FAQ - What to Have Ready for a Launch In A Day Website
You’ve got questions about how Launch In A Day Works? I’ve got answers!
You don’t need much to get started working with me on your Launch In A Day Website. I’ve written before about five things you need to have ready before hiring a web designer. That still holds, if we were going to a do a regular website project.
Truth be told, I found that those five things, are not so simple for most people to collect and produce. In fact, that’s why I designed the Launch In A Day service.
When you book a Launch In A Day website, an in-depth workflow gets kicked off to help you mobilise everything that’s needed to create your site.
The questions below are some of the things my clients ask before we get started. Take a look.
Do I need to have a professional photoshoot done before we work together?
It’s not necessary. Although I highly recommend a professional brand shooting for most small businesses (it has done wonders for mine). We don’t need that to get started, a professional head shot is enough.
If you don’t have a head shot I even provide resources on how to take a professional looking head shot using a smart phone.
Do I need a logo or branding?
No. If you have it, great. I’ll need you to provide me with files for your logo and any colors, fonts and photo mood boards. If you don’t, part of the Launch In A Day offer is what I call a ‘baby brand’. A word mark, a color palette and selected fonts and imagery.
One of the pre-work assignments is defining your visual style. I’ll have you create a mood board in Pinterest. You’ll select images of all kinds of things that resonate with you and that capture the vibe you want for your site. I’ll use this as the basis of your mini brand.
Example ‘mini brand’ for a Naturopath client
One of the most helpful bits of information I get from client pre-work is when they send me up to three websites they like. It is really illuminating. I can even get started with just this information. It tells me a lot about style (minimal? modern? organic? classic?) I can start to build out a color palette.
Do I need a Squarespace account?
You don’t need to open one before we start, but on our day, part of the process is setting one up. I build your site within my Squarespace administrator account and then transfer ownership to you after launch.
You’ll need to purchase a Squarespace Business plan (ca. 15 EUR p/mo). Depending on what features you choose to implement, you may also need to purchase other Squarespace services, like Campaigns, Scheduler or Commerce.
Do I need to be in the same time zone?
No. Depending on what time zone you’re in, we can split up the day in a way that makes sense for us both. A good portion of the work takes place asynchronously via Email leading up to the day.
We’ll find a time slot for the hour-long kick-off call that works for both of us. Both of us will maybe need to wake up a bit early and/or stay up a bit late, but we can make it work. The actual ‘day’ is six hours where you will need to be available, which we can spread over two days.
Launch In A Day project for a client based in California.
Do I need to have a URL/domain name?
No, in fact it’s easier if you don’t and I’ll recommend you purchase your domain through Squarespace.
Do I need to have my business concept figured out?
Yes. You need to know what you are offering and to whom. You need to understand how you are delivering any services or products you offer.
Do I need to have services and offers defined?
It depends. If you want to start making booking and sales right away, yes. If not, it’s enough to talk at a high level about what you do.
You probably already know what your business is about. But what are you offering your clients. Services? Products? Are your services defined? If appropriate do you have pricing figured out?
Do you know your USP and how your client will feel during and after working with you? Can you describe the benefits and not just the features of working with you? If clients want to work with you, how do they go about doing it? How can they book you or get in touch?
Ideally you’ll know these things before we get started. Here’s a helpful post on what to put on the services pages of your website.
Do I need to have my copy finished?
No. Your second pre-work assignment guides you through the process of writing your copy. BUT! This is the hardest part for most of my clients! Writing your own website copy is difficult, even for copywriters.
When a potential client lands on your website, she needs to think ‘I belong here’ good copy (and design) is part of that. Understanding who your ideal customer is also key. It determines how the site is laid out, what kind of imagery and color to use. It guides what copy to emphasise and how it should be written.
If you think you’ll have a challenge with this, I recommend hiring a copywriter or taking a course. A good online course for completing website is Sophy Dale’s Write Your Site* (use this code to get a 50£ discount: TAKEAWAY50). She walks you through the entire process of writing your website copy and provides a 1:1 review at the end.
I can also provide you with a list of copywriters who provide done for you website copy packages.
Creating copy for your website trips people up. Not only do they not do it, but it’s a stumbling block that causes them to not complete the subsequent (very easy) tasks that follow it. Make sure you get this done in the process!
Do I need to have my website outline?
This is also something you’ll work through as part of the pre-work. It’s helpful if you have an idea going in to the process, though.
How much time do I need to set aside?
You really need to set aside anywhere from 10-20 hours prior to our kick-off call.
Can we really launch my website in a day?
Yes, but. This working style is dynamic and hiccups can happen. If we find that we have to course correct, for example you feel you don’t like the colors you decided on after all, we’ll have to take stock and re-prioritize.
I will continually ask you: ‘is this a must-have to launch?’
The kick-off call should help reduce these kinds of stumbling blocks. I’ll also go through all your desired features during the call and let you know if we can realistically get them done in a day.
What if I don’t like the website?
On the morning of our day, I’ll send you a link to view the draft site, we will have the rest of the day to customise it to your liking. So far I’ve never had this happen, especially if all pre-work is completed on time.
What if I already have a URL/Domain with someone else?
If your domain is hosted elsewhere will need to connect it to your new Squarespace site. Depending on the service provider this may happen almost instantly or take up to three days.
In the latter case we’ll launch your site with a temporary Squarespace domain (www.yourbizname.squarespace.com) and in a day or two, after the domain connection is made, the website will be under your intended domain.
Do I need to have a payment system set up?
Only if you offers ready that you want your website visitors to be able to book right away.
If you have a PayPal account that is enough to get started. I also recommend having a Stripe account so you can easily accept credit cards. My set-up uses both.
You can start these accounts on our day, but that will slow us down a bit.
When is the kick-off call?
The kick off call is 3-5 days before our full day of working together.
In the call we work out a lot of things mentioned in this FAQ. I review your pre-work and identify any areas that need work or where there might be hiccups.
We prioritise your requirements and I tell you what I think we can realistically accomplish in a day.
Is the kick-off call the only time we communicate before ‘The Day’?
No. The pre-work workflow is set-up in such a way that I see your work as you’re working on it. I’m constantly reviewing it. I’ll email you if I see you’re falling behind to check in, or provide tips ahead of time.
For example if I see you want a blog on your website, I’ll email to let you know you should have at least three posts worth of content ready at launch. You are also able to email me directly any time and I answer within 24 hours on work days.
Can I reschedule?
Yes, once. I understand that ‘life happens’ and if you aren’t done in time you can re-schedule your day. If your pre-work is not completed by the date of the re-schedule you will lose your day (and your deposit).
The magic of this process is that we are working towards a fixed deadline. Multiple re-schedules just dilute the power of your efforts.
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Anymore questions? let’s talk. Ready to book? Grab your spot below: