Some Tips Choosing the Right Web Designer

Some Tips Choosing the Right Web Designer

Choosing a web designer can be a daunting task for a small business. With so many options and alternatives, it’s difficult to know if your are making the right decisions. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s extremely difficult for non-technical to hire good technical help.

Don’t work with a Web Designer

Web designer these days have simply figured out a quick and dirty way to publish a website that looks nice. But if you read my intro, you should know that this isn’t even half the battle. It doesn’t take much knowledge or technical ability to set up a WordPress website, buy a cheap template for $60-80 or less, input some content, change a logo and deploy it a cheap, unreliable share  hosting envireonment.

Web Design Firm vs. Freelance Web Designer 

 Do you simply need your website designed or will you also need assistance with copy writing the content, marketing your website and website hosting? A freelance web designer can satisfy the design angle, but you may need a larger, more sophisticated web design firm to meet all the criteria.

Coding 

 Coding is another word for programming. Some web designers are proficient at coding the sites they design, particularly if they use a well-known platform such as WordPress. Others though, may rely on a separate programmer to execute their design. Be sure to get clarity on your web designer’s capabilities and responsibilities. You’ll certainly want to know if you need to get another vendor, a programmer, involved and whether that means incurring extra expense.

Experience

How long has the web design firm been in business designing websites? Look at the design of their own website and other sites that have designed. Do the colors and text look balanced? Do all the links work? Does the site load fast? Is it easy to navigate? Do all the pages have a consistent look?

SEO 

Search engine optimization is a necessity if you want your site to appear on Google. Your web designer should know SEO best practices to be able to make your site search engine-friendly.

Style 

Designers have their own style. Since art is in the eye of the beholder, you’ll want to choose a designer whose style you like. Check out their portfolio to see if the websites they’ve made for others — and even businesses not in your industry — look appealing to you.

Technology 

You want someone who is proficient in the web design platform and language you choose so they can make your site as functional as it is attractive.

If you want to use advanced technologies on your site, such as database integration or e-commerce capabilities, make sure your designer is familiar with them and has the necessary programming software.

Mobile Friendly

 Many people are likely to view your website on their Smartphone or tablet. You want to work with a web designer who knows how to make your site responsive, which means it’s able to be viewed properly on any device and any screen size.

Pricing 

Cost will obviously depend on what you want. Every website is a custom job. Attempt to develop an outline on your own before calling on web designers, otherwise you’ll have difficulty obtaining quotes that allow you to compare apples to apples.

Services 

Be sure the website design firm you select offers all the services you need. Among the questions you’ll want to ask: Can they help you obtain a domain name? Will they handle hosting? Can they provide a form reply page for queries for your site’s visitors? Will you be able to update your website and add content yourself after it’s been designed or will you rely on them?

Copy writing

 Web designers are not copywriters. They’re artists. They rarely write the content that goes on the websites they design. However, they may be able to assist by providing a recommendation for a copyright they’ve worked with in the past.

Testimonials 

Ask for referrals from the web designer’s customers. Perhaps a list of testimonials from these customers is readily available. If not, ask for contact information and then call on a couple of the customers. They’ll tell you the skinny, good or bad, on the website designer.  You can also Google the web designer’s name to see if any reviews have been posted online.