What Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know About Building a New Website
Web Designers, Developers and Marketers Share Their Best Advice
Do you know how I can predict whether an entrepreneur will be over the moon with their new website or left wondering where things went wrong?
Expectations.
I’ve spoken to dozens of web designers and digital marketers to try to understand what makes for a great web project and here’s what I learned: it all comes down to finding alignment between what the client wants to achieve and what the service provider can deliver.
You can’t just hand over your money and expect a web designer to create a beautiful website that tells your story and represents your brand to a T.
My guess is you already know that, but this is an actual complaint I’ve heard from experienced web designers!
And listen, I get it! The whole process of building a website can be daunting, especially if you’re doing it for the first time. From design to development, SEO, photography, graphics and copy, a lot of stuff has to happen, and these are all specialized skills.
Learn More: What Goes Into Building a Website?
If you feel like you’re standing on a precipice as you read this, about to leap into the wild unknown that is building your first website (or your second or third), this blog is for you.
When you hire someone to help you with any aspect of your website, you’re putting your faith and money (quite possibly your own savings) into their work.
As a website copywriter, I take this responsibility seriously because I know how critical it is for small business owners to get a return on their investments. That’s why I decided to write this post.
It’s not always easy to tell whether you’re hiring the right people or making the right investments, but if you really want to grow your business, you can’t do it all alone. So how do you figure out what to do to get the results you want from your new website?
I’ve asked some of the best web designers, developers and marketers I know to share their top advice for entrepreneurs. It’s the kind of knowledge I wish I had when I was working on my first website, and I know I’ll be coming back to this time and again when I’m working with small business owners.
I hope these insights will help you move forward with confidence and direction as you kick off your new website project.
Using Your Website to Tell a Story
Your website has several jobs to do. To name a few, it should look appealing to your target audience, it should be easy to use and it should be optimized for search engines. I’d argue none of this matters all that much if your audience can’t understand who you are, what you’re offering and why it benefits them. For small businesses, great website design is important but the story you tell is what’s really going to move the needle.
Keenan Beavis of Longhouse Media explains, “When it comes to building a website, think of it as the hub telling your brand's story. It's not just about the visuals or the tech behind it, but how you weave your story into every corner of your site. This way, visitors get to experience and connect with your brand on a personal level. Storytelling isn't just for books; it's a powerful tool to make your website genuinely stand out and resonate with your audience and turn visitors into value.”
When many of us think about storytelling for business, we immediately think of the company’s story. I love a good company origin story as much as the next person but this isn’t actually the most effective way to hook your customers. Instead, put your customer at the centre of your story so they can instantly understand how you can solve their problems or make their lives better.
The more you can dial into your customer’s challenges and desires, the better you’ll be able to guide them toward the right solution (that’s you!).
Emily Basset of StartEmUp explains, “We shouldn’t be building the site for you, we should be building the site for your customer. Trust the guidance from the people you’ve hired to know what’s best. Your job is to ensure it looks, feels and sounds like you, but think about the customer first. Think about what your customer journey is going to be like.”
Working Effectively with the Professionals Your Hire
Finding the right people to help you build your website is one of the most important things you can do. But even the most experienced web designers, developers and copywriters aren’t mind readers. It’s up to you to help them tell the right story.
Web Designer Audrey Thizy explains, "Web design is a collaborative process between the designer and the client. From the beginning and throughout the process, communication and active participation from the client are crucial. This involves answering a comprehensive questionnaire to help us understand their needs, preferences, and goals, sharing inspirations, providing brand assets, and high-quality content (images and text). Through regular and transparent communication, and blending their vision with our expertise, we ensure that we create a website that is not only attractive but also effectively communicates the brand's message, connects with their audience, and meets their goals."
Your input doesn’t just impact the final result. It impacts every step of the process–and this is where expectations so often get misaligned.
Particularly if your timeline or budget is limited, do as much legwork as possible at the beginning to ensure that your service providers can hit the ground running and use their time to do what they do best, rather than chasing down information or weeding through your brand assets.
Marketing consultant Marielle Reussink of The Emms advises, "The better you are prepared for your website project, the more your web developer can do a great job!
For example, if you're building an ecommerce store, try to have all your product images ready before the website build. Organise them with clear file names and in folders, so the web developer quickly knows which assets to use for which product instead of spending a lot of time trying to make sense of your image library dump. Create a list of your products with all the relevant details that need to go on your website (product description, dimensions, colours, material, price etc.). Research how you will ship your products and have the pricing to hand. Consider your return and shipping policy and other vital details the developer will need to know to complete your site. In the case of service based businesses, think about the details for your packages and services.
