Web Design Client? Pull Up a Chair…
The Client Lounge
Websites involve a bunch of stuff you probably don’t need to know about.
Tell us why you’re here. We’ll help sort it out.
Getting Ready For A Website Project
A good website project doesn’t require you to become a web designer before we can build your website. That’s rather the point.
What we do need is good raw material.
That might include your existing website, logo files, original photography, information about your services, staff bios, testimonials, contact information and access to accounts involved with your website.
The Client Lounge will help you sort out what’s useful and what isn’t.
Domains, Hosting And Website Access
Your domain name is your website’s address. Your web hosting is where the website itself lives. They’re related, but they aren’t the same thing.
You may also have WordPress access, business email, Google Analytics, Google Search Console and a Google Business Profile connected to the whole operation.
You don’t have to understand how all of those systems work. We do need to know who controls them.
Most importantly: don’t send us your passwords. Whenever possible, we’ll use separate administrator, collaborator or delegated access.
If you’re not sure who owns or controls something, use the Who Owns What? path in the Client Lounge before changing anything.
Sending Us Content, Photos And Other Stuff
You do not need to write polished website copy for us.
In fact, we’d usually rather have the useful raw material: what you do, who needs it, what problems you solve, how your process works, where you work, what customers commonly ask, and why people choose your business.
We’ll turn that into website content.
For images, send us the largest original files you have. Don’t resize them, optimize them, screenshot them from Facebook or otherwise lovingly destroy them first.
The same applies to logos. Original vector files such as SVG, EPS or AI are ideal. A good PDF or large transparent PNG can also be useful.
Reviewing Your New Website
When your new website is ready for review, specific feedback helps us make changes quickly.
On the About page, replace the photo in the second section with the exterior photo I sent Tuesday.
is considerably more actionable than:
I don’t know. It just doesn’t pop.
The Client Lounge includes a website review tool that will help you turn what you’re seeing into a useful change request without requiring you to learn web-design terminology first.
Getting Ready To Launch
Launching a website can involve the domain, DNS, hosting, SSL, business email, forms, analytics and other systems that are already doing important things.
That’s why launch day is a terrible time to start clicking mysterious buttons in your domain account.
Before launch, the Client Lounge can help confirm that we have the access and information we need. Blue Dozen handles the technical launch itself.
Until we’ve confirmed otherwise, don’t cancel your old hosting, change nameservers, alter DNS records or start moving your business email around.
After Your Website Launches
Once the website is live, we’re still here.
If something isn’t working, the Client Lounge can help you describe the problem and collect the information we need to investigate it. If you need ongoing help with updates, backups, WordPress or the assorted machinery under the hood, see our Website Maintenance services.
If you’re trying to understand WordPress itself, our WordPress 101 resources cover the parts of the system you’re actually likely to use without trying to turn you into a WordPress developer.
And if something has gone completely sideways, you can always contact Blue Dozen Design.