How to Pick a Great Web Designer
May4
Choosing a web designer isn’t as simple as one would think. The first experience many customers will have with your business is when they visit your website. It sets the tone for their entire online experience. This first impression is critical – a poorly designed website will cause visitors to leave or lose buying confidence. After all, when they visit your website do you want them to feel as if they have just walked into a high end Gucci store… or a disheveled rundown Walmart in the bad part of town?
Step 1
Determine the quality that the web designer or web design firm is able to offer you. Are they a one man show, living off income site to site; OR are they a seasoned professional with the resources at their disposal to make your dream website come true. Because your website reflects many of your personal attributes and the values of your company, you will want to choose a web designer that is able to produce the type of website you want to present to your customers. The more professional your website looks the more your visitors will enjoy using the site and ultimately this will give them confidence in doing business with you. But don’t get to fancy – website usability, functionalism and ease of navigation are much more important that looks – at least in the overall sense.
Step 2
Evaluate the experience the web design company has. The first question you should ask them is “Do you have a list of reference sites I can look at as well as the contact information of previous clients?”
IMPORTANT – don’t just ask for a list of previous websites the company has designer. Why? The answer should be obvious; they could just lie and send you a bunch of cool looking websites that they claim to have designed. Make sure you ask for references to validate the sample websites they send you.
Although a web designer who is new to the industry may be able to do a good or even great job, someone who has experience working on similar websites will be able to do an outstanding job.
Example – If you run a restaurant ask your website designer if they have experience in designing websites for the food service industry; if they say yes then ask for references of that work. Again, just having a great looking website doesn’t do you any good; it must also be functional and easy to use. So if the designer has previous experience in designing websites for companies in your same industry – this is a huge plus!
You want your website to be perfect, so you shouldn’t settle for anything less than a fully qualified and experienced web designer, if your budget permits of course.
Step 3
Assess the projected costs of the job and if the web designer bills at a fixed or hourly rate. Is the price their charging worth it? Compare their experience, industry knowledge and the overall quality they are able to offer with the other companies you are having bid on your website. Learn the differences between a Web Design Firm vs. just a Web Designer?
Of course, you don’t want to spend more than you need to and if you do pay more, you want to make sure that you are getting added benefits for your money. Compare several web designers of similar skill and experience and see if you can get one for a little less than the others. Make the designers compete for your business by leveraging estimates from the competition. The last thing you want is to be over charged.
Source: Web-Design-Reviews.com
4:34 am on May 28th, 2009
the saying is totally true – You get what you pay for!
7:06 pm on June 1st, 2009
great comparison of a dedigner vs. a web design firm. It takes me hours to explain that to clients, now i will just forward this link
10:26 pm on June 3rd, 2009
even though i compete against web firms ALL the time – i will say as a designer these are valid web design points you bring up.
12:52 pm on August 3rd, 2009
These are excellent steps, laid out to help anyone find a great web designer. An excellent resource to anyone looking to hire a freelance web designer instead of a web firm.