What comes first — website design or website copywriting?

You're ready to invest in a shiny new website. Hooray!

Now: do you focus on the website design or the website copy first?

It's a real chicken-and-egg situation, because there's nothing worse than baller copy with blah design — except for baller design with blah copy. Both need each other to actually work.

It’s not black and white. But there is a best case scenario that (in my experience, and with input from some fabulous designer friends) leads to incredible results.

Here's how it breaks down.

Best case scenario: both creatives work together from the start

There's an overlapping of skills between a designer and a copywriter — especially when it comes to strategy, site structure, and user experience. When both are working from the same brief and visualising the same outcome, the result isn't just a website that looks great and reads well. It's one that actually performs.

If timelines and budget allow, engage your copywriter and designer at the same time. The flexibility alone makes it worth it — it's much easier to adjust a word count or restructure a section while a project is in motion than three months after it's been signed off.

Two creative brains working toward the same goal will always get you more bang for your buck.

Next best thing: copy first

If you had to pick one, most copywriters and designers agree — write the copy first.

Strategic copy informs the structure and design of the site. An experienced copywriter can write your website without seeing the design, and once you have clear messaging and strong power statements ready, your designer has something real to work with. They can use their skills to complement the words and bring it to life visually, rather than filling space around a placeholder.

It also makes briefing your designer significantly easier. Instead of trying to explain your business, your offer, and your brand from scratch — you hand them a document that does it for you.

Alternative scenario: design first

This works well for business owners who aren't ready to invest in a copywriter yet. A good designer can build out a structure that prompts you to write your own copy — think 100 words here, 50 words there, fill-in-the-blanks style.

Fair warning: this is often the moment people realise what a copywriter actually does — and that they would very much like one to do it for them.

The takeaway

Design and copy work best in tandem.

When your designer and copywriter are aligned on the concept from the beginning, the whole project runs smoother.

I work with some AH-MAZING brand designers and developers who are Squarespace, Shopify & Showit experts. Happy to give you my list of recommendations —get in touch