What to Prepare Before
hiring a designer.
The difference between a website that launches in three weeks and one that drags for three months is almost never the designer — it's the preparation. Here's everything to gather before the project starts, so your money goes into the site instead of the waiting.
The single biggest schedule factor: one person who can say yes.
What prepared content and access typically cut from a timeline.
Content, photos, brand files, logins, examples, and goals.
Start with the goal, not the pages
Before any deliverable, answer one question: what should this website make happen? Calls, quote requests, bookings, orders, walk-ins? A designer who knows the goal can build every page toward it; one who doesn't is decorating.
Write it as one sentence — "get homeowners in St. Johns County to request a quote" — and bring it to the first conversation. It settles a hundred later decisions instantly.
Your services, in your words
You don't need polished copy — a good designer or copywriter can shape it. You need the raw material only you have:
- A list of every service you offer, with a sentence about each
- The areas you actually serve — neighborhoods and cities, not "the Jacksonville area"
- What makes you different: speed, price, guarantee, experience, specialization
- Your best two or three customer stories or results
- Common customer questions — every FAQ answer is free content
Hate writing? Record yourself answering "what do you do and why do people choose you?" like a customer asked. A five-minute voice memo is better source material than a blank page.
Photos and brand files
Real photos beat stock photography everywhere it matters — trust, conversion, local feel. Gather what exists before the project starts: completed work, your team, your vehicles or shop, you. Phone photos are fine; authenticity outperforms polish for local businesses.
Also collect your logo in the best quality you have (the original file, not a screenshot), your colors if you have set ones, and anything visual you already like — a sign, a truck wrap, a business card.
The logins that stall projects
More projects stall on access than on design. Track these down before kickoff:
- Domain registrar login — wherever the domain was bought
- Current hosting or website platform login
- Google Business Profile manager access
- Google Analytics, if the current site has it
- Social media logins you want connected
- Any email service tied to the domain
- Note: if an old designer or agency holds these, start requesting transfers now — it can take days, and it should never block a launch.
Examples you like — and one decision-maker
Find three to five websites you like and note what specifically: the calm colors, the big phone number, the before-and-after gallery. "I'll know it when I see it" is the most expensive sentence in web design; examples replace it with a target.
Finally, decide who decides. Projects with one approver move in weeks. Projects where a spouse, partner, and office manager each get veto power move in months. Pick the person before the first draft, and make sure everyone else knows who it is.
Bring this list to a quote request and the proposal comes back faster, firmer, and usually lower — because the risk of unknowns is gone.
Common questions.
What if I don't have any photos or content yet?
That's workable — it just changes the scope. Copy can be written from an interview, and photo gaps can be filled with carefully chosen stock or a simple shoot. The important thing is telling your designer upfront, not discovering it mid-project.
Do I need to know what pages I want?
No — that's strategy, and it's part of what you're hiring. Bring your services list and your goal; a good designer proposes the page structure. Your job is to correct it against the reality of your business.
Should I write my own website copy?
If you write well and have the time, yes — authentic voice converts. Most owners are better off supplying the raw facts and stories, then letting the copy get shaped professionally. Never let a project stall for months waiting on your own writing.
How do I know if I'm ready to start?
If you have your goal, your services list, and a decision-maker, you're ready. Everything else can be gathered in parallel. Readiness is about decisions, not perfect materials.
More Jacksonville guides.
Questions to Ask a Web Designer
The companion guide — what to ask before you sign anything.
How Long Does a Website Take?
Good preparation is how projects hit a 2–3 week schedule.
Website Design Cost in Jacksonville
Prepared clients get firmer, lower quotes. Here's why.