Right Information From Your Client Can Improve Your Web Design Process
Your client onboarding process is one of the most important steps in your web design workflow. Before you start building a website, the first step you need to take is a content collection. In this blog post, I talk about how collecting information from your client the right way can make your life as an entrepreneur easier.
The very beginning of a project is one of the most crucial parts of the web design process. This is where you can start to improve your web design process, it is also the time to set the mood and pace of the project.
Setting the Mood of the Project
“I forgot to ask you…”
“Can you remind me…”
These are two things no client ever wants to hear. Questions that begin with “I forgot to ask you…” or “Can you remind me…” make a client feel like you’re a newbie like maybe they won’t end up with the high-converting website you promised them.
Professionalism and organization go a long way. When you have a professional and organized process to follow for each project, you’re more likely to come across as an expert web designer. (Even if you are a newbie web designer!) Since you aren’t asking questions that make you look forgetful, your client won’t be wondering what they got themselves into by signing on for your services. Instead of being all over the place by sending a million emails to ask more questions, you’ll look super professional because you won’t be all over the place throughout your workflow.
In order to wow your client, put their mind at ease, and make them feel confident in their decision to work with you, you have to set the mood of the project right at the beginning by having a professional workflow and asking the right questions upfront. Starting off on the wrong foot can cause a client to feel like you’re not the expert you claim to be. It can also make them question everything you do and be less likely to take your advice and recommendations seriously.
Reducing Communication with Your Client
Not only can you either start you and your client off on the right foot or the wrong foot but you also can determine how much communication you’ll have with your client right from the start. This is another great way to improve your web design process.
What do I mean by that?
Think about some questions you ask your client during the web design process.
“What services do you offer and what is each priced at?”
“Can you send me your branding and do you have a preferred brand personality you’re going for?”
“What is your main service?”
You get all these questions answered and then… SURPRISE! Partway through the design process, your client surprises you with some new things…
“Oh, you have a lead magnet you want to include?”
“You also have a quiz that you would like to promote?”
“…you mean you have a service that is only live during the summer that you didn’t mention?”
“You’re not actually getting a copywriter to write the content? You want to know if I’ll help you do that…”
The biggest contributor to delays in your project workflow is having to consistently communicate back and forth with your client.
Why does this happen? Why does each project include surprises? Because you’re not asking the right questions right from the start. By asking the right questions at the very beginning of the process you’re not going to get those surprises mid-workflow which will cause you to email back and forth with your client for clarification.
A content collection process that eliminates surprises is one that dives deep into your client’s business and asks the right questions. Asking the right questions will get your client to give you information they may not have thought was important or may not have thought to tell you about right at the beginning. (Ie. You’ll know they have a lead magnet that needs to be promoted.)
What Should Your Content Collection Process Be Like?
Here are a few key things you need to know about your content collection process:
- Collecting content should be one of the first things you do in your process
- The right questions need to be asked to eliminate surprises
- Clarification is key to reducing back and forth communication throughout the entire workflow
