How to Choose a Web Designer for Website Development
Website development is a serious choice for every business.
Websites have become such a normal part of our daily lives that when we find a company without one, it’s a rare find. It’s almost as bad when we come across a business that has a website seemingly existing in the mid-’80s. You know what we’re talking about – Dingbat font, Flash animation, underlined sidebar links, visitor counters, and a dozen other elements that make us wish that the Men in Black neuralyzer (aka “the flashy-thing memory-messer-upper”) was a real device.
These days, web design is a serious business. Your company’s best bet is to put your website development plans into the hands of a creative marketing team that you can trust. The question is… what exactly do you look for when you’re in the market for a web designer?
Interest in Your Company’s Details
If you feel that the website designer that you’re talking to is beginning to treat you more like a number than a client that they’ve taken a vested interest in, that’s when you run for the hills. A web designer can’t do a great job if they don’t learn everything they can about your business. They should engage you with a series of questions meant to flesh out specific details of your company’s needs and wants, then follow up with plenty of discussions.
Reasonable Amount of Experience
There’s no exact formula to follow when comparing experience between website designers, so use your best judgment. Typically, what you’re looking for is at least a few years of website design, brand development, lead generation, and other creative marketing techniques. This will help ensure that the company knows what it’s doing and can do so efficiently and effectively to arrive at the best results for your business.
Professional and Well-Designed Site
If you don’t remember the old Hair Club for Men ads, that’s okay – just check YouTube! The most memorable element of those commercials (besides the cheese factor) was the mantra that went something like this: “I’m not just the owner. I’m also a client.” A designer’s own website design should be professional and up-to-date so that you can hand over one of your business’ most treasured tools with confidence.
Good Reputation in the Industry
Website development can be a competitive business, which means that a designer should always be putting their best foot forward to impress their clients. Ask a potential designer for samples of their work. Even if they’ve only taken on smaller projects, that’s okay. The most important aspect is the design itself. Plus, if you’re so inclined, reach out to those businesses and inquire about their experience with the designer.
Wide Scope of Marketing Services
Even though your primary goal is to hire a website designer, you’re always better off by choosing a marketing company with a wide scope of services. This way, the website can be constructed so that it easily integrates into marketing endeavors such as social media, content creation, SEO, and various other elements. By taking this well-rounded approach, you’re much more likely to find success.
Solid Plans for Lead Generation
Your website will often act as the central hub for all future marketing campaigns in one way or another. A big element of such campaigns will be lead generation, so it’s important that any website designer you hire keeps that in mind. The best marketing company and/or designer will have clear and concise ideas on how best to generate leads with the use of social media, email marketing, and other techniques, and then filter those through the site.
Clear Price Estimates for Services
A reputable web designer will be forthcoming with their prices but don’t confuse this with a page on their site that presents a full list of marketing packages. Sure, having a page like that is awesome, but marketing and website design services are often customized for a company’s particular goals. The more important takeaway here is that price estimates should include every featured marketing element that you’ll need for the completion of the project.
High-Quality Content Writing
Websites that feature bad grammar or multiple typos will immediately be seen as unprofessional and untrustworthy. Each web page should be checked, double-checked, and triple-checked for accuracy, clarity, sentence structure, spelling, etc. Plus, if you’re also hiring the company to create ongoing content – primarily a blog and/or social media posts – these should be well-written with minimal errors, too.
Focused Website SEO Audit
While local SEO services is an important element for many businesses, Search Engine Optimization is especially needed with website design. Each separate page should include SEO elements that have a higher likelihood of drawing in customers, but without overdoing it and being potentially penalized for “keyword stuffing and other problems. A great way to assess the site once it’s been built is for the designer to conduct a focused website SEO audit.
Accurate Deadlines for a Project
The amount of time required for website development can vary heavily depending on the scope of the project. An experienced designer can usually pinpoint a reasonable timeframe for completion of each element and for the full project itself. Details such as the number of pages, embedded videos, blog creation, and other pieces of the puzzle will need to be calculated. Just remember to temper your expectations because a designer that promises a “too good to be true” timeframe may be pulling a fast one.
Communicates Well Back and Forth
As with all companies that you hire or do business with, the web designer you choose should have excellent reliability in terms of communication. You’ll want to temper your expectations here, too, of course. Don’t expect microsecond responses each time you have a question, because the designer most likely has multiple clients at any given time. Simply set a reasonable response time that you expect and discuss it with the designer prior to starting.
Provides Clear Answers to Questions
When everything has been laid out beforehand in detail, there are rarely any snags along the way. However, most companies will have questions before, during, and after the website development process. Never be afraid to ask questions and always expect a clear, confident answer that accurately addresses your concerns or inquiries. A reputable designer will never beat around the bush or neglect any of your questions.
Reasonable Contract for Services
Last but certainly not least – the contract! The specifics of the contract will depend on various factors, especially if you’ll be engaging with a marketing company to provide you with campaigns and other initiatives either during the website development process or going forward. Any contract should cover every step of the process. An ongoing contract should be reasonable in length. For example, a year-long contract with no “out” is a cause for concern.
Contact P3 Agency for Successful Website Development
If you want your company to put its best foot forward, you should definitely leave your Clearwater website design plans in the hands of professionals. The P3 Agency has spent years gathering website development skills and knowledge to give our clients an edge over their competition. To learn more about our website design services or to receive a free marketing assessment for your business, call our team at (800) 515-9422.