What to Expect When You Hire a Web Designer: A Client's Guide
You've decided to hire someone to build your website. Now what? What's actually going to happen? How long will it take? What's your role in this process? What could possibly go wrong, and how do you avoid it?
This post is written for clients—people who've hired a designer (or are about to). It walks you through what a professional web design process actually looks like, what you need to provide, what reasonable timelines are, and how to keep everything moving smoothly.
Think of this as the manual that should come with hiring a designer. It won't eliminate all the awkwardness, but it'll prevent most of the confusion and disappointment.
The Web Design Process: What Actually Happens
Most professional web designers follow a process that looks like this. Not all designers are identical, but this is a standard structure.
Phase One: Discovery (1-2 weeks)
Before any design happens, the designer needs to understand your business. What do you actually do? Who's your ideal customer? What does success look like for this website? What are your competitors doing? What's your budget and timeline?
Discovery usually involves:
A detailed questionnaire or form that you fill out, covering your business, your goals, your audience, and your preferences.
A discovery call where the designer asks follow-up questions and gets a real sense of you and your business beyond what's on paper.
Competitor research where the designer looks at other websites in your industry to understand what works.
A project brief that summarises the goals, timeline, scope, and any constraints.
Your role: be honest and thorough in your answers. Tell the designer not just what you want, but why you want it. Describe your customer in detail. Explain what would make you feel like this project was successful. If you have budget constraints or timeline pressures, be upfront about them.
Why this matters: the entire project is built on this foundation. If the designer misunderstands what you're trying to achieve, the site won't deliver what you actually need. Better to spend time here than to discover halfway through that you wanted something different.
Phase Two: Content Strategy and Gathering (Ongoing, 1-3 weeks)
You can't design a website without knowing what's going on it. The designer needs to know:
What pages you're building and what goes on each page.
What copy (text) will be on those pages.
What images, photos, or portfolio examples you have.
How many sections, services, products, or offerings you're featuring.
This is where a lot of projects slow down. Most business owners haven't written their website copy. They're not sure how many services to list. They're still deciding what to say about themselves.
Two options: you can write the content yourself (or work with someone else to write it), or you can hire the designer to bring in a copywriter to write it for you. Either way, this needs to happen before design can begin.
Your role: provide content in a timely way, or tell the designer upfront that you want to hire a copywriter. Don't make the designer wait. Every week you delay pushes the launch date back.
Why it matters: a beautifully designed website that doesn't clearly explain what your business does, who it's for, and what people should do next is worthless. The design is just the container. The content is what works.
Phase Three: Design (2-4 weeks)
Once the designer understands your business and has your content, they create design mockups. This usually means:
Wireframes or sketches showing the basic layout and structure of key pages (usually desktop and mobile versions).
Design mockups showing what the site will actually look like: colours, typography, imagery, layouts.
A design review call where the designer walks you through the designs and explains the thinking behind them.
You'll usually see designs for: homepage, one or two inner pages (like services or portfolio), and mobile versions. Not every single page in detail, but enough that you can understand the direction and aesthetic.
Your role: review the designs thoughtfully. Give feedback. Be specific. "I like it" is nice but not useful. "The blue feels too dark for my brand, and I'd love the about page to have more personal feeling" is useful. If you have concerns, raise them now, not after everything is built.
How many revisions? Most designers include 2-3 revision rounds in their scope. That usually means you can ask for changes twice, they implement them, and then you approve. If you want more revisions than that, it usually costs extra or requires pushing the timeline.
Why it matters: design is a visual problem. You can't describe it accurately in words. That's why you need to see it. But you need to commit to the direction eventually, or this phase will never end.
Phase Four: Build/Development (2-4 weeks)
Once you've approved the design, the designer builds the actual website. On Squarespace, this means:
Setting up the site structure and pages in Squarespace.
Implementing the design (colours, fonts, layouts, custom sections).
Integrating functionality (contact forms, email signups, booking systems, e-commerce, etc.).
Optimising for mobile and desktop.
Setting up analytics and SEO basics.
Testing everything in different browsers and devices.
Your role: stay available for questions. The designer might need clarification on content, might want to confirm certain decisions, might ask you to provide final images or text. Respond to emails within 24-48 hours if possible. Slow responses slow down the build.
Can you make changes during this phase? You can, but try not to. Every change during build is a change to something that's already in progress. It slows everything down and often creates problems downstream. If changes come up, tell the designer. They'll prioritise them and work them in, but they might affect the timeline.
Why it matters: this is the phase where the design becomes a working website. It's the most technical phase. Your designer is handling the details so you don't have to, which is the whole point of hiring someone.
Phase Five: Content Integration and Refinement (1-2 weeks)
The site is built, but it might still have placeholder text. Now the designer integrates your actual copy, images, and portfolio examples. They review how everything looks with real content, make any final adjustments, and prepare for launch.
Your role: provide any last-minute images or content. Review the site and point out any typos or errors. This is your chance to catch small issues before launch.
Why it matters: real content changes how a design looks. Sometimes things that looked good with short placeholder text look cramped with longer real text. Now's the time to catch and fix that.
