Before the Build

A WOTW project manager breaks down what happens before the project begins.

Between the moment we sign the contract and the moment we log on for our first call, Week of the Website asks clients to engage in a good amount of prep work, including our Discovery Survey, a site outline and more. But rest assured, your trusty Project Manager and Developer are hardly sitting back and waiting. Your team will be digging into their own prep work, getting their creative wheels turning while setting the stage for an efficient and successful engagement — and thus, a site that’s perfect for you. 

In this story, WOTW Project Manager Anna Potter-Malone details the prep work required by clients, the prep work for our team, and shares her top tips (learned through a wealth of experiences) for a successful site build.

What is the Discovery Survey?

It’s a comprehensive document that gives us the first in-depth look into a client’s wants and needs. It asks specific questions that allow us to pull out information that they may not think to relay otherwise. It helps us get a grasp on their design inspiration — what they like and don’t like — and then, if we see something that’s unusual for a Squarespace site, it allows us the opportunity to research and offer possible alternatives. It also prompts our clients to fill in their technical information — their domain, where it’s hosted, login credentials, etc. This lets us verify that information early with the hope of avoiding any hurdles when it comes to connecting a client’s domain at the end of our project together.

What is the Discovery Call?

Our Discovery Call is where we hash out the details of the Discovery Survey, as well as any other content provided by this time. Think of our Discovery Survey as the SparkNotes and our Discovery Call as the book. Using the Discovery Survey as our guide, we dig into further clarification, provide professional opinions, walk through inspiration, talk through branding, and show real life examples, if possible, of how we plan to accomplish their goals. If the client has provided additional content by this time — like an outline and copy for their site — we will have reviewed this prior to our call, then go through it together to fill in gaps, talk through complications, and offer insight as needed.

What’s My Prep Work?

To ensure the efficiency and success of our collaboration, clients are expected to do a good amount of work prior to this due date. Projects always start on a Monday, and the client’s content deadline is the Monday prior to the start date.

We expect clients to:

Complete their Discovery Survey
Have an Onboarding Call with their Project Manager 

Complete the Outline & Content document
*An outline of all major website pages and subpage, complete with appropriate copy.

Upload any and all images for their site
*We provide resources to our clients so they are able to source these prior to this deadline.

Complete our WOTW Branding Worksheet
* This helps us lock down color palette and fonts for the entirety of the project.

Schedule all conference calls for our time together
*Monday-Friday for week 1, and just Friday for week 2.

What is WOTW Doing to Prepare?

A: Our clients are doing some work to prepare for the build — and so are we! We’re going through all the provided information to get a better understanding of everything from small details to the big picture. We’re making sure that all of the necessary information is provided, and if it’s not, we’re reaching out to talk it through. We’re doing research on anything we need to source for the client  an all-in-one Membership and Events platform, for example), we’re finding options for Day 1. Our projects are collaborative, and require adequate prep work from both parties to be successful. 

How Do the PM + Developer Work Together?

A: We each have our roles to play when it comes to every project. The PM is there to manage all of the steps to ensure that, as we progress through the project, everyone — including the developer — hits their targets. The developer is there to build the website; they also provide technical assistance through training and answer questions the client has about the functionality of their site. As a PM + developer team, we work together prior to our start date to ensure that we’re in a good place to execute on the wants and needs of our clients. We spend time talking through the client’s expectations to ensure we can meet goals, and if there’s a red flag of any sort, we address those ahead of time on our end to come to the client prepared with a solution. We lean into each other’s expertise during this prep time — and throughout our projects — to ensure that we’re tapping all of the available options based on our clients’ wants and needs. We work together to make sure we’re not leaving anything on the table. We take our prep very seriously because it is truly what makes or breaks a project. 

What are Some Common Mistakes Clients Make?

OVERTHINKING.
I cannot stress this enough. This is a common issue we run into, especially when it comes to the outline. We get it — this is a big deal! And outlining and filling in copy can be a bit overwhelming. Most of our clients aren’t writers or tech savvy, and so they are relying on us to help them get through this process. 

Start by breaking it down. Look at your example sites and your inspiration. What does their navigation look like? What do you see consistently across all of these sites? How do they break down copy per section? What are the key words? How are they grabbing the audience’s attention? What we really need are the bones of the site. Sure, a fully flushed out copy document is wonderful to have, but sometimes folx just can’t get there — and that’s okay. While we don’t write full copy for our clients, we definitely offer assistance to help get some words on the page so they can have a robust site that truly speaks to their offerings. We also let clients know that a site doesn’t have to have a lot of words on it to be impactful. 

WAITING
We do SO much prep on our end, and we expect that our clients are doing the same, utilizing the lead time they have to work on what we need. We have a very strict content deadline, and there is a fee if a client doesn’t meet it and has to move their project start date. We don’t like doing this! It’s not beneficial for anyone — the client or our team. So don’t wait! If you can’t figure something out or aren’t sure about something, ask, ask, ask and ask again. 

BRANDING
Another common mistake is not knowing what you want your branding to look like. Again, we get it! This is a big deal,especially if it’s a re-brand or a client is just starting out. But, if you don’t know, we advise that you wait to start your project until you do. A lack of branding causes issues for us as a collaborative team if the client can’t decide on a color palette, fonts, illustrations, images, icons and other design elements.

So, What are a Few Pro Tips to Help it All Go Well?

Come prepared.
Don’t reach out to start a project until you’ve decided on an outline for your site, have an idea for how you’d like each page to flow, have branding, and have the time to dedicate to working together (including the prep!).

Don’t overthink it.
If you’re having a hard time with copy, just be concise and to the point. If you’re not sure what images to source, make a list of keywords that apply to your business and use those as your search words. If you’re not sure what colors or fonts you may like on your site, revise your inspiration. Tune into what colors make you happy, make you feel good, or that convey the message you’re trying to send. Same goes for fonts. If you need help, reach out.

Dedicate the time.
This prep work isn’t something that most folx can sit down at their computer and complete in a few hours in one afternoon. Make sure that you can give adequate time to the prep process and the actual build of your project.

Utilize us.
Ask us questions, ask for clarity, and/or ask for help. If you don’t know how to proceed or are having difficulty with a certain area or are just not sure what to do, reach out. Literally part of my job as project manager is making sure that you know the next and best steps forward.

Have fun!
This process can be daunting for some folx and and can also feel like work — and that’s because it is. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time doing it. Often, we’re working with clients who are launching something new, whether that be a new business, a book, a side project, an event, a rebranding or more. It’s an exciting time! Enjoy the process and know that we’ve got you.

Finally, be realistic and willing to bend. We work within Squarespace and have chosen to do so for various reasons — one of those being the ability for you, as the client, to edit and maintain your site post engagement. Understand that there may be some pivots that need to occur to achieve your goals within this platform, but rest assured that we as a team are 100 percent dedicated to finding a solution that works best for you.