CHOOSING A WEB DESIGNER? 5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR AND 10 THINGS TO ASK
The process of designing and constructing a website is time-consuming and has huge importance to the future of your business, so it’s vital to do it right the first time. Trying to figure out who to work with can be a daunting task - especially if you’re bewildered by or scared of technology. Finding a website designer with compassion for you and your brand is a priority, but how can you tell who is going to be a good fit?
Here are things to look for when deciding which designer to work with, and some vital questions to ask them before signing anything.
THINGS TO LOOK FOR:
1. Portfolios with lots of style variations
Look for a web designer with a wide range of designs in their portfolio. If you see a wide range of styles and aesthetics, it proves that the designer can work with all kinds of businesses and pivot to all sorts of visual tastes.
When assessing a portfolio, try to look beyond the purely visual and review the functionality of each site:
Is the site easy to use and navigate around?
How easy is it to find vital information? Can you find it in 3-5 seconds?
Is the site mobile optimised?
Some designers will only share screenshots of prior work. Others link to live sites. If a designer links to a live site it confirms that they’re a real client who had a real project. One important detail to note about live sites is that they’re often managed and updated by the new owner after handover - sometimes to the detriment of the site.
2. Personality
Always talk to a potential designer on the phone before hiring them. At WWD, we turn down clients who don’t feel like a good fit - and you should definitely do the same! Do you like the person? Do they seem honest? Do they listen? Do you feel comfortable talking with them? Do you feel confused and overwhelmed? A good designer should make you feel cared for and understood. Integrity and compassion are important for every collaboration.
3. Credentials
Look for designers that acknowledge their experience and connection within the industry. For Squarespace designers, look for the Squarespace Circle badge, which means someone is a valued and respected member of a community of designers. It also means they can offer you 20% off your first year of Squarespace services. If eCommerce is what you’re looking for, look for a designer who is an official Shopify Partner or Expert. Another way to check a designers credentials is to see if they blog to share their expertise.
4. Testimonials
Check the designer’s social media reviews. Their website should have reviews that link to live sites… confirming they’re a real person who had a real project with said designer.
5. Cost
Because a website is such an important aspect of your business, it’s important to invest in one that tells your brand story, makes you look professional, and attracts visitors before converting them into paying customers. The investment you make in a website will be one of the greatest returns in your business - if your site is done properly.
It’s possible to build your own or purchase a $500 website… but you’ll see a significant difference in the quality between that website and a $5,000 site. Even sites that look comparable at first glance can be very different in the details—copywriting, UX design, SEO, favicon, mobile responsive design, page loading speed, metadata… and so on.
10 QUESTIONS TO ASK A WEB DESIGNER BEFORE YOU COMMIT
1: What does UX mean to you?
Usability is a simple concept, yet so powerful that it can derail even the sleekest of designs if it’s not implemented well. Put simply, usability is the ease with which a person can accomplish a given task with your product. With regards to a website, usability translates to: how easily can you navigate around and find exactly what you want without having to search or hit a bunch of buttons. Ideally, a good website will capture the attention of and inform a new visitor about what the site does within 3-5 seconds. :) More than any other question, this will help you quickly see the difference between experienced web designers and beginners. You want a web-designer that thinks at the highest level. The best designers will light up when you mention UX (usability).
2: Do you outsource?
A lot of companies outsource parts of a project - or even the entire project. This is not cool. Here in Wanaka, we have had to re-do several websites that clients paid a small fortune for - only for the company they hired to turn around and pay a fraction of that fee to someone else in South America, India or Asia. We have seen a lot of this happening in NZ, and we’ve never seen a good result from it. Ask your potential designer where the team is, who will be working on the project and even if you can meet them.
3. Which website platform(s) do you build on?
It’s important to know which platform/s a designer is skilled in using, and which they’d recommend for you. Here at WWD, we mostly use Shopify for e-commerce and SquareSpace for the rest. If you want technology platforms like email marketing and membership tools, ask about a designer’s familiarity with these tools and integrating them with your platform of choice.
4. Do you custom code?
Code makes your website do all sorts of amazing things that it couldn’t ordinarily do. Unless you want a stock website using an ordinary template, coding is essential to make your website sing and stand out from the rest. One of the most important characteristics for a designer is someone who is comfortable using code to manipulate the function and design of your website. For example, our Wild Willow Design website is built on Squarespace and has all sorts of fun visual coded elements that make it look different and show off our coding ability. Ask to see examples of coded websites.
5. What do you include in your fee?
Are you hiring a designer who can handle your graphic design needs and copywriting, or will you need to hire and manage other people for that? Will there be any training in how to use the site? Do they assist with email marketing set-up and template design? Can they set up e-commerce or online membership programs? Will they set up the SEO and analytics? What about loading inventory? These are all vital things to make sure you discuss.
6. What is the process for feedback & revisions?
Most web design projects include a first draft with some type of revision process so you can see and review your web design and functionality, and provide feedback or request revisions as needed, before the project is finalized. Because the revision process can be lengthy and time-intensive for the designer, they will likely set a limit on the number of rounds of revisions included in their project fee.
7. What’s the timeline? And….What’s needed from me to stay on track with this timeline?
Some web designers (like us!) can turn around a project in a couple of weeks. The majority of our custom web projects here at Wild Willow are paced by our client’s ability to get us the content we need, and the time it takes them to review and give feedback on draft versions. It is always helpful to agree to be available and make time for revisions and edits, and to make sure you have all your written and visual content ready to go prior to getting started - unless we are creating or sourcing that content for you.
8. What are your payment terms?
In addition to knowing the cost of your project (or, the estimated cost if it’s billed hourly), it’s also important to be prepared for the specific payment terms and details. There are quite a few different ways payment can be handled for web design projects. Some designers bill hourly. Some require a percentage of the project fee as a deposit or retainer, and bill the remainder upon final delivery.
9. How will we communicate throughout the project?
It’s a good practice to ask your web designer how to best get in contact with them if you have any questions or updates, and then follow their recommendation. A good designer will ask the same of you. At the end of the day, you’ll be satisfied with your project if you understand how and why it’s built the way it is, and you have input along the way, and this can happen if you’re comfortable reaching out to and communicating with your web designer, offering honest feedback when needed, etc. Please do NOT be the kind of client who takes days to respond or give feedback and content.
10. What support do you offer after delivery of the website?
Some designers offer a grace period for providing complimentary assistance if any questions come up with your new site; after this period, you’d need to hire them again for additional services.
For our custom web design projects, we provide a Squarespace (step-by-step instructions for maintaining and updating your new site), and a grace period for providing email support if any other questions come up.