All too regularly, we have people contact us after a website build that didn’t go the way they hoped.
The design was fine. The developer was fine.
But somewhere between “let’s build a website” and “here’s your invoice,” something went sideways.
More often than not, the problem wasn’t the execution. It was that nobody stopped to ask the right questions before the build started.
So before you engage a web designer, make sure you and your designer can both answer these five questions.
Get them right, and you’ll save yourself serious time, money, and more than a few headaches.
Question 1: How is your website going to cut through the noise?
Your website has about three seconds to tell a visitor they’re in the right place. Three seconds. If your copy is complicated, your design is cluttered, or people have to think too hard about what you do and who it’s for, they’re gone. They’ll find something that’s easier on their brain.
Simple is not the same as boring. Simple is strategic. Clean design, clear messaging, and a hierarchy that guides the eye – these aren’t nice-to-haves. They’re what keeps someone on your site long enough to actually do something.
Less is more here, and that applies to the brief you give your designer too.
Question 2: How are you going to make it easy for people to take the next step?
A pretty website with no clear direction is just a brochure. And while brochures are lovely, they don’t generate leads.
Your website needs to actively invite people to do something: book a call, download a resource, sign up for your newsletter. Every page should have a purpose, and that purpose should be obvious.
Think about removing friction at every step. If someone has to work to figure out how to contact you, they won’t. Make the button big, make the offer clear, and give people a reason to stay in your world a little longer.
Crispy Tip: A lead magnet – something genuinely useful that visitors can download in exchange for their email – is one of the most underutilised tools on small business websites. If you don’t have one, add it to the brief.
Crispy Tip
A lead magnet – something genuinely useful that visitors can download in exchange for their email – is one of the most underutilised tools on small business websites. If you don’t have one, add it to the brief.
Question 3: Who holds the keys?
This one trips people up more than almost anything else we see, and we’ve had to rescue more than a few websites because of it.
Your web designer should never hold control of your domain, your hosting, or your website login. Those belong to you. Full stop. A good designer will build your site and hand over the keys when the job is done. A problematic setup is one where you realise, six months later, that leaving means starting from scratch – or worse, that you can’t even access your own site without going through someone else.
Before you start, make sure you know exactly who owns what and that ownership is documented in writing.
Question 4: How are you going to keep your website secure?
If your website collects contact details – and it should – cybersecurity is not optional.
Weak security is a real risk, not just for your website but for your clients’ data and your professional reputation. This means keeping your platform updated, using strong passwords (and a password manager), having SSL in place, and making sure your hosting is reliable.
It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be taken seriously. Raise it with your designer upfront and make sure there’s a clear plan for ongoing maintenance.
Question 5: How are you going to know if it's working?
If you can’t measure your website, any attempt to improve it is just guesswork.
Every day your website sits there without proper tracking is another day of missed insight. You want to know how many people are visiting, where they’re coming from, what they’re clicking, and where they’re dropping off. That information tells you what to fix, what to amplify, and where your leads are actually coming from.
Your website is a lead generation tool, not a set-and-forget asset. Treat it that way from day one.
Get these five questions answered before a single wireframe is sketched, and you’re already ahead of most businesses we meet at this stage.
And this is so important because: a website that is built on clear thinking is a website that actually works – for you, your team, and the clients you’re trying to attract.
If you’re about to kick off a web build and want a second set of eyes before you dive in, that’s exactly what our Marketing Kickstarter is for. Book in now and I look forward to chatting to you!
~ Abi