Step-by-step guidance for planning a project, preparing materials and choosing a provider.
A website project goes better when the preparation is done before the first call. These guides walk you through the process in order: defining goals, writing a short brief, gathering the content and accounts a developer will ask for, requesting comparable proposals, and understanding what a realistic timeline looks like.
There is also practical help on choosing a provider, including which questions reveal the most, how to read a proposal and a statement of work, and who should own your domain, hosting account and code. The checklist in the tools section turns the main steps into something you can work through and print.
The guidance here is general. Every project and every provider is different, so treat the steps as a framework and adapt them to your own situation, budget and risk tolerance.
Getting Started and Hiring
Twenty practical questions to ask a web designer, freelancer or agency, what good answers look like, and how to compare providers on process, ownership and support.
Getting Started and Hiring
A step-by-step process for hiring a web developer or designer: define goals, write a brief, collect proposals, check references, review the contract and manage the project.
Getting Started and Hiring
Key terms in a web design contract: scope, payment, ownership of code and domain, licenses, revisions, termination and maintenance, with examples of clauses to look for.
Getting Started and Hiring
What to prepare before a website project starts: a one-page brief, sitemap, copy, photos, brand files, account access and legal pages, with a template and examples.
Getting Started and Hiring
A realistic website project timeline by site type, the phases from discovery to launch, what causes delays, and how to plan around content and approvals.
