7 Simple Steps to Finding a Designer for Your Author Website
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE:
Live Within Your Zone of Genius
#7 Simple Steps to Choosing a Website Designer
“I NEED TO FIND A WEBSITE DESIGNER”
You need a website and have decided to invest in a professional designer.
First of all, excellent choice. Yes, I may be biased, but I am also a huge proponent of living firmly within your Zone of Genius.
In short, our Zone of Genius contains the tasks we excel at and love to do.
For most people reading this article, your Zone of Genius will include writing or illustrating stories. It will not include doing your taxes, changing your own oil…or designing your website.
So yes, the best strategy for a task as time-consuming and important as designing your professional website, is to find a designer and use their Zone of Genius to uplevel your career.
After all, no matter where a reader, literary agent, or publisher first hears your name, at some point they’re going to Google you. And when they do, you’ll want to have your best foot forward.
#7 Simple Steps to Choosing a Website Designer
Okay. Back to the point. You need to find a website designer. Um…but where do you start?
#1: Compile a Short List of Potential Designers
The key here is to make this a SHORT list. Do not scour the internet for every website designer known to mankind. (Spoiler: there are a LOT). That will lead to overwhelm and overwhelm leads to inaction.
Instead, keep this simple.
Ask around. Does your literary agent have any designer recommendations? What about your online writing groups? Do you have any writer friends with great websites? Ask who designed their site.
Google. Yes, Google. Tried and true. Search up “Website Designer for Authors” (or illustrators!) and scroll through the first few pages of results. Anyone who looks interesting, add them to your list. You can also search Instagram or Pinterest, but be careful not to fall down the creative rabbit hole!
*Additional Tip: If you already know which platform you want your website created on (e.g. Squarespace, Wix, WordPress), then make this part of your vetting process from the start. For example, search “Squarespace Designers for Authors” and only jot down designers who specifically work with that platform. After all, it’ll do no good to whittle your list down to a favorite designer only to realize they work on WordPress, which you loathe.
#2: Stick With Designers Who Specialize in Authors & Illustrators
This isn’t really a step, but it deserves a special call out.
There are a LOT of website designers out there. However, a designer who creates websites for yoga studios or therapists isn’t going to have a clue what an author or illustrator needs on their site. They won’t be familiar with industry standards or have insights and suggestions for making your site really shine.
Hiring them to design your website would be like asking your house painters to do your portrait. Can they paint? Sure. Do they have the first clue about portrait painting? Nope!
In other words, if you’ve decided to go with an expert, then go with an expert in your industry. Find a website designer who specializes in authors & illustrators.
#3: Compare Aesthetics
Now that you have a semi-short list, take a trip through the portfolios of your potential designers. While each designer will have a variety of websites they’ve created, they’ll also have an overarching personal style that influences every project they work on.
So take a minute and peruse. Ponder. Take note of which designers’ styles you like, which designers you REALLY like, and which designers are…meh. Take this opportunity to sort your list in terms of preference, from top to bottom.
Feel free to cross any designers you don’t vibe with off your list, but be careful not to narrow your choices down TOO far! There are still several more steps left on our journey.
#4: Compare Design Prices
Alrighty, so you have some designers you like. Time to peek at prices.
For this step, it’s important to balance how much you like a designer with how much you’re willing to invest in your career.
For instance, if a designer is over budget and they’re in the middle or bottom of your list of preferences, cross them off.
On the other hand, if there’s a designer you LOVE who feels a bit pricey, consider how urgently you need a website. After all, this site will be the online representation of you and your literary career for years to come.
In this case - as long as you’re not in a rush - it might be worth saving up to work with your dream designer, rather than settling for a so-so website that doesn’t make your heart sing.
#5: Compare Processes
If you’ve ended up with a few designers who are in your price range and you like their past work, then it’s time to look at their creative process. Most specifically, their timeline and level of collaboration.
Some design agencies take months to create a website.
This is because it is common practice for designers to have a huge pile of projects they’re working on simultaneously, which slows the progress of any one project down to a glacial pace.
If you don’t want to wait forever and have to constantly send emails asking about the progress of your site, I suggest choosing a boutique designer who works with 1-2 clients at a time, thereby providing a much shorter turnaround.
Enter the two-week website.
A two-week timeline is becoming more common in the designer world, and for good reason. Two weeks is more than enough time to create a beautiful website AND provide room for creative input from the client.
If you’re looking for a collaboration process where you get to provide feedback and ideas as to how your website ends up, this is the timeline for you.
Or perhaps you prefer a 1-2 day website.
On the other hand, if you just need a site (groan) and don’t care too much about how it turns out, some designers offer website-in-a-weekend packages. Some will even build your website in a day.
For these projects, you will typically give all your materials to the designer, and in 1-2 days they will create a fully functional site. The downside is this quick turnaround offers room for little to no client input. In other words, this option is fast, but you get what you get.
#6: Check Design Availability
Heaven forbid, you have 2-3 designers who meet ALL of your criteria and you cannot decide between them. So here is one last elimination step: check their availability.
Most designers will have their availability posted on their website, but if not, shoot them an email and check. This is important because some designers book out months in advance.
Maybe you want to wait for your dream designer. Or maybe you’re on a tight deadline and need a site NOW. Depending on when your designers are available, this can be your tie-breaker.
#7: Reach Out and Book!
Congrats! You’ve selected a designer! It is officially time to reach out to book a time for your project.
Still feeling nervous, or confused about their process?
It’s perfectly normal to feel some jitters about choosing a designer. After all, it’s a large investment that will affect your literary career for years to come.
The good news is, there’s an easy solution: Check if they offer a free consultation call! This is a great way to ask any questions you may have and give you added confidence that you’ve made the right choice.
