Working with a web designer can be both a terrific and frustrating experience. Here are 5 important things you’ll want to bear in mind as you get your new site designed and uploaded to your web hosting account.
Are they Legitimate? Have they been around longer than this week? Though it is very tempting, and your budget may scream for you to consider using your nephew who puts up sites, or a new friend of a friend you met at McDonalds last week; DON’T DO IT! Almost invariably you’ll be disappointed. If you want to present a professional web presence to the world, use a pro. Get references, ask for emails and/or phone numbers to speak with past clients. If they have any satisfied customers, you’ll find out fast.
Clue: What Does Their Site Look Like? A large indication of just how talented and serious about their business a company is, is reflected in the look of their own site. A good web design company will have a good looking website. Period. It may not be done in a style you might have done, but the quality will show through. Moreover, they should have a portfolio of their work available to view online, and at least some of them should be live online. A portfolio with no live sites tells me no one has hired them yet.
From Scratch or From Template? Are they going to build this from the ground up or use a pre-existing template as a basis for designing your site. This is important to know on several levels. First, you can seriously overpay for a site design based on a template. Second, if you are commissioning a serious site for your business and brand, you’ll want to make sure you are entirely unique and that care is taken to incorporate all the elements you want and need into the design. After all, you are paying a price for this service, and you need to be sure you’re getting your money’s worth!
Any SEO Included? You need to understand just what the design will and can do for your site design as far as search engine optimization (SEO) goes, and this is more than a brief mention that they will populate the proper meta tags and so on. They need to understand basic SEO as it applies to design, and be able to relate that to you. Also, make sure you address the issue of using Flash on your site, and get some straight answers. If they simply say that Flash is no longer a problem for Google, seek an exit. The issue is more complex than that.
Customer Service? What’s their customer service like? Are they going to plop a pile of zip files in your email and be on to their next client, or do you have some ongoing recourse if and when things need attention? You may need to work with these people for a while: you’ll want to get things spelled out clearly at the start.
Get these concerns addressed before you hire them, and you’ll find that not only will your site look better, but you’ll have fewer headaches as well!
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