Almost everything we do today is online—business, education, communication, etc. Whatever your niche is, the first thing people look into when researching brands is their website. While people say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the audience takes everything online at face value. Thus, it’s critical to build a well-designed website.
An excellent website design is one of the best ways to build your brand credibility. It is a crucial step in navigating the online space with confidence. But then, not everyone is a web designer and has the time to build a website alone. Even though websites like WordPress can help ease the website designing process, not everyone has the creative and technical skills. This is where collaborating with a web design agency comes in.
With a web design agency, you can ensure that you’ll not be putting out a half-heartedly designed website. Instead, they can help you build a fantastic, functional, and user-attracting site. And in this blog post, you’ll learn some tips on working with a WordPress website design agency—minus all the hassle!
1. Know What You Want
You can’t communicate your vision to the website design agency without first knowing what it is. Start by looking through different websites or WordPress templates for inspiration. Take note of the layouts and elements you like and dislike. Eventually, you’ll start building a picture in your head of what you want for your own website.
Once you have a clear image of what you want, try to create a rough draft. It will help the designer process your ideas and envision them on the actual site. You can also give them a curated list of websites and templates you’ve chosen for reference.
2. Be Open With Your Goals
Open and honest communication is key in building your dream website. The more details you provide to your designer, the better and more accurate the result will be.
Make sure to have a thorough discussion with your designer about your website’s goal. For example, what functionalities do you want to incorporate? And what overall feel do you want for the website? Communicating these will greatly impact the initial output. It will also give you a chance to spot and resolve potential issues early on.
3. Ask Questions
Especially if it’s your first time building a website, you will have tons of questions in your mind. So don’t be afraid to ask questions and discuss your concerns with your WordPress web design agency. Of course, in return, you also have to answer their questions with openness and clarity. This two-way communication is what will help the project to sail smoothly.
As a guide, here are some basic things to include in your questions:
- Portfolio sample
- Availability
- Budget
- Deliverable schedule and timeline
- Possible adjustments
- Backend access
4. Create a Basic Design Brief
While your initial rough draft can be incomplete, it’s critical to be comprehensive and detailed with your basic design brief. Here, you will be putting together all ideas and information you want to include in your website. You can build this up as you go through your research and before the project officially starts.
Here’s a quick rundown of some things you would want to include in your design brief:
- Brand name and purpose
- Target audience
- Competitors
- Website goals
- Logo
- Color scheme
- Specific functions and features
- Inspiration from existing sites and templates
Try to be as specific and comprehensive as possible with your brief; don’t be vague and ambiguous. It will help the designer work on the project better since they know exactly what to do. Make sure to label and differentiate what’s on top of your priority list versus what’s optional.
5. Be Clear, Decisive, and Straightforward
A website design agency works best when provided clear and constructive feedback. As much as possible, use specific and straightforward language. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself giving mixed signals to your designer. Be decisive, and use concrete words that will leave no room for false interpretation.
Also, don’t just provide half-hearted feedback—make sure it’s constructive and usable. Thus, you have to ensure you take the time to assess the initial designs they send to you thoroughly. Then, collate your feedback and requests in one document so it’s easier to go back to. As a designer, last-minute changes are a huge pain and headache.
Remember: it’s better to over-explain than under-explain. Being upfront with what you want will help you get your vision across.
6. Try to Provide Visual Examples
Sometimes, it’s just hard to put your ideas into words—we’ve all been there. For this, providing visual examples will save you from a lot of stress. For example, you can send screenshots of websites you like or a drawing of how you want a specific area to look. Having a tangible reference can help significantly in the website designing process.
But of course, you’d still have to provide notes to be more specific with what exact vision you have in mind. Again, be clear and straightforward in this part.
7. Trust the Creative Process
Finally, respect and trust the creative process. While you’re responsible for giving instructions, you need to leave some decisions in your web designer’s hands. Trust that they are an expert in what they do, and they have more knowledge when it comes to the process.
Also, rushing and making overly complex requests to your designer will only do more harm than good. Remember that for the website planning you need, they need time to translate your vision too. So it’s natural to have some back and forth moments that allow them to familiarize themselves with your brand, vision, and goal.
As long as there’s mutual respect and commitment, you will achieve the website of your dreams.
Communication Is Key
Turning your website vision into reality requires teamwork and a lot of planning, patience, and openness. Like with all other things—communication is key in working with a WordPress web design agency. And, you can make the most out of this collaboration with the right attitude and mindset.
By following the tips above, you can rest easy knowing you’re communicating your vision effectively. Now, you’re only a few steps away from creating a fantastic website. Good luck!
