How to Choose Your Author Website Designer
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So, it’s time to seek professional help for your author website?
Maybe you started to create the site yourself and got stuck. Maybe you prefer to stay in your own lane — writing your next book? — and not touch the tech. Or maybe it’s time to completely overhaul your outdated and embarrassing website. Good for you!
But, how do you choose the person or team who will help you?
If you’ve never worked with a website designer before, it can be hard to make an informed and comfortable decision. Several clients have told me they initially made a choice based on cost alone, and bitterly regretted it.
Instead, there are many other considerations, and here are the main ones that I suggest you think about.
Amazingly, there are no fewer than 15 factors I want to bring to your attention!
1. What are you really shopping for?
Firstly, you should get clear in your mind: are you looking for a strategic business tool that you intend to use as the central hub of your online marketing … or are you simply looking to check author website off your endless to-do list?
My clients who get the best results and impact for their book see their website as a living tool and they have plans for how they’ll use it. But equally, if you’re a new author and you just want to get a basic website published, so you have a minimal online presence, that's an okay place to begin.
Based on this, you should also decide: are you looking for an expert marketing partner, or do you want what those of us in the business affectionately call a pixel pusher? This is a very different working relationship, and it’s important that your expectations align with your choice of designer.
Me: I offer strategic business tools and I want you to feel empowered to use your website for long term growth. I serve as your expert marketing partner with a strategy-first approach.
Related: My Author Platform Blueprint is an ideal place to start, if you’re seeking a strategic business tool. And knowing what kind of author you plan to be is invaluable, too.
2. What tool or platform do they specialize in?
Almost all website designers have a preferred platform (=tool) to work with, such as Squarespace, WordPress, Shopify, or Webflow. A few can work successfully with two platforms, but you won’t find a single person with deep expertise in every website tool. So if platform is important to you, start narrowing down designers based on this.
Me: I build almost all websites now in Squarespace. Very occasionally, a client is a good match for a simple platform called Carrd, but Squarespace is now my preferred tool for a serious, SEO-friendly website that can grow with you.
Related: WordPress vs Squarespace for authors: which is best?
3. Do they provide other services you might need?
Your online marketing needs might include branding, graphic design, photo editing, book cover design, email marketing, social media management, video editing, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Although many good website designers will know something about many of these, don’t expect the person you choose to be a ninja across all of these disciplines.
But what if you don’t know exactly what you need? My Author Platform Blueprint is a good choice to get the big picture clear. Then you can make great hiring decisions.
Me: As well as custom website design, depending on the client I also include basic branding and graphic design, email marketing set up (but not ongoing newsletter content), and full SEO set up.
4. Where are they located?
In simple terms, you’re going to need to meet with your website designer. If they’re in a completely different time zone, this can make scheduling challenging. Equally, a big time difference can sometimes be an advantage, enabling a “chasing the sun” project style where you review work while they’re resting, then you get the next iteration the following day. But generally, I suggest a similar time zone will be easier to manage.
I’ll say more about the implications of working with overseas providers later, under the section on cost considerations.
Me: I live and work in northern California.
5. Is this an agency, or a 1:1 relationship?
An agency usually means a bigger team. The person who “sells” you the project is unlikely to be the one doing all of the work, and things can get lost in communication. Your investment is usually much higher. However, an agency is more likely to be able to handle requests for work at short notice, and you’re less likely to be stranded if your web designer gets sick.
Me: I’m a solo business owner. When you hire me, it’s me doing the work, and it’s me you’ll see at every meeting. I have some basic procedures in place to communicate with clients, if I have a health emergency. I’m working on making this safeguard more robust.
Related: About me and how I support you
6. Is this a full-time business or a side hustle?
Website design is an ideal side hustle business. You might or might not care that your web designer is squeezing your work in alongside a day job. Often, a side hustler will be less experienced, and is trying out web design as a career, before they make the leap.
Me: This is my full-time business.
7. Do you like their style aesthetic?
A good website designer will be excited to work with your style aesthetic and the author branding that sets the right tone with your ideal readers. However, there’s almost always a natural style preference, and you should definitely check your designer’s portfolio to see if you like most of their other work.
Me: My natural leaning is for crisp, uncluttered design, somewhat formal in vibe, with lots of white space. If you’re looking for quirky, funky, or rebellious, I’m probably not your gal!
Related: See my portfolio here.
8. What type and length of experience do they have?
When I was at university, websites barely existed (although I recall one of my professors was very excited about something called a hyperlink in a database of bird species!). So don’t worry about finding someone with decades of previous website work! However, I do suggest you look for someone who’s been building websites long enough that they’ve got past beginner mistakes like this, and can point to results they’ve achieved for other clients.
Equally, if your goal is to market your book, it’s a huge plus point if your website designer knows something about the publishing field.
Me: I won’t be shy here. If you’re an author, this is where I beat most other website designers hands down. I’ve built dozens of author websites, and I wrote and self-published 6 books before finding that my true passion was in creating sites for other authors. And I have 20+ years of experience in tech, marketing, computer training, and book publishing.
Related: Peek at my first novel here, and see my 9 Lessons from 10 years of book marketing.
9. What’s the investment?
Obviously, the investment for your website matters. Don’t forget, also, to budget for the subscription (or hosting) for the tool that will power your website, together with your email list provider.
Some of my clients make back the money they invested in their website several times over. Many others see huge value in a professional online presence, the training and encouragement they receive from me, and the smooth, enjoyable project experience.
