5 Tips When Hiring a Web Design Company

If you are just starting a new business and are looking to design a new website or are looking to revamp your current one, a good website is essential. The current business culture relies on the internet for advertising, and for your business to be noticed hiring a web design firm could be important for your business.

There are many web design companies looking for work, and it’s up to you to find the one that meets your needs. Before you start looking for a designer, you should have a basic idea of what you want so you can choose the right designer the first time.

Many new business owners believe they need to have the perfect vision for their brand or website, but this is not the case. Use the tools provided to you by the internet and those around you to make your business the most successful. 

Here are a few tips for when you start looking for a web designer:

Budget:

Find someone that fits into your business model and your budget rather than working the other way around. If you are just starting out, it is crucial to get a website up and running, but it does not need to be the best website ever created. 

Further down the line, you can revamp your website and make it more elaborate, or change it to fit your growing business needs. Spending extra money on a web designer upfront can backfire in the long run. 

Make sure you give your designer enough time to come up with a design or make your design a reality. Expectations that are too high from the beginning will only alienate your designer and make the process more difficult.  

There are people out there learning to become web designers every day, and it may pay off to hire the new up and coming talent and secure them at a lower starting price. This is a risk, so use caution when hiring unproven talent and consider giving them a test project to evaluate their skills. 

Style:

Ask to see the potential web designer’s portfolio to get a sense of their style. If you have a specific vision for your website, discuss that with them to see if they have the skills to make it a reality. You can also give them a test webpage to design for a small payment to better understand their style and skill level. 

There needs to be a balance with finding a designer in your budget and finding someone that fits your style. If they are the cheapest you can find but have an entirely different style from your current vision of your site, you will be unhappy with the results. 

If possible, speak to their previous clients to get a sense of how they work with others and what type of employee they would make. Are they able to complete projects on time with what was planned? Are they easy to work with and open to new ideas? These are only a couple of questions that are important to ask before hiring a web designer. 

Future site maintenance:

Another key aspect of hiring a web designer is planning for future maintenance and updates to your site. No website is perfect from the beginning, and all of them need edits and support to keep running smoothly. 

Before hiring a web designer, ask them if they are willing and able to make edits. Can they improve the site on an ongoing basis or will they part ways once the design is up and running? There are ways around this if you found the perfect designer for your website, but they don’t do edits or updates. You can hire another person just to maintain the site. However, that will come at an extra cost and can potentially take more time for them to learn how the site was built. 

SEO Knowledgeable:

Driving traffic to your site relies heavily on SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It is highly recommended that your web designer be familiar with integrating SEO techniques into your website. This will save you the hassle of trying to add them yourself later or hiring yet another person to do it for you. 

This includes adding keywords that are easily searched for and making the site quick to load. Many people will skip to the next result in their query if a website takes over a second or two to load. 

SEO is not only reliant on keywords in your site. It may also require research in your business field to determine what type of SEO techniques are necessary to be successful. For some, this may include paid advertisements or links to social media pages. Every business model is different and requires individual attention. 

Mobile-Friendly:

More and more people are using their mobile devices as their primary connection to the internet. Your page needs to be easily adapted to be viewed on a smaller screen and still be easily navigated. Websites without this feature are limited to those using a laptop or desktop computer

A web designer should have the knowledge and skill to make a desktop/laptop browser page and a mobile device page as well.

Making the Perfect Hire

Before hiring a web designer, ask for proof of their skills through a portfolio, test project, or previous clients. It can be beneficial to ask business contacts how they found their first web designer, or if they know a specific person they can vouch for and recommend. Online freelancer websites are an excellent place to start looking for designers if you have no one to ask. 

Businesses are not built in a day, and neither are websites. It takes time to develop a good site or come up with an innovative design. Set aside the time to work with your developer to create a website you can be proud of. It is better to delay the project’s completion by a few days or weeks than to start from scratch because you are unhappy with the results. 

Your website is a reflection of your business which is a reflection of yourself. Don’t forget to proofread and test your website before it goes live. Many errors can be easily identified and resolved using beta testers or website testing software. 

Hiring a great web designer can make or break the creation of your website. Take your time, do your research, and find the best fit. Then, work together to create something amazing. Start searching for an amazing web designer for your company today!