The web design brief template remains one of the most powerful tools you could ever use to propel your freelancing business to the next level. In 2019, you have to do freelancing differently from the past, especially if your previous endeavors haven’t brought the kind of success you desire. In this regard, it would be great to look for tools that increase your chances of doing just that. The template mentioned above does all that and more. In a way, it acts as a marketing tool too and tells your clients a bit about you.
Time and money are two of the most important assets – or tools – to a freelance web designer. That said, many designers lose a lot of time and money. Sadly, they are unable to recover what they lost. The website design brief can help such consultants to stop making these unnecessary losses. It protects the consultancy. The brief protects you. The brief also protects your clients. In short, it benefits everybody, as you will see below.
What does the web design brief template tell clients about you as a freelancer?
1. State what you do in your web design brief template
It’s important to let clients know what you do. They have to know why you believe you’re the best fit for the job they need to be done. In web design, some freelance clients need designers with specific skills, training, and experience. What you do is an essential piece of information that could determine whether you get the project you bid for. It provides a bit of an insight, which clients need, regarding your capabilities. Telling clients what you do earns you a foot into the door. What you do thereafter is all up to you!
2. Add your experience to the web design brief template
This is all about the experience. Clients need to know whether you are a newbie or an experienced freelancer before entrusting you with their projects. Some clients will not mind hiring a newbie. For the most part, however, those you encounter will put a special emphasis on experience. Your experience speaks volumes. It informs clients that you have the set of skills needed for the job. On top of that, your experience tells the world that you know what you are talking about. The web design brief template broadcasts your experience!
However, a lack of experience shouldn’t dissuade you from becoming a freelancer!
3. State how big (or small) is your business in the web design brief template
In freelancing, the size of your operation could very well determine whether you get shortlisted for some projects or not. Why? Well, some clients are adamant that they only want freelancers with large operations. Others would prefer to assign their projects to consultants who run small operations. The issue of size is not limited only to individuals who need freelancing jobs. Clients also consider this piece of information crucial for helping them to settle on one freelancer over another, especially when everything else seems similar.
4. Your ideal client for the web design brief template
On the web design brief template, you may not be in a position to tell the whole world who your ideal kind of client is. Nonetheless, that issue is likely to come out clearly with the choice of words you employ. Moreover, the brief will likely contain a list or hint of some of your expectations from clients. This way, clients know how they should interact with your consultancy moving forward. Consequently, in a way, the design brief helps you to let the world know the kind of clients you expect to be working within your consultancy.
5. Identifying the target audience with the web design brief template
It’s great for freelancers to know their clients’ target audiences early enough. This way, the freelancer is then able to focus on designing a website that caters for the audience’s exact needs. Without this information, the freelance designer would be left groping in the dark making numerous guesses. The result of this would then be the kind of website that attracts little to no traffic thus making the client who ordered it more frustrated and angry.
Identifying the website’s target audience is a crucial aspect of web design.
6. Call to action with the web design brief template
You may not be aware of this, but all websites must have a call to action (CTA). The most common narrative is that each web page or content on each page should have a CTA. However, it’s crucial to give your website a general or overall CTA. What does your freelance client expect visitors to do while on the website? That act or step each visitor takes constitutes the website’s CTA. Mention this to the client using the website design brief.
Some common examples of website CTAs include:
- Subscribing to a newsletter
- Buying a product sold on the site
- Sending an email to the client’s organization
- Posting comments on several posts published on the website or blog
- Clients asking the brand to get in touch with them
- Taking advantage of the site’s helpline or chat service
- Making appointments
7. What is the site promoting?
The client usually tends to have something to sell. For the most part, this could be either a product or service. Regardless, the website design brief should feature something on the item that the website is to promote. The freelancer’s task would then include finding creative ways of promoting the product or service in question. The stuff it promotes is different from website promotion, which both the client and freelance designer must also agree upon.
The brief also needs to talk about the website’s/client’s unique positioning statement (UPS).
8. How to handle the competitors with the web design brief template
All – or most – websites are e-commerce businesses. Because of this fact, it’s safe to say that they all have competitors. The consultancy’s mandate includes helping clients to identify their competition. More importantly, the consultant’s job would also involve devising ways through which the client can handle this competition. Otherwise, the client would have an arduous task positioning the website as the best in the niche or industry when better alternatives exist.
On the website design brief, let clients know how you will get information on their web visitors.
9. Ask what is the client’s budget in the web design brief template
It’s important to ask clients about their budgets before you embark on any web design project. The information helps you both. It helps you to plan based on what the client is willing to offer without suffering financial loss. It helps the clients to determine if they are better off contacting a different freelance web designer if your fee appears higher than what they can afford. For this reason, talk about the budget and cost of the project on the brief.
As noted here, the website design brief helps freelance designers to run successful businesses.
Now that you know all that, it’s important to embrace the web design brief template. Make it an integral part of the tools you need for running a freelancing business successfully. After all, it determines the kind of clients you get. In addition to that, the template informs clients about the services you offer. Therefore, use this template to talk about your experience in the specific niche or type of websites that your client would like you to design. Remember, the template is your ally in freelancing!
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