These days, the majority of businesses have a website. It’s not enough for your business just to have a presence online, though.
You also need to have a well-designed website, one that looks great, functions properly, and does a good job of representing your brand and what your business stands for.
Could you create a website on your own that meets all those requirements? Technically, yes. Will it be easy? Probably not.
If you don’t have the time or knowledge needed to design your own website, your best option is to hire a professional to help you out. Read on to learn about some of the most important things to look for in a web designer.
Industry-Specific Experience
It’s best if you can work with a web designer who has experience designing websites for people in your industry or similar industries. After all, if you run a health and wellness company, you’re going to have a different vision for your site than if you ran a security firm, right?
If they have industry-specific experience, they’ll have a better idea of the type of colours, fonts, and layout options that work best for businesses in your industry and are appealing to your target customers.
You should look for a designer who has industry-specific experience. However, make sure they haven’t designed sites for your competitors. This could end up being a conflict of interest.
Fair (but Not Too Cheap) Pricing
You shouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg for good web design. At the same time, though, you ought to be prepared to spend some money if you’re looking to hire someone to totally revamp your website.
There’s a lot of truth to the saying that you get what you pay for. If you want to have a great finished product, one that you’re proud to show off to your customers, you’re going to have to invest some money upfront.
Remember, it’s often worth it to pay a bit more for website design. After all, if people like the look of your website, they’re going to be more inclined to make purchases from you in the future.
A Strong Portfolio
Always look at a web designer’s portfolio before you hire them to help you out.
Take a look at the work they’ve done in the past and decide whether or not it aligns with your personal style and the goals you have for your business. Check to see how recent the projects they’re showing you are, too.
If you don’t like their style, you’re probably better off working with someone else, rather than fighting the uphill battle of trying to change the way they work to suit your specific tastes.
Reasonable Contracts
Before you decide that you’re going to hire a specific designer, ask to take a look at their contract. Read over it carefully and ask questions if anything gives you pause.
Pay special attention to the length of time they say it will take them to finish your project and check to see if they guarantee their work. You should also find out if they’ll do free revisions if you don’t like something or if they will help you update your site in the future if necessary.
Good Listening Skills
Pay attention to how the designer you’re considering interacts with you.
Do they listen to your concerns and take your ideas into consideration, or do they seem set in their ways and not particularly interested in what you have to say?
Look for designers who have good listening skills and ask questions about your vision for the website.
They’ll be much more likely to give you a finished product that meets your needs and preferences. They’re also more pleasant to work with, in general.
Knowledge of Responsive Design
These days, more than half of all web searches take place from a mobile device.
If you want to increase sales and keep people coming back to your website for more, you need to make sure your device looks good and functions properly on a mobile device as well as on a desktop computer.
Look for a web designer who has knowledge of and experience with responsive design to ensure this happens.
Longevity
Find out how long the web designer you’re considering hiring has been working in this particular field. Are they brand new, or have they been designing websites for a few years?
A new designer isn’t necessarily a bad designer. However, it can be a bit risky to work with someone who doesn’t have a lot of years behind them. They might not be in it for the long haul, meaning it will be harder for you to track them down to make improvements to your website in the future.
If you hire someone who has been in the business for a few years, they’re more likely going to be around later on if you need their help again.
Plenty of References
Any web designer worth hiring ought to have plenty of satisfied customers upon whom they can call to ask for references.
Always ask for references or for copies of testimonials before you agree to work with a particular designer. If they’re hesitant or refuse to give you this information, that’s a huge red flag.
Be sure to follow up with the references they provide, too. This will help you ensure that the people they’ve listed are, in fact, previous customers.
Checking references also gives you an opportunity to ask about a person’s experience working with this designer and whether or not they’d hire them again.
Hire a Great Web Designer Today
Hiring the right web designer isn’t exactly an easy task. There are tons of designers out there, but they’re not all created equal.
If you keep these tips in mind, though, you’ll find that you’re able to choose a designer who can create work that you like and that represents your business well.
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to start your search!