Prerequisites checklist
| Check | Green signal | If missing |
|---|---|---|
| One dominant ICP defined | Sales, marketing, and product describe the same buyer | Pause full redesign. Narrow positioning first. |
| Homepage passes stranger test | Cold visitor states claim in 5-10 seconds, logo off | Rewrite hero before visual design. |
| Team alignment on category | No conflicting "we are X" answers in survey | Run internal positioning workshop or PMM engagement. |
| Proof assets exist | Named customers, metrics, or workflow screenshots ready | Collect proof before trust engineering in design. |
| Primary channel hypothesis | One channel dominates or is being tested deliberately | Fix GTM focus before multi-channel launch theater. |
Why prerequisites matter
Agencies cannot fix positioning with typography. The checklist below is the gate before you brief a sprint or open Figma. If more than two rows are red, fix strategy first.
The three litmus tests
Rob Kaminski (Co-founder, Fletch) shared three tests on Youroast Ep1 that we use before every sprint:
- Team survey: what do we do, for whom, what problem? Vague or conflicting answers mean positioning is not ready.
- Stranger test: hide the logo. Can a cold visitor state your claim in five to ten seconds?
- Sales-call audit: what were recent buyers actually shopping for? If it differs from your hero, the site is lying.
One ICP, not five
"Multiple ICPs" is an oxymoron. One ideal customer, secondaries are fine. Early teams can experiment broad for signal. By Series A, put at least 80% of GTM on one ICP before you fund a full website system.
Multi-segment websites wait until you have resources to maintain distinct narratives. Until then, a sharp homepage for one buyer beats a sprawling site for everyone.
Positioning before channel spend
Before burning budget on paid, outbound, or launch video, baseline how you talk today. Choose one positioning path (existing category vs new category) with clear GTM tradeoffs. Never run six narratives at once.
Weroast partners with positioning specialists like Fletch when teams need PMM depth first. Design sprints start after the claim is lockable. Watch Youroast Ep1 with Rob Kaminski (Co-founder, Fletch) at positioning virality rob kaminski fletch.
Homepage 2D vs sales 3D
The homepage carries a 2D message: simplest memorable claim plus roughly three reasons, earning the meeting. Sales conversations carry 3D depth: dynamic positioning tailored to the room.
Founders over-explain the product in the hero because they love the baby. Resist that. Depth belongs in demos, not above the fold.
When you are ready for design
Pass the checklist, then choose scope. Homepage-only when conversion on one URL is the bottleneck. Full Website + Design System + Claude Setup when you need page velocity for the next two quarters.
Sam Hogan (Hirebird): "We have used half a dozen designers in the past, these guys are absolutely the best."
Best for and not best for
Best for: Seed to Series B teams about to redesign, rebrand, or scale paid traffic to a weak homepage.
Not best for: teams seeking unlimited exploration without a conversion target, or pre-PMF teams who should read pre-PMF website design first.
FAQ
When messaging is unstable, yes. Complementary partners like Fletch help lock ICP and positioning. Weroast starts design once the 2D claim is sharp enough to design against.
Only if you budget for rewrite rounds. Cheaper to reposition first, then design once. Every week of fuzzy positioning adds revision cycles.
That is valid post-PMF when one URL is the bottleneck. See homepage design for SaaS. Pre-PMF teams should still pass the litmus tests before spending.
Need help deciding what to build first?
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