Phase Six: Launch and Training (1 week)
The site goes live. The designer walks you through how to use it, where to find things, how to update content, how to add blog posts, etc. You might get a written guide or video walkthrough.
Your role: pay attention to the training. Ask questions. Understand how to do basic tasks like updating a photo, changing text, or adding a blog post. If you'll be managing the site yourself, you need to know how.
Why it matters: once the designer leaves, you own the site. Knowing how to do basic updates means you can keep it current without paying the designer every time you want to change something.
What You Need to Provide
The designer will ask you for several things. Here's what to expect and how to prepare.
Brand Guidelines and Materials
Logo: A high-quality version (preferably a vector file, or at least a PNG with transparency).
Colour palette: Your brand colours (if you have them; if not, the designer will help you choose).
Typography: Any fonts you prefer (if none, the designer will recommend options).
Tone of voice: How do you want to sound? Professional? Friendly? Formal? Playful?
Content
Website copy: Text for every page. Homepage headline, about page, services descriptions, etc. This can be rough drafts. The designer might polish it, or you might hire a copywriter.
Images: Photos, illustrations, portfolio examples, team photos, product shots. High-resolution versions if possible (at least 1200x800 pixels).
Testimonials: Quotes from happy customers, with their names and ideally their titles or businesses.
Bio information: For your about page. Who you are, what you do, how long you've been doing it, why you care.
Functional Information
Services or products: What exactly are you offering? What do they include? What do they cost?
Contact information: Phone, email, social media, address (if applicable).
External integrations: If you want to integrate email capture, payment processing, booking systems, etc., you need to set those up (or have the designer set them up with your credentials).
Access and Credentials
Domain login: If the designer needs to set up your domain.
Email and payment credentials: If they're integrating services.
Any existing website: If you're transferring from a previous site or want content migrated over.
Realistic Timelines
How Long Does This Actually Take?
A typical project timeline:
Discovery: 1-2 weeks (mostly waiting for you to provide information)
Content gathering: 1-3 weeks (depending on how quickly you provide or write copy)
Design: 2-3 weeks (plus revision time)
Build: 2-3 weeks
Content integration and refinement: 1-2 weeks
Launch: 1 week
Total: 8-14 weeks for a straightforward project.
A simple site (5 pages, no custom features) is typically on the faster end. A complex site (15+ pages, e-commerce, multiple integrations, custom functionality) is on the slower end.
What Affects the Timeline?
How quickly you respond: Every day your review sits in your inbox is a day added to the timeline. The designer is often waiting on you more than you're waiting on them.
How clear your decisions are: If you know what you want, things move fast. If you're unsure and keep changing your mind, things slow down. "I'm not sure, let me think about it" means waiting. Clear decisions mean moving forward.
How complete your content is: If you show up with written copy, images, and testimonials, the project moves fast. If the copy doesn't exist yet, something is slowing down and pushing the timeline back.
Complexity of features: A simple contact form takes an hour. A full e-commerce setup with payment processing takes several hours. A custom booking system with calendar sync and automated emails takes a lot longer. Scope affects timeline.
Revision requests: Each revision round takes time. Most designers include 2-3 revision rounds. After that, additional revisions cost extra or push the timeline.
When Should You Expect Launch?
When you first hire a designer, they'll give you an estimated launch date. That date is based on:
An assumed timeline (how long they estimate each phase will take).
An assumption that you'll provide feedback and content promptly.
An assumption that the scope won't significantly change.
If you miss deadlines for content, delay in providing feedback, or keep requesting new features, the launch date will slip. That's not the designer being slow. That's the timeline adjusting to reality.
If the designer keeps missing deadlines (without you being the cause), that's a different issue. A professional designer should be able to deliver on their estimated dates.
How to Give Useful Feedback
At some point, you'll see designs or a draft of your site and you'll think, "That's not quite right." Giving useful feedback is an art. Here's how to do it.
Be Specific
Bad feedback: "I don't like the design."
Good feedback: "The heading feels too big on the homepage. The blue is too dark for my brand. The services section needs clearer descriptions of what's included."
Specific feedback tells the designer exactly what to fix. Vague feedback leaves them guessing.
Explain the "Why"
When you give feedback, explain why you feel that way. Don't just say what's wrong.
Bad: "Make the colors brighter."
Good: "The current colors feel a bit corporate and serious, but my brand is friendly and approachable. Can we use brighter, warmer colors to reflect that?"
Understanding your reasoning helps the designer not just fix the immediate problem, but understand your preferences so they don't make the same mistake elsewhere.
Don't Ask for Everything to Change at Once
If you have 15 different pieces of feedback, prioritise them. Tell the designer the three or four most important things to address. Add the rest as "nice to haves." This prevents scope creep and keeps the designer focused on what matters most.
Avoid Design-by-Committee
The worst feedback comes when five different people each give the designer different direction. Collect feedback from your team, but synthesise it before you send it to the designer. One voice is clearer than many.
Trust the Process
There's a phase halfway through when the site looks weird. Content is missing, images are placeholder, fonts are set but colours feel wrong. This is normal. It looks bad because it's not finished. Don't panic and request major changes to things that will probably look fine once everything is in place.
