How to Prepare for Your New Wellness Website Design Project

Whether you’re starting from scratch or redesigning an old site, there are a handful of things you’ll need to have prepared before you start the process of getting a new website for your health and wellness business. To make your life easier, I’ve compiled a list of a few things you should get together ahead of time for when you’re ready to consult with a web designer/developer. 

A High-Resolution Version of Your Logo

• Having this ready to go will not only save you and your designer boatloads of frustration, but you’ll have the files ready for when you need other marketing materials such as business cards, signs, banners, flyers, etc. 
• If you have any alternative logos, this would be a good time to make sure those are in a good format as well, such as icons and watermarks. 
• Most web designers prefer PNG, JPG, or GIF formats

Compile Your Vital Information

• This includes copy you’d like to see on your website and other pertinent information such as:
  • An idea of the navigation you’d like to see on your new website such as pages, a blog, and a contact form.
  • What services or goods do you provide, and a concise run-through of what is included with each
  • Do you have any information your customers might need to know about before working with you or giving you a call? This could include anything from new patient forms to return policies and cancellation notices.
  • All of your contact information. Make sure you include every way that a customer is able to contact you. This can include email, phone, fax, Facebook messages, carrier pigeons, and snail mail.
• You should also include your high-resolution photos here as well. As with your logo, most web designers prefer images in PNG, JPG, or GIF formats. The larger the better, as it’s rather hard to make a 200px x 200px photo into a background for your website. If you don’t have high-quality photos for your new website, you can find reasonably priced stock images all over the interwebs. My favorite is unsplash.com, along with wellnessstockshop.com and katemaxstock.com.
  1. If you have products, you will need high-definition photos of those for your site. If you have a smartphone and some open space, you can set up a makeshift photo studio with white poster board, and a desk lamp. Alternatively, you could hire a photographer to come out with their equipment and take high-end photos for your website. I highly recommend the latter, however, that’s not always within everyone’s budget.
• Another factor is to consider how you’re going to host your website. Does your designer/ developer offer that service, or do you need to budget for hosting with your new upgrade? If you already have an existing website, you will need to have your login credentials ready for them so that they can move your new website to your host when the development phase is complete. I use Dreamhost and Siteground for hosting with my clients if you’re searching for a quality hosting company. I use Siteground myself! So you’re in good hands, I promise!

Have An Idea of What You Like

• Knowing what styles of websites you love and loathe, will give your designer a better idea of what direction to head in with your new website
  • Things to take note of:
    1. imagery
    2. layout
    3. fonts
    4. colors
    5. textures
  • A lot of this will be already taken care of with your visual branding, should you already have that in order. If not, you can work with your web designer on this to come up with what would best suit your small business’s new website. If you really have no idea what you like, go to Pinterest and search “web design layout” or “branding examples”

Decide what you NEED in your new website

1. This can include a blog where you can upload new content pertinent to your health & wellness business.
   1. You could have your services page where you’ll list what wellpreneur services you offer, what’s included, and pricing.
   2. Or if you’re planning on setting up a new e-commerce website, you can decide what products you want to feature, what categories you’ll need, and how you want to focus on them.
   3. It’s impossible to over-explain what you expect in your new website for your health and wellness business. It’s better to have too many details than not enough, which leaves your designer guessing what you’ll need. While they should already have a solid idea of what you need on your website, you should come prepared for the conversation with a basic summary of what you think you’ll need.

Figure out your objective

1. Do you want to funnel in new leads for your service-based business?
   1. Do you want to pump up sales to your new online course or ebook?
   2. Are you aiming to increase purchases of your products by offering a discount or coupon?
   3. What about pushing that new webinar you’ve been planning for a while?
   4. Email Newsletter? List building is imperative.
   5. Of these, you need to pick one, or come up with your own, and use it to focus your marketing efforts on your website design.

What is your plan for the future?

1. Of course, you want a pretty new website that’s fully functional, and helps you thrive, but how is that going to happen? Do you have the resources to update and maintain a new website, or do you need to hire someone? Does your web designer/ developer have a retainer option, or maintenance package that will keep you in the clear should you need updates or changes made? Will they train you on using your new website, or will you have the time to learn it independently? These are super important factors to figure into your decision-making process. 

This is an exciting time for a brand to expand and grow with a new website. Knowing what you want and need in a website before getting in touch with a designer will help you smoothly transition into a working relationship with them when the time comes. 

Be like a boyscout – always prepared! 😉

Thanks for hanging out, and reading through! Is there anything else you’d include in this list? Have you gone through a website redesign or overhaul lately that you needed other information for? Let me know in the comments!