What to Expect When You Hire a Web Designer

What to Expect When You Hire a Web Designer (Start to Finish)

If you've never hired a web designer before, the process can feel like a black box. You sign something, hand over a deposit, and then... what happens? Here's a clear, step-by-step walkthrough of what a professional web design engagement actually looks like.

Stage 1: Discovery and Brief (Week 1)

Every well-run project starts here. Before any design work begins, a good designer or agency will want to understand your business deeply.

Expect:

• A discovery call (30–60 minutes) where they ask about your business, your customers, your goals, and your competition
• Questions about what you like and don't like visually — often with a request for reference sites
• Clarification of the project scope, timeline, and deliverables
• A formal proposal or statement of work summarizing everything discussed

This is where you ask your questions too. Get clear on the process, the timeline, revisions, and anything that's not obvious from the proposal.

Your job at this stage: Be prepared. Have your brief ready. Know your target audience. Have examples of sites you like. Be available and responsive — delays here push everything back.

Stage 2: Contract and Deposit

Once you've agreed on scope and price, you'll sign a contract and pay an initial deposit (typically 50%). Don't skip the contract review. Make sure it clearly states:

• What's being built (pages, features)
• Timeline with milestones
• Revision terms
• Payment structure
• Who owns the final site
• What happens if either party needs to cancel

This is normal and professional. Any designer who skips the contract is skipping the protection that serves both of you.

Stage 3: Content Collection

After kick-off, your designer will typically ask for all the content they need to build the site:

• Your logo (high-resolution, preferably vector)
• Brand colours and fonts (if defined)
• Photography or image assets
• Page copy (written content for each page)
• Any existing marketing materials that should inform the tone and messaging

This stage is where client-side delays most commonly happen. If you haven't written your copy or pulled together your photos before the project starts, this becomes a bottleneck. Get ahead of it.

Stage 4: Design Mock-ups (Week 1–2)

Your designer will produce visual mock-ups of the key pages — typically the homepage first, as it sets the visual direction, followed by interior pages.

These mock-ups show you exactly how the site will look before a single line of code is written. You'll review them and provide feedback. Most designers present these in a tool that lets you comment directly on the design.

Your job at this stage: Give clear, specific feedback. "I don't like the blue" is less useful than "The blue feels too corporate for our brand — can we try a warmer tone?" Be thorough — round one is much cheaper than round three.

Stage 5: Development (Week 2–3)

Once the design is approved, your designer builds the actual website. Pages are constructed, content is placed, features are configured, and everything is connected.

You'll likely have limited visibility during this stage — it's heads-down build time. A professional will update you at agreed milestones and flag anything unexpected.

Stage 6: Review and Revisions (Week 3)

You'll receive a link to a staging or preview version of the site — a live version that isn't public yet. Click through every page. Test every form. Check it on your phone.

Compile your feedback in one document and send it through. Your designer implements the changes, and you review again. Most projects include one to two rounds here.

Your job at this stage: Be thorough and timely. Don't review half the site today and come back a week later with more feedback — that extends the timeline.

Stage 7: Pre-Launch Checks

Before the site goes live, a professional designer will run through a launch checklist:

• All pages loading correctly on desktop and mobile
• All links working (no broken pages)
• All forms submitting and delivering to the right inbox
• SSL certificate active (https://)
• Google Analytics connected
• Basic SEO setup in place (page titles, meta descriptions, image alt text)
• Site speed tested

If any of this isn't on their list, ask about it.

Stage 8: Launch

Your site goes live. Your designer points your domain to the new site and confirms everything is working in the live environment.

A good agency will brief you on how to make basic updates yourself, hand over all relevant logins and credentials, and confirm what post-launch support looks like.

After Launch

This is where many client-designer relationships either continue productively or end. Clarify before launch:

• Who do you contact if something breaks?
• Is there a support or maintenance plan?
• How do you make basic content updates?
• What's the process if you want to add something later?

ClickAdMedia's Process

Our process is structured exactly as above — no black boxes, no "trust us, it'll be ready when it's ready." You know what's happening at every stage, what's needed from you, and when.

Start the process with a free discovery call.