Red Flags: What to Watch For
The Designer Doesn't Ask Questions
If the designer jumps straight into building without discovery, understanding your business, or asking about your goals, that's a red flag. They're building from assumption, not from understanding. That almost never ends well.
The Designer Doesn't Explain Decisions
Good designers explain why they're making certain choices: "I chose this layout because it puts your strongest services above the fold." Bad designers just say "I think this looks good."
You want a designer who can articulate the reasoning behind their decisions, not just their aesthetics.
The Designer Doesn't Push Back When You Ask for Something That Won't Work
If you ask for a feature or design approach that the designer thinks will hurt your site (slow it down, confuse users, hurt conversion), a good designer will tell you. They'll explain why, they'll offer alternatives, but they'll be honest about problems they see.
A designer who just says "yes" to everything isn't looking out for your best interests. They're just trying to keep you happy and deliver what you asked for, even if it's not what you actually need.
The Designer Doesn't Respond to Emails
You should hear back from your designer within 24-48 hours, even if it's just "I'll get to this tomorrow." Radio silence is not acceptable.
The Designer Charges for Everything
Good designers include reasonable rounds of revision in their fee. If every small feedback request comes with an additional charge, something's off. That said, if you ask for entirely new features or major scope changes, additional charges are fair.
The Designer Doesn't Understand Your Business
After the discovery phase, the designer should be able to articulate what your business does, who your customers are, and what success looks like. If they're vague about this, they haven't been paying attention.
What Happens After Launch
Who Owns What?
After the site launches, you own the website. The designer has built it, but you're the owner. You can update it, change it, move it to a different platform, do whatever you want with it.
That said, if the designer built anything custom (custom code, complex integrations, etc.), it's helpful if they document it so that if something breaks, you or another designer can fix it.
What Happens If Something Breaks?
Websites are living things. Things break. Updates to Squarespace can occasionally cause issues. Third-party integrations can fail. You might accidentally delete something important.
Most designers offer some level of post-launch support. This might be included in the initial fee for a limited time (30-90 days), or it might be a paid service. Understand what support is included before you launch.
For serious problems that aren't your fault (a Squarespace update broke something), most designers will help fix it even after the initial project period. For issues caused by you (you deleted a page and don't know how to restore it), they might charge for support.
Keeping Your Site Current
A website is a garden, not a monument. It needs maintenance. You should:
Update content regularly: Add new portfolio examples, refresh testimonials, update service descriptions if anything changes.
Keep the blog current: If you have one, add new posts at least monthly.
Remove outdated information: That "coming soon in 2024" banner should be gone by March 2024.
Monitor performance: Check Google Analytics occasionally. Are people finding you? Are they staying on the site?
Most designers offer ongoing maintenance retainers if you'd prefer not to handle this yourself. Prices vary widely (£100 to £500+ per month), but it usually covers routine updates, monitoring, and quick fixes.
During the Project: Keeping Things Smooth
Respond Promptly
When your designer asks for feedback, content, decisions, or approval, try to respond within 24-48 hours. The longer you take, the longer the project takes.
Be Decisive
Endless back-and-forth about design details delays everything. At some point, you need to commit to a direction. "This is good, let's move forward" is better than "I'm not sure" for the third time.
Provide What You Promised, When You Promised It
If you said you'd provide copy by Friday, get it done. If you said you'd gather images, actually gather them. The timeline assumes you're delivering on your commitments.
Don't Change Scope Midway
If you decide halfway through that you want to add an e-commerce shop, or you suddenly need 20 pages instead of 10, that's a scope change. It affects the timeline and usually the cost. Tell the designer immediately so they can adjust the schedule and quote.
Trust the Designer
You hired them for a reason. Let them do their job. Push back if you genuinely disagree, but don't micromanage every decision. The best outcomes come when you trust the designer to handle what they're expert at.
The Relationship Matters
Building a website is a collaborative process. For 8-14 weeks, you're working closely with another human. That relationship can be smooth or frustrating, depending on communication and expectations.
Good designer-client relationships happen when:
Expectations are clear from the start.
Communication is regular and responsive.
Feedback is specific and timely.
Both sides respect each other's expertise and time.
Changes to scope are communicated immediately.
Problems are addressed directly, not passively.
If something feels off during the project, say something. Don't bottle up frustration and save it for a complaint at the end. A good designer would rather hear about a problem early and fix it than discover it at launch that you've been unhappy for weeks.
A Final Word
Hiring a designer is an investment. You're paying for their expertise, their time, their judgment, and their ability to turn your vision into something that actually works. The process isn't instant. It requires some effort on your part (content, feedback, decisions). But if you follow this process and do your part, you'll end up with a website that genuinely helps your business.
The sites that turn out best aren't always the ones with the fanciest designs or the highest budgets. They're the ones where the client and designer understood each other clearly, communicated well, made decisions promptly, and stayed committed to the original vision.
Your designer is rooting for you. They want this project to succeed, your business to grow, and your website to look brilliant. Give them the information they need, the time to do their work, and the trust to make expert decisions. Everyone wins when that happens.