The more details you can provide to your developer and the more organised you are, the faster your developer can dive in and finish your website."
Ideally, the people you hire will guide you throughout the process so that you understand what you need to provide and when. Even with a thoughtfully laid out timeline, things can get delayed simply because one piece of the puzzle needs to be complete before you can move on the next.
As Emily Basset puts it, “One of the things that my team would like to shout to the skies is that the timeline is entirely up to the client. It’s not about how quick a developer can build, it’s about whether copy is ready, how much of the research the client has prepared, and how long reviews and feedback take.”
A common source of frustration for clients and web designers/developers alike is that it isn’t always clear what needs to happen before a website is ready to launch. The scope of your project depends on what your website needs to accomplish. That’s something that you and your service providers will need to agree upon together before you get started.
Web designer Alex Piros explains, “Websites are big projects, and as such take a lot of time. There are so many moving parts involved that a lot of people have trouble visualizing. A few pieces that are non-negotiable: website copy, SEO research, and keywords integrated into the copy, photography (either custom work from a photographer that the business has hired, or a curated stock photography library) and brand style guide.
One of the first questions to ask yourself is whether to hire a web designer, web developer or both.
Alex continues, “I'd like for people to have some clarity on the difference between a web developer vs designer. A lot of people think they only need a developer, but this is only true if they have already worked with a designer to complete two things: the company's brand identity, and the design of the website. If neither of those pieces is completed, they ideally need a designer on their team who can also build their website. Depending on the scope of the website, a developer might need to be outsourced, but thanks to some fantastic website builders out there today, this is often not needed anymore.”
If a company decides they actually just need a developer, some questions that I think are important to ask:
Do you have any design skills/education? How will you ensure that the existing design translates into a functional website?
How are you integrating accessibility into the website?
What milestones are you defining for the project?
How much feedback are you expecting from the client, and when does the client need to be available for feedback?”
To take this line of thinking further, ask yourself what other aspects of the website you can and cannot complete effectively yourself. Do you have photography or graphic design skills? Do you understand SEO? Can you write copy that will convert visitors into customers? These are all specialized skills that can make a big impact.
After speaking with many of these talented web designers, developers and marketers, I was surprised to learn that one of the most common roadblocks that arises during website projects is copy. Many small business owners aren’t even aware that website copywriting is something you can outsource. Guess what, you can and (I’m biased here but I think you really should) hire a professional to write your website copy. If you don’t do this before starting your website project, there’s a good chance that your timeline will get stretched out, or you might end up with a website that doesn’t get the results you were hoping to achieve.
Make SEO a Priority
When I first started writing website copy, I didn’t really grasp the importance of SEO. The more I learn, the more I believe it’s critical for the success of every website. For small, local businesses it’s often the low-hanging fruit left, well, hanging.
SEO expert Tedi Bezna of Searchlight Digital advises. “When it comes to writing your copy, or building out your website, focus on clarity. Is it clear what you do, who you serve, and where you're located? Providing clear information, clear next steps in the form of a call to action, and clear navigation so people can find what they're looking for is extremely beneficial for your SEO, user experience, and ultimately for people converting on your site.”
I couldn’t agree more. Clarity wins out over cleverness not just for search engines but for your actual customers. If it’s too difficult to understand what you have to offer or how to make a purchase, your hard-earned website visitors will likely bounce.
Tedi shares a few more tips that you can implement to optimize your website. “Take advantage of any SEO options you have - adding your keywords to your page titles, meta descriptions, headings, and even image alt text can be a quick and easy way to start showing up in front of your ideal client. Remember: you can't rank for something you don’t have on your site, so if there is something specific you're wanting to show up for, ask yourself: do I have relevant, helpful information related to this term on my website? Whether that's a paragraph or a whole page, make sure you have content to back up what you're wanting to rank for.
If you're a local business, make sure to claim and complete your Google Business Profile, as well as mention your city or address on your website - embedding a map on your contact page is a great way to ensure people can find you easily, and boost your local SEO signals!”
If all this sounds a bit overwhelming to take on alone, one of the best things you can do is hire a trusted expert to help you. I can confidently recommend working with any of the professionals who have been kind enough to share their advice here. If you’re looking for support with web design, development or SEO, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for a warm introduction. I’d love to help you find the right partner for your business, your budget and your brand.
