Client Journey Map for Web Designers

“I’m in, send me your link!”

You see those magical words and you are THRILLED that someone new has decided to invest and hire you.

So what happens next?

Do you scramble to create a proposal, create a new invoice, update your contract, and double-check that your intake questionnaire asks for everything you need?

Or do you smoothly send over a link to sign up for your signature service that includes everything they need to officially get started?

Then what happens?

Do you wing it through the project or do you have a system for delivering on your promises?

If you answered the latter, keep reading!

What does a good client delivery process accomplish?

A good client delivery process will help you scale your creative service business without spending all your time at your desk.

You won’t necessarily be able to automate a lot of your delivery process but just having a system to handle the work can make all the difference in raising your success rates and scaling your business.

Nailing down the steps it takes you to create results will help you:

Make it easier to see gaps in your process
Fix issues before you send a mistake out
Produce repeatable success for all of your clients

You probably already have a service delivery process in place in your business, even if it’s just a list of notes and checklists. By working through that process from a high-level perspective instead of while you’re in the weeds, you can formalize your process into a series of Standard Operating Procedures.

If that made your eyes roll into the back of your head from boredom, don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be a rigid system of processes.

In fact, my clients have the most success when they leave room for growth. That means your system should be structured enough to keep things organized and fluid enough that you keep using it even when you feel overwhelmed.

What does the customer journey look like for online service providers?

For online service providers like designers, copywriters, and other creative pros your customer journey (or more specifically your client journey) is the series of interactions (aka touchpoints) that a person takes from lead gen to loyalty.

I call this the Constellation of Service.

It starts with Awareness, which is from the point that they are first introduced to your brand to when they begin to think you might be the solution to their problems.

Then they move into the Consideration phase and book into your schedule for an audit or discovery call.

Next, they move into the Acquisition phase, where they officially sign on as a client and you begin your onboarding process.

Now it’s time for Fulfillment, which is where you actually do the thing they paid you for, and then hand it over.

Lastly, you have the Loyalty phase where you check in regularly and ensure everything is going smoothly with their new assets and deliverables.

Steal My System

Here is the EXACT Client Journey Map I use to build systems for creatives (literally copied and pasted from my Notion database).

Client Journey Map

Start Here (Lead Magnet Form)

Thank You & Invite to Call
Add to List: Leads
Tag: {{Magnet Name}} Sent

Book an Audit (15m Appointment Form)

Audit Confirmation & Prep Notes/Homework

Book a Discovery Call (1hr Appointment Form)

OPTION 1 (Good Fit)
- Program Invitation
- Contract & Invoice
- Move to List: Clients
- Tag: Contracted
- (Continue to New Client Welcome)
OPTION 2 (Not a Good Fit)
- Thank them for their time and bow out gracefully.
- Tag: End of Journey
- (End of Journey. Lead does not proceed.)

Contract & Invoicing

Move to List: Clients
Tag: Contracted
Tag: PIF or Payment Plan

New Client Welcome (Registration Form)

New user registered for Client Name
Intake questionnaire
Move to List: Clients
Tag: Onboarded

Client Dashboard

For Brand & Web Designers
- PHASE ONE - Discovery
  - Client Journey Mapping
  - Cornerstone Drafting
  - Tag: Discovery Phase
- PHASE TWO - Design
  - Tag: Design Phase
- PHASE THREE - Develop
  - Tag: Development Phase
- PHASE FOUR - Test
  - Tag: QA Phase
- PHASE FIVE - Project Delivery & Launch
  - Asset Delivery
  - Transfer of Ownership
  - Introduce Support Options
  - Tag: Launched
  - (Continue to Post-Project Support)
For Copywriters
- PHASE ONE - Discovery
  - Tag: Discovery Phase
- PHASE TWO - Drafting
  - Tag: Draft Phase
- PHASE THREE - Editing
  - Tag: Edit Phase
- PHASE FOUR - Final Draft
  - Tag: Final Phase
- PHASE FIVE - Project Delivery
  - Asset Delivery
  - Transfer of Ownership
  - Introduce Support Options
  - Tag: Launched
  - (Continue to Post-Project Support)

Post-Launch Support

1-Year of VIP Support
First Check-in (One week after launch)
Second Check-in (4 weeks)
Third Check-in (8 weeks - Ambassadorship Invitation)
- TAG: Ambassador (if enrolled in Ambassador Program)
Fourth Check-in (9 months)
- Premium support expiring soon (+2 reminders)
Final Check-in (12 months)
- Tag: VIP (new support contract signed and paid)
- OR
- Tag: Offboarded (client removed from hosting and support channels)

Consider also creating systems for these processes

Logo Concepts

Whether it's 1 or 3, create a standard document to present the concept(s) to your client. Watermark it with your branding and if you’re providing more than one, number each concept for easy reference.

