Before hiring a web designer, you should have clarity on your target customers, your website’s primary goal, and what makes your business different. You’ll also need your logo in a proper file format, a rough colour and font preference, a list of pages you need, and your written content either drafted or planned. Businesses that arrive prepared get faster results, lower costs, and stronger final websites. Here’s exactly what to pull together before your first meeting.

Hiring a web designer is one of the best investments a business can make. A well-built website works for you around the clock — generating enquiries, building credibility, and converting visitors into customers.

But here’s something most designers won’t tell you upfront: the businesses that get the best results aren’t always the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones who show up prepared.

According to a 2024 survey by Clutch, content delays are the number one reason web design projects run over time and over budget — cited by 35% of agencies. When a client comes to us knowing what they want — even roughly — the project moves faster, the decisions are easier, and the final product is almost always stronger.

So before you reach out to a web designer, here’s what you should have ready.

Know Your Business Before You Brief Your Designer

A web designer’s job is to translate your business into a digital experience. The better they understand your business, the better that translation will be. This means you need to be clear on a few fundamentals before that first conversation.

Know Who Your Customers Are

Your website isn’t for you — it’s for your customers. Before a single page is designed, you should be able to describe who you’re trying to reach. Are they homeowners or businesses? Young or older? Are they price-driven or quality-driven? Do they search on their phone or sit down at a desktop?

This shapes everything: the language used on the site, the images chosen, the layout, even the colours. A designer can make educated guesses, but you know your customers better than anyone. Write down a simple description of your ideal customer before your first meeting.

Know What You Want the Website to Actually Do

A website with no clear goal is a website that delivers no clear results. Before you hire a designer, get specific about what success looks like. Do you want people to call you? Fill in an enquiry form? Buy something directly? Book an appointment?

Most business websites should do one thing primarily, with everything else supporting that goal. If your answer is “I just want a website,” that’s worth thinking through further — because your designer will ask, and your answer will shape every decision they make.

Know What Makes You Different

Why should someone choose you over your competitors? This doesn’t need to be a polished marketing statement — just an honest answer. Maybe it’s your turnaround time, your local knowledge, your experience, or your pricing. Whatever it is, your website needs to communicate it clearly. If you can’t articulate your difference, it won’t show up on the site.

Have Your Brand Foundations Ready

One of the biggest causes of delays in web design projects is a missing or unclear brand. If your designer has to wait on a logo, or if your colours and fonts haven’t been decided yet, the project stalls.

Have a Logo (or Know You Need One)

If you already have a logo, make sure you have it in a usable format. Ideally that means a vector file (.svg or .ai) or a high-resolution PNG with a transparent background. A logo exported from a Word document or screenshot from your email signature is not going to work well.

If you don’t have a logo yet, be upfront about that from the start. Many web designers — including us — also offer logo design, so you can get both done together. Trying to bolt a logo onto a half-finished website is never ideal.

Have a Colour Palette and Font Preference (Even a Rough One)

You don’t need a full brand style guide, but if you have strong feelings about colours or fonts, share them early. If you hate a certain shade of blue, say so in the first meeting. If you love the clean look of a competitor’s site, screenshot it and bring it along.

Visual references save a lot of time. A mood board, a Pinterest board, or even three websites you admire will give your designer more direction than a paragraph of written description ever could.

Get Your Content Sorted Early

This is the one that catches most businesses off guard. Web designers design websites. They don’t always write your content — and even if they offer copywriting, they need your input to do it well.

Know What Pages You Need

Start simple. Most small business websites need: a Home page, an About page, a Services page (or individual pages per service), and a Contact page. If you sell products online, you’ll also need product pages and potentially a WooCommerce setup.

Write down every page you think you need. Your designer may suggest additions or simplifications, but having a starting list avoids that awkward “so what do you actually want on the site?” conversation three weeks in.

Prepare Your Copy (Or Be Ready to Brief a Copywriter)

Copy — the written words on your site — is one of the hardest parts of a web project to get right, and it’s almost always the part that causes the most delays. Business owners are often too close to their own work to write about it clearly, or they simply underestimate how long it takes.

You have a few options: write it yourself, hire a copywriter, or work with a design agency that offers content as part of the package. Whatever route you take, don’t leave it until the last minute. Designers cannot finalise a page layout without knowing how much text goes on it.

Gather Your Images

Stock photos are fine as a placeholder, but original images — photos of your team, your premises, your work, your products — build trust in a way that generic stock imagery never can. According to Stanford Web Credibility Research, authentic photography is one of the top factors users cite when judging whether a business website feels trustworthy. If you have professional photos, have them ready. If you don’t, consider booking a photographer before the project begins.

Practical Things to Have on Hand

Beyond the big strategic stuff, there are a few practical items that will smooth the process considerably.

A realistic budget and timeline — be honest about both. A good designer will tell you what’s achievable within your budget rather than overpromising and underdelivering

The Better Prepared You Are, The Better Your Website Will Be

A web designer can do extraordinary things with the right brief. They can take your business and turn it into a digital presence that genuinely works — one that looks professional, loads fast, and turns visitors into customers.

But they can only work with what you give them. The more clearly you can communicate your business, your customers, your goals, and your brand, the less time gets spent on guesswork — and the more time gets spent on building something great.

At MOMO Media, we work with businesses across Perth and all of Australia on web design, logo design, and WooCommerce and & WordPress websites. If you’re getting ready to build or redesign your site, we’re happy to walk you through the process before you commit to anything.

Talk to the MOMO Media team →

FAQ

What should I prepare before meeting a web designer?

Before your first meeting, prepare a description of your target customers, your website’s primary goal (calls, enquiries, online sales), your logo in a vector or high-res PNG format, a rough colour and font preference, a list of pages you need, and any photos or content you already have. The more you bring, the faster and cheaper the project will be.

How long does a web design project take?

A standard small business website typically takes 4–8 weeks from briefing to launch. The biggest factor affecting timeline is how quickly the client can provide content — copy, images, and feedback. Projects where clients arrive prepared can often be completed in half the time.

Do I need a logo before I can start a website?

Ideally yes — your logo anchors the visual design of your entire site. If you don’t have one yet, it’s worth getting your logo designed first, or working with an agency that offers both logo and web design together so everything is built cohesively from the start.

What file format should my logo be in for a website?

The best formats are SVG (scalable vector) or a high-resolution PNG with a transparent background. Avoid JPEGs, Word document exports, or screenshots — these lose quality when scaled and can’t be used across all parts of your site.

What is a web design brief?

A web design brief is a document that outlines your business, your target audience, your website goals, your brand guidelines, and your content needs. It’s the starting point for any web project. Even a simple one-page brief significantly improves the quality and efficiency of the final website.

How much does a website cost in Australia?

A professional small business website in Australia typically ranges from $2,000 to $10,000+ depending on complexity, number of pages, and whether eCommerce functionality is included. Websites built on WordPress or WooCommerce offer strong value for growing businesses that want flexibility and control over time.