Since I launched my new website, I’ve been asked lots of questions about the process, investment and reasoning behind it all. It turned out to be a lot of information, so I’m breaking this up in a series. Here is “Part 1” of what I’ve learned and what I recommend based on my experience:

The right time to take the plunge: Before you do anything, you first need to decide which camp you belong to. There are those of us, who believe that in order to make money, you need to spend money (that’s me!), and those of us who are more conservative, and prefer to start with a DYI template, ask a friend for help and get a few jobs first, in order to justify the investment. Up to you. However, I personally think that if I’m going to put myself out there on the market and try to make something out of nothing, I have to put my best foot forward. Always. I simply cannot do a ‘half ass’ job on a shoot and justify by saying that I did not have the budget to make it look as good as it could. That’s silly! You have to bring it no matter what. Giving 50% of your potential and promising the rest at a later (indefinite) date is not classy or the least inspiring! Think of your site as your starting point and your place to grow. If you start with your best, can you imagine the possibilities in a year or two? If you shortchange yourself right off the bat, you’re just adding unnecessary miles to that journey. In a year or two you will maybe (just maybe) get to where your ideal scenario would have been now, if only you had invested. In other words you’ll be two steps behind your own curve, not to mention the competition. Having said that, everyone needs to start somewhere. Think about where you are and what works best for you.

Design a business not a website: Your website is not just your website. It is your business card, your stage, your gallery, your virtual studio. It is the place where friends and clients come to see you and your work. You don’t want to open the door in your sweats and your hair pulled up on a scrunchy, right? So when you are ready to design your site, think about establishing the look and feel for your entire business. Think about all the other products you can offer with that same look. You might want to consider choosing a web designer that also works with graphic design. In my case, for example, I’m also designing business cards, invoices, newsletters, promos, books, etc. Think about how your style, your work, your vision and your mission statement, can be bundled up together in one consistent, pretty and efficient package.

Choosing the right designer for you: Do your research. A recommendation alone is not enough, even if it is comes from your favorite business guru. It is just a starting point. We all have different expectations and styles. Before you start shopping around, make a list of what is most important to you. Price matters, but if you want to be happy at the end of the experience, you should put price very low on your list at first. This is how my list went, in order of importance: design sensibility (clean/ feminine/ professional), response turn-around, communication style, future projects potential, price. From there, I chose 6 designers based on design sensibility (my #1 item). But after sending some feeler emails out, I was able to cross off 3 out of the 6 designers, for lack of response within a week (my item #2, turnaround). So on so forth. For a couple of weeks, I then corresponded with 3 designers about all the items that were important to me and soon enough I knew for sure, who I wanted to work with (The Darling Tree). There is a lot of talent out there, but you must find the one who is the right fit for you.

Coming up next, I’ll be discussing:

* pre-designed templates
* DYI projects/ savings
* giving direction to your designer
* when things go south :(
* long term investment

What do you think? Is this helpful?

Stay tuned.

xo