Brand Boards

Don’t create a brand new layout for each brand board, instead create a standard layout that you can customize. That doesn’t mean you can’t tweak the style for each client, it just means you’re starting from the same well-thought position every time for every client.

Website Prototypes

Depending on the project, your prototype could be as simple as a static mockup you did in Illustrator or it might be an interactive Figma masterpiece. Either way, make a form with a standard list of questions designed to provoke thoughtful feedback so you can eliminate some back and forth and get to building the thing.

File Handoff

Whether it’s exporting a million versions of a logo or teaching a proud new website owner how to log in you can systemize the handoff process by creating a standard checklist to follow for each deliverable. That way you know you’ve provided everything your client needs, every time.

Testimonial Request

Instead of throwing in an offhanded ask for a testimonial, create a form (bonus points if it automatically outputs to a spreadsheet) and ask questions that prompt valuable feedback that you can use in your marketing. Looking at old testimonials is also an excellent way to combat imposter syndrome.

Business Growth

Measuring and tracking Key Performance Indicators isn’t glamorous but you gotta do it to scale your services. Keep track of your revenue, audience, website visits, and other KPIs in a spreadsheet, and make time to update it weekly or monthly. Make sure to schedule time to do this kind of high-level business work and then create processes for it so you can build consistency in tracking the growth of your business.

What does your tech stack need to include?

Now you need to decide on what tools you want to use to power your system.

There’s no shortage of options here, so let’s first talk about the basic types of tools you need to research so you can find the best fit for the way you work.

The most important thing to remember about your system tool belt is that YOU need to be comfortable with it.

Get a feel for a tool before committing, and make sure it’s the right one for your work style and preferences.

(no affiliate links)

Project Management (Airtable, Clickup, Notion, Trello)
Content Management System (WordPress, Squarespace)
Email Service Provider (Mailerlite, Convert Kit, Active Campaign)
All-in-One Business Management (Dubsado, Honeybook, 17Hats)
Automation (WP Fusion, Zapier, ITTT)
Calendars & Booking (Calendly, Acuity, Amelia)

How do you ensure the experience stays consistent the whole way through?

Keeping the system on brand

Once you’ve decided on the tools you’re going to use, you need to make sure to keep the system on brand.

If you’re a brand designer, this part is easy because you already have stellar brand guidelines in place.

For web designers and copywriters, this means you need to make rules for how your branding is used in a style guide.

A style guide helps you keep your system aligned to your brand guidelines, which helps build and maintain trust.

It should include the different variations of your logo, when and how to use them, your color palette, fonts & typography, and the patterns or backgrounds you can use throughout your website and secondary systems. It may also include icons or other elements, or how to speak about your brand.

If you have a lot of colors in your brand, keep your system colors simple so your content, photos, and graphics can show off the rest of the color scheme.

How does a well-planned client fulfillment system help you scale your services?

More time to do what you want
More time creating demand for your services
More time for connection

If you’re struggling to scale your creative services without sacrificing your time (or your spark) you might need to spend a little time aligning your systems.

This means pulling all of your tools, processes, branding, and website together into a seamless client experience so that you can confidently command premium pricing while being able to take on more dream clients who VALUE YOU and what you do for them.

If you need help with systems in your business but aren’t sure where to start, I offer a free 15-minute Client Journey Audit to assess where your efforts are best spent next. These audits are speedy and full of value for you and best of all, there’s no pressure to buy anything. (Even if you wanted to, there’s nothing for sale on these calls.)

And then if you are curious to find out more about working with me (offers, payment plans, details – etc) – we can hop on a separate call for that, OR you can take what I give you on the Client Journey Audit and implement it yourself!

Book your audit now