand drawn - that will enable us to figure out the navigation of your website and how all of the content links together and is presented on the page or screen.

Then, I’ll turn one or two of these wireframes into design ideas, which I’ll present back to you in the form of Mock-Ups.

This is your chance to give me any and all feedback that you have on the design, colour schemes, accents, button shapes, features and so on on your website.

I will then implement any feedback before presenting back to you. Once you’re happy with the initial one or two pages, I’ll go away and mock up every page, so that before I start building your site, you’ll have a static version to look at, enjoy, show your friends or just keep you excited!

Time taken: up to 7 days.

WEBSITE BUILD & REVISIONS

Now it’s time for the real magic and for me to start building your website and populating any content you’ve provided to me to this point.

This is also where all the prep we’ve done before in the research, brainstorming, wireframing and mock ups really come into their own, as it (at least!) halves the amount of time it will then take me to get your website built, published and live to the world.

Sometimes, a design can look slightly different on a mock up vs on a real site, and so you’ll get the chance to review and make revisions as I go along. You’ll also get real-time access to the site as it’s being built, enabling you to go in and have a look at how I’m getting on.

Time taken: up to 2 weeks.

SQUARESPACE TRAINING

I always offer all of my clients a complimentary Squarespace training session with me.

Here, I’ll go through everything I think you might need in order to be able to make updates, add content and maintain your site in a real self-sufficient way.

Some might call it a flawed business plan, but my aim is to ensure that you don’t need to come back to me! As a small business owner myself, I understand the value of time, but also that sometimes, you need things doing straight away.

I don’t want you realising you need to update some content on your site, not be able to, and then have to spend time contacting me and and waiting for me to reply (even though I do always aim to reply same day, those few hours could make all the difference!).

What you’re also getting | The Intangibles

My years of experience, training, expertise and certifications

I bring just under 12 years experience across finance, operations, product and strategy to every single one of my clients, both Business Strategy and Website Design, to ensure that your website has both strategic design and product decisions behind it to increase conversions and achieve your business goals.

I also bring my knowledge as a certified UX and UI designer, again to ensure your website has the highest chance of attracting visitors to your site who become your ideal clients. I spend time crafting and optimising user journeys to make the user experience as seamless as possible, again employing strategic UX principles to your website to help you achieve your goals.

I have so far set up two businesses of my own, have side hustling for 9 years and have been designing websites for the same amount of time.

Time taken: 12 years.

Freeing up your time so you can work on other things to add value and revenue to your business

This. This is the big one. The first website I ever built took me WEEKS.

I build better websites now in a single day.
This is the power of experience and part of what you’re paying for.

I take those weeks off you and not only provide you with a professionally designed - and built - website, but I also return those weeks back to you so you can spend them working on your business, doing client work, generating sales, improving your processes, or whatever else you want to do to drive your business forward.

Or, well, you could go on holiday and take a break while I work, too!

Time taken: invaluable.

Hopefully, this has given you small insight into the work, time and investment that goes into creating you a beautiful website that aligns with you, your brand and your customers.

It’s never just the finished product, but a real mix of passion, energy and experience that goes into your website.