I recommend that you only hire a website designer who charges for a project (= deliverables), not by the hour. Hourly charging is not in your best interest: you’re signing a blank check and you’ll be concerned about time, not the result. Plus, an inexperienced designer might take 2 hours to complete work that a pro can do in 15 minutes. Generally speaking, only inexperienced web designers offer hourly rates, and you should steer clear.
Me: All of my projects are scoped out in advance and you’ll know your total investment before we begin. If you take advantage of my Author Platform Blueprint service, you’ll have an in-depth understanding of the value you’ll receive. See a guide to the investment for working with me on a custom website here.
10. Are they charging enough?
In broad terms, the adage applies to website designers too: you get what you pay for. If your website designer seems blissfully cheap, I argue that this is a red flag.
They’re likely to be overseas*, or very new, or stretched so thinly that their primary motivation is to get your website done — not done right.
They’re probably juggling multiple projects and taking on too much work, in a desperate attempt to make ends meet. They care about getting your money in the bank, not the outcome that’s in your best interests. They’re more likely to take shortcuts, overlook details, and forget best practice (like mobile responsiveness and SEO settings) that you can’t be expected to know about. They are more likely to burn out, give up, and go get a job. So they’re a lot less likely to still be in business in 6 months or 6 years, when you find you’d love some follow-on help.
*Of course, there’s nothing inherently bad about working with someone overseas. Check that communications are clear and that they’re not showing the other “red flag” factors I named here.
A website designer who charges more is able to bring their best creative energy to your project, manage every detail smoothly, look out for opportunities for you, think strategically about your long term author goals, keep current with new features in technology, invest in professional development to keep their skills sharp, take the rest they need, and keep you updated with industry changes (like this) that you need to know about.
Me: After much soul-searching, I am now firmly committed to charging enough to make sure that I can do my best possible work as a strategic marketing partner for a smaller number of clients, and that I’ll be here for you in the long term. I am immensely proud of my skills and years of relevant online marketing experience. I believe in the value that you get, when you work with me.
11. What’s their process?
From your first interaction with a web designer, look for the clues for their overall process. Is it easy to get started in working with them? Is the process clear? Are deliverables clearly specified? How long is your project expected to take? Weeks? Months? Unspecified?
Do they expect to communicate with you by phone, text, Zoom, email, Slack, or Voxer? How do you feel about that?
Me: After a careful preparation phase, I only build one client website at a time. That means I can focus on you and do my best work. My appointment scheduling, contracts, and invoicing are all handled by a tool called Dubsado, to create a smooth and easy experience for you. Past clients tell me that my organized, painless process was an unexpected bonus in working together. Communications are by email and scheduled Zoom meetings.
Related: Details on what working together is like.
12. What happens, when the project finishes?
Before you hire a web designer, think about the sort of relationship, if any, you want after your initial website launches. Many designers, especially those who use WordPress, require a monthly retainer so they can look after the integrity of your website for you. Others, like me, allow the Squarespace team to do that for us at no charge, and offer as-needed arrangements for any extra work you need. Knowing the amount of hands-on work you plan to do yourself is an important part of getting the ongoing relationship that will be right for you.
You should definitely be clear at the outset: who will own your domain name (it should be you!) and will you be in full control of accessing your website, if you should ever need to end your working relationship with your current web designer?
Me: I don’t have any retainer relationships with clients, and for additional work for past clients, my services are à la carte. All of my clients own their own domain names. And each client is the official “owner” of their Squarespace site, meaning they can work with a different designer in future, if preferred.
13. Do they provide training? If so, what kind?
Again, this will be important if you’d like to be hands-on with your website, after it goes live. In my opinion, too many website designers hand over a site to you, but you then have no idea how to work with it. Obviously, if you have no intention of touching your website and want to hire this work out each time you have edits or changes, this won’t be relevant.
Me: I give my clients the choice whether they would like to make their own website updates, or hire me to do it for them. For my clients who want it, I include comprehensive training — including personalized videos and sometimes even a “sandbox” website to play with — near the end of the project. This is another factor that sets me apart from most web designers.
Related: Watch Beth Ann Mathews talk about the training I provided for her
14. Do you “click” with them?
This is that hard to define factor: have you found your early conversations with your potential web designer useful and enjoyable? Can you see yourself working with them productively?
Me: During our intro call and Author Platform Blueprint process, I’m vetting my clients, just as much as they’re vetting me. I see your author website project as a collaboration and I don’t work with everyone who asks me to.
15. Do you trust them?
Most website designers ask for an initial payment, in order to reserve time in their calendar to work on your project. Many also have an invoicing pattern where you’re paying for work a little ahead of seeing the deliverables. You need to feel confident that the person you’re talking to is legit, trustworthy, and won’t ghost you after that initial payment.
But more than that, you’re also trusting this person to create, curate, and deliver one of the most important marketing tools you’ll ever need.
Me: Because I only work on one website at a time, blocking time in my calendar for you is a firm commitment. For that reason, I do require a percentage of your project invoice to be paid upfront. Interestingly, no-one has ever questioned this … I guess I must give off a trustworthy vibe during our initial discussions :)
Conclusion
When I set out to write this piece, I hadn’t realized there are so many factors in finding the right web designer for you! It truly is a matching process, where knowing your goals and preferences can be a big help before you begin.
I’d love to work with you if it’s a great match for both of us. And if it’s not, that’s okay.
For a little more insight into what it’s like to work with me, here’s a video I made recently, for some of the reasons why my clients are choosing to hire me.
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Shall we start the process of getting to know each other?
I’m happy to chat with you about your author goals, author website and potential book marketing tools. Just use the link below to schedule time on our calendars for an introductory call.
