Your discovery call covers the audience, brand and budget, but have you asked about the client’s legal business structure? This question may reveal who will approve the design, what the website needs to accomplish and what information the organization must disclose. Each type comes with different considerations that should shape your process from the start.
Designing for Sole Proprietors and Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
When designing for sole proprietors or LLCs, start by confirming who will approve your work. A sole proprietorship has one owner, while an LLC can have multiple owners. You should ask the client to name a final approver so you can plan review rounds and sign-off deadlines.
If the website’s goal is generating leads or sales, give visitors a clear route to a contact form or checkout. A sprawling site architecture might make it harder for visitors to find what they need. As such, consider a simple structure with Home, Services, About, and Contact pages.
To use trust signals to help the site establish credibility, you can:
- Include a photo and bio of the owner on the About page.
- Display relevant licenses and certifications near service descriptions.
- Embed Google or industry-specific reviews on the homepage.
- Place a phone number or condensed contact form above the fold.
Designing for Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofits pursue missions such as supporting communities and charitable programs. If the website focuses on fundraising, include a “Donate” button in the main menu and use one short, single-page form. Use security badges only if the payment service authorizes them.
Show how donations are used by pairing measurable outcomes, like people served or programs delivered, with beneficiary stories, photos or videos. Events and volunteer sign-ups should have their own pages so visitors can easily find ways to participate.
Public disclosure obligations should also shape content planning. Tax-exempt nonprofits generally must make recent annual returns and exemption applications available upon request. A voluntary Transparency page can house recent Form 990 filings, annual reports and a board roster. Confirm the organization’s obligations before deciding what to include.
Since nonprofits often operate with a board, ask whether all of its members will need to review the website. If so, schedule extra time for approvals and ask for one combined set of comments before each revision round.
Designing for Co-ops and Member-Owned Businesses
A co-op is owned by its members, who each get one vote on decisions put to the membership, like electing the board. That board may oversee policy and management. Ask who will approve website work and which decisions require consultation.
Where a co-op serves both customers and member-owners, create clear routes for shopping, joining and managing membership. Confirm which services and benefits apply before planning these four features:
- Member login areas: Provide a secure portal for applicable records, including patronage dividend statements, order histories and renewal status. Add election ballots only if the co-op has an approved virtual voting process.
- Governance documents: Create an accessible document library for bylaws, incorporation documents and approved meeting minutes. Include board biographies and appropriate contact details, with accessible PDF downloads where useful.
- Meeting details: Give the annual general meeting a dedicated page. Adding proposal instructions, registration options and virtual attendance links can help members prepare and take part. Keep the date, time and agenda easy to find.
- Ownership-model explainers: Use a dedicated membership page with a simple comparison table showing what members and nonmember shoppers can access, plus a short FAQ covering voting rights and financial benefits. Include clear steps for joining.
Designing for Franchise Businesses
A franchise lets a franchisee operate a business using the franchisor’s name, system and support in exchange for fees and ongoing obligations. When designing a franchise website, you may need to follow the franchisor’s rules for colors, logos, fonts and imagery. These guidelines help keep the brand’s appearance consistent across all locations. Request approved assets before creating layouts.
Ask which elements can vary locally and who approves those changes. Some franchises may allow local promotions, customer reviews or regional language options, while others may give individual locations little control over content.
If the website covers multiple locations, consider adding a store locator to help visitors find the nearest branch. Use local place names in each location’s copy and add structured data for its address, hours and contact details to help search engines understand the page.
Designing for B Corp Businesses
A B Corp website should give visitors a clear view of the company’s social and environmental commitments alongside its products or services. The homepage hero can pair a specific mission statement with the main offer, showing what the business sells and what it aims to improve.
A dedicated Our Impact page gives assessment results and annual impact highlights a clear home. Include it in the main navigation rather than relying on a footer link, with dated outcomes and supporting evidence that visitors can review.
B Corp certification assesses a company’s social and environmental practices and is separate from its business structure. Still, it can guide how the company communicates its commitments. Display the badge in the footer or an Our Standards section and explain that earning it involves independent checks on working conditions, human rights and environmental protections.
Copy should also address employees, community members and environmental concerns alongside customer needs. Concrete examples, such as workplace policies, community projects or waste reduction efforts, can show how those commitments shape business decisions.
Designing for Government and Public Agencies
Public agencies include federal, state and local governments, their agencies and interstate government bodies, so their websites often need to serve broad public audiences rather than a narrow customer base. Before designing a public agency website, check the purchasing process, accessibility standards and content requirements. You may be asked to provide test results and reports that show how the site meets standards. Account for these tasks in your scope and timeline.
For covered federal documents, the Plain Writing Act requires clear, well-organized writing that the intended audience can understand. That said, plan layouts for short, clearly labeled sections so visitors can find instructions and follow them easily. For example, a permit application page could group eligibility requirements and steps under separate headings.
Readable typography is one accessibility consideration you can address early. The U.S. Web Design System recommends a body text size of at least 16 pixels and 45-90 characters per line for most text. Use these as readability guidelines, then confirm the agency’s full accessibility requirements and include testing throughout the project.
Let Business Structure Lead Your Next Discovery Call
A client’s business structure gives you a starting point for understanding who will approve the work, what content the site needs and which compliance requirements to discuss. Those details can shape your project plan before design begins. Add “What is your business structure?” to your discovery questions and confirm what the answer means for the website.
