2. Know Your Audience

Your audience is the group of people most likely to visit your site. Understanding them helps your developer design something that actually works for them.

Ask yourself:

• Who will visit? (Think about their age, job, and interests)

• What problem are they trying to solve?

• What do you want them to do? (Book a call, buy something, read an article?)

💡 Tip: Write down 2–3 sentences describing your ideal visitor. Share this with your developer — it's more useful than you think.

3. Colours and Branding

Your website should feel consistent with your brand. If you already have a logo or brand colours, share them with your developer. If not, here's how to get started:

• Choose a colour scheme using a free tool like Coolors.co (it generates palettes that work well together)

• Create a simple logo using Canva or Looka — both have free options and don't require design skills

💡 Tip: Stick to 2–3 colours and 1–2 fonts throughout your site. More than that starts to look cluttered.

What to Expect

The Typical Process

Every developer works slightly differently, but here's a general idea of how the process usually goes:

• Discovery call — you discuss your goals, audience, and ideas

• Sitemap and wireframes — the structure is mapped out and agreed

• Design mockups — you'll see visual previews before any code is written

• Development — the site is built based on the approved designs

• Review and revisions — you give feedback, changes are made

• Launch — the site goes live

  Signs Your Developer Is Doing a Good Job

You don't need to understand code to know if things are on track. Watch out for these green flags:

• They ask questions about your audience and goals — not just your colour preferences

• Navigation is intuitive — visitors can find what they need in 2–3 clicks

• The site looks good on mobile — over half of all web traffic is on phones

• Pages load quickly — if it feels slow to you, it'll feel slow to your visitors

• They explain things clearly — you should never feel lost or confused

💡 Tip: Ask for a staging link — this is a private, password-protected version of your site where you can review everything before it goes live.

Quick Checklist

Before handing over to your developer, make sure you have:

• A clear idea of your website's purpose and target audience

• Brand colours and a logo (or the tools to create them)

• A rough list of the pages you need

• An idea of what content (text and images) you can provide

• Any websites you like the look of — for inspiration

You're now ready to speak to someone about building your website!