How to Choose a Web Designer for Your New Website
Do a search for "Web Designer" on Google and you will find pages and pages of results...in fact there will be over 24,900,000...that's over 20 MILLION results. Many people want a web designer who is in their local area so they can arrange face to face meetings with them. I am located in the Lake Macquarie / Newcastle / Hunter Valley region of NSW, Australia. So I will narrow it down to "Lake Macquarie Web Designer" - the results for this search is still very large - 45,400 results.
So now you are faced with a pages of results - If your looking for a local web designer then you cant count on all of the results being local - the search results will show websites which contain the words Lake, Macquarie, Web & Design in their website somewhere and sometimes businesses do a sneaky thing and optimise their website for places that they aren't actually located - so a business located in Darwin may have optimised their website for the Lake Macquarie area to try and extend their clientele).
There are still pages and pages of Web Designers to choose from, even when you have narrowed down your search to a particular area. So who do you choose and how do you choose?
Well once you have narrowed down your search to your selected criteria (eg a local business, a business who specialises in SEO etc) then you need to choose a few designers and run some simple but revealing "tests" by them.
You don't need to run them all by the designer, but you should at least ask them a few questions and ensure they "pass"!
- You have a very significant part in the design of your web site so if any designer tells you to sit back and relax, then seek another designer. No designer can know the ins and outs of every type of business. Don’t ever forget that the website designer is working for you and your web site is trying to promote is YOUR business. It is important that you are invited to be involved. Make sure that your designer knows exactly what you are trying to achieve with your website. Web Designers should welcome your input. If they brush you off then I would be thinking twice about using them for your website design.
- On the other hand, many business owners are way too busy to worry about designing a website – which is why they are hiring a Web Designer – it is important that the Web Designer you choose is happy to research your industry and create a website regardless of whether you want lots of input or very little input.
- However, we strongly encourage you to have some input into the design of the website as it is too late to say you don’t like it after it’s complete. The more input you have from the beginning the more likely it is that you’ll be happy with the end result.
It is important to note though that while your input is very valuable, the Web Designer IS the expert and if you were an expert in web design then you would'nt have hired them. Most web designers have spent a lot of time learning & training to be a website designer….if you ask for something and they try to steer you away from it, then it is a very good idea to listen. Experience does count for a lot and remember, you are the expert in your business but they are the expert on the internet and website design! - Understand that the site is not going to be exactly as you picture it unless you are willing to spend a lot of extra money, but a good designer will get it very close.
- Ask what programs they use to create websites. Although it's true that good websites can be made with cheap software and good software doesn't necessarily mean good websites, there are a few guidelines which can help create an impression of the designer's skill level:
- No professional designers use Microsoft Frontpage for web design — this would be a warning sign – you will end up with a tacked together homemade looking website which will not create a professional impression of your business at all.
- Adobe Dreamweaver and other similar programs are very good and expensive. Owning one of these programs indicates a person has made a financial commitment to the tools of being a web designer. Be aware though, owning a program doesn't mean you can use it! It is just an indication.
- Don't get too worried about what software they use, it is just one indicator, however if they are using Microsoft Frontpage then I would be walking away fast!
- Ask what they will do to optimise the site for search engines. If they don't know, or if they say that choosing good meta tags is all you need to do, then they don't really know what they are doing. Read More on Search Engine Optimisation here.
- Ask how they approach the construction of your site. How will they go about determining your needs? Will you be consulted during construction? How often? What happens if you don't like their design? How many changes are you allowed to make to the design?
- Ask about the cost of the website, get a quote and make sure this quote is set in stone unless advised and agreed to if any changes are made to the original design:
- Don't be sucked in by cheap quotes — they usually mean that something is missing.
- On the other hand, if you are quoted a thousand dollars for a website smaller than 5 pages then you should be getting a few more quotes (unless you are asking for some really unique features)
- Check out some of their previous work….make assessments based on the following…
- Did it load quickly? People searching the web tend to be impatient and many of them still use dial up modems. So it is important that the first page of the site loads quickly or they will move on to one of your competitors.
- Do you like the look? Does it look professional? Check out their previous work, if they consistently create sites with colours or graphics that you don't like, you probably won't like the website they create for you.
- Is it easy to find what you need?
There are hundreds of thousands of web designers to choose from. You don't have to use someone in your own town, though that can make consultations easier while at the same time you’ll be supporting local business.
You do want to find someone who builds sites that work. Going through these basic tests may help you determine if this web designer is one that you can trust to design your website.