What happens when web designers work on their own site

Once every 3 to 4 years (hint: that is the average lifespan of most websites) I find myself in the unique position of going through the process that I ask clients to go through on a daily basis.

This time, I thought I'd take you along for the ride because this will be a great resource for any new clients who are unsure how to navigate a project like this, and it's a humbling experience being on the 'client' side of a project for once. And something I think most business owners should try to experience when they can.

There are two ways I could write this post; I could give you a perfectly curated 'how to prepare for a new website' article complete with lists, check points, dos and don'ts. It would be informative, and probably helpful, but not very real. It would be written from the perspective of a studio owner (me), with 7 years' experience and the gift of hindsight. Or, I could write an imperfect story, in real time, of what we're doing, the decisions we made, and why we made them.

Why did I decide it was time for a new website?

Majella Studio did not exist (in it's current form) until the beginning of 2025. Prior to this, we were known as More Than Your Brand, a small business marketing consulting firm turned website design studio that had been operating since 2018. In evolving into a specialised website design and development studio, had outgrown it's original name and brand.

That was a long-winded way of saying, new brand = new website.

For those of you currently trying to decide if you need a new website, a new brand is obviously not the only reason for one. For most of our clients the instigator is that their current website just isn't cutting it anymore. It's difficult to use, difficult to update, or just ... difficult.

Ask why? ... and then keep asking

Next I sat down with a friend, who also happens to be my trusted copywriter, and brainstormed everything I wanted the new brand (not the new website, not yet) to be. She asked me questions about who the brand was, who it served, what problem it solved for our customers, why we were different from our competitors, why clients loved working with us. She asked why? (incessantly) until we had drilled right down to what I wanted Majella Studio to be.

Then I sat down with a digital designer, who also happens to be a friend, as well as the creative brain behind many of our collaborative projects, and we started to work on the creative and branding for the new brand. She had more questions but I can talk endlessly about most topics, and I can talk for a week about Majella, so I had answers ready.

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Because of the nature my work, I had a copywriter and digital designer waiting in the wings for this project, I know that is not the case for everyone. Great websites don't happen in isolation, I regularly partner with other creatives to help bring a project to life. So if you have an incredible branding designer/copywriter/marketer/photographer you want to work with, amazing I'll collaborate with them. But if you don't I'll bring together the right creative minds for your project, a creative matchmaker if you will, it is one of my favourite parts of the job.

Smile, you’re on camera

Websites are visual assets, they almost always need photography. And guess which group of people hate getting in front of the camera? Almost every business owner I’ve ever met (myself included).

The thing is, while websites can sometimes feel like products, at the end of the day Majella Studio is a service-based business. Which means, to some extent, I am the brand. And the same goes for you and your business. Clients want to know who they’re working with, the person behind the emails, proposals, and polished website.

So, I called the talented Darcy Conlan and we talked about what I wanted this shoot to feel like: the style, the number of shots, and where they’d live (yes, the website… but also socials, proposals, maybe even press features). The goal wasn’t to make me the centre of attention. It was to capture what it feels like to work with Majella Studio, approachable, creative, and a little caffeine dependent.

Do we need all the bells and whistles?

By this point we had creative and branding sorted, copywriting and SEO in place, and the photoshoot ready to go. Which meant it was finally time for my part.

And here’s the truth: it was so tempting, as a web designer, to put absolutely every feature into this site. To refine it until it became 'the best site I’ve ever built'. But there are two problems with that plan:

1. I don’t believe a website is ever truly finished. It’s not like a print run where you lock it in forever. You can refine endlessly, and in the meantime, your ideas and services never actually make it out into the world.

2. All the features; animations, hover effects, clever transitions - yes, I can build them. But bells and whistles don’t make a site. They only enhance it.

So instead of tweaking endlessly and adding advanced features just because I could, I decided to launch. (Which is why you’re reading this now.) And if I’m being honest, I launched without a couple of the pages I’d originally planned. Why? Because they’re still in progress, and they’re not core pages. At that point, holding up the launch would have done more harm than good.

Great websites don’t happen in isolation

This project wasn’t just mine. It was a creative collaboration with people I love working with. I’ve mentioned them briefly already, but let me properly introduce you to the people who helped bring this website (and many of Majella Studio’s projects) to life.

Remi from Sunday Best Digital is the brilliant SEO copywriter who asked “why” incessantly while we were planning the content. She wrote all of the copy you’ve read on the site (with the exception of the musings you’ll find here on the blog).

Merel from Like Noa is the wonderful digital designer who created the new Majella Studio branding and shaped the design direction for both the rebrand and the website.

That’s how most great websites come together, at least it’s how ours do. Not in a vacuum, not by one person, but through a group of creative minds, each bringing their own expertise to the table. A truly great website isn’t just a design; it’s the sum of all the right pieces working together.

Writing this post was a reminder that even as a web designer, being the client comes with its own mix of excitement and second-guessing. If you’re in the middle of that process yourself, or thinking about starting it, I’d love to hear how you’re navigating it. And if you’re ready for a new website, I’d love to help.

{ Veronica }