Techblog
Five Tips For Choosing The Right Web Designer For Your Business
Deciding one out of the thousands of web designers in the market today for your website may seem like an immense task. Here are some tips to finding your perfect partner to solve your web design challenge.
In today’s digital world, your website is like a door to your business. If it isn’t easily accessible, does not function well, or give sufficient information about your business, no one is going to be knocking on your door. What are some considerations when choosing the right web designer?
1. Look at previous work and experience
First, what sort of site do you need? Is it strictly for e-commerce or do you want to generate leads with the site. Do you have a few products to showcase or an extensive range? What's the best way for customer's to navigate your site and find what they're looking for. Once you know what you need you can start looking at designer's previous work.
Your designer would need to have extensive and relevant experience in designing websites for businesses like yours. Look at their portfolio of sample sites on their website, and ask them in detail about their experiences.
These sample sites can also give you a feel of the designer’s capabilities, and the design style or elements they might use. You could also use these other sites to identify the features you want – or don’t – on your new site.
Also, if there's a certain design style you're after check to see if they've created that style previously. This will help in the overall creation process.
2. Read up on customer feedback
As with online shopping, it makes sense to read reviews first.
Some designers may already have customer testimonials on their website, so if they don’t, ask. Google might also be helpful; you may be able to find reviews of the designer on review sites.
The best scenario would be to have a direct referral from someone you trust, as that would be the best testament to a designer’s abilities and how they work.
3. Can they design with social media marketing and SEO principles in mind?
Your new site is your new marketing tool. Your web designer should therefore be well-versed in building a site that is social media and SEO friendly, someone who understands how these processes work.
They need to optimise the structure of the website or Content Management System (CMS) to help with social media sharing and make it SEO friendly. To ensure your website is SEO ready, things to keep in mind will include the ability to edit header tags, meta descriptions, mobile responsiveness and optimised for fast page loading time.
4. Question which CMS system they use and what support they can give
If you need to maintain the site yourself later, your site should be designed with an easy-to-use content management system (CMS) such as WordPress, Wix and Shoptiq. Clarify that they can make the back-end dummy-proof, and if they can provide tutorials on how to maintain the site.
Ask what happens if you want to make changes later, and if they can continue supporting you with after-services, preferably for free.
5. Weigh costs
Lastly, look at the costs involved. How much is it to design the new site, and are there any maintenance fees after? Are there any additional or hidden costs? Is it within your budget?
To make sure you're getting the right price get a quote from two to three different designers. See what you're getting for you money. Do they offer support if any issues arise? As your business grows your website will grow with it. Building a cost-effective partnership with a designer will be important to aid this growth.
Summary:
First, you should figure out what you require from your new site and the help you need. Then, consider these five points to choose your web designer:
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Experience
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Reviews
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Marketing capabilities
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Support
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Price