Websites should be navigable, well-designed, optimized, and on-brand. Making it all by yourself might be difficult. Web designers can help. This post will teach you how to employ a web designer so you just need to do it once.
Web designers are skilled. They know how to design your website without making it too basic or crowded, the ideal call to action, and your target audience’s likes and dislikes.
All this expertise helps them develop a distinctive, beautiful, and SEO-friendly website.
People can usually tell the difference between a DIY and a professional website. The latter helps you and your brand appear more trustworthy, reliable, and authoritative, creating a favorable first impression.
A good site designer can also effectively express your value proposition. They may assist portray your business in the greatest light by using images, colors, and fonts.
Guide To Hiring A Web Designer
#1 Google It
Online is the best location to locate web design company.
The results pages include web designers and design teams with various expertise and experience.
A site designer doesn’t always do everything alone. Several may be small groups of design experts. Depending on the project, they may work alongside web developers, copywriters, and strategists.
#2 Check Skills
Web designers used to be Photoshop wizards. Creative people today know online technology, graphic design, and internet creation.
A web designer should know modern web techniques. Check the websites’ bios and service descriptions.
Your candidate must have these fundamental skills:
HTML/CSS
Web designers must know HTML and CSS.
Both languages are used to develop websites and publish designers’ work online. Web designers differ from graphic designers by knowing HTML and CSS.
Make sure a developer is on your web design team. Even if the designer doesn’t know HTML or CSS, the developer will.
Mobile-Optimization
Mobile-optimized websites attract and keep clients. Your website’s visual and interactive aspects appear good on PCs, phones, and tablets. “Mobile-responsive” and “mobile-friendly” are buzzwords.
Test applicants’ mobile-first design skills. Ask them how to make a responsive website that fits any screen.
#3 Take A Comprehensive Look At Portfolios
At this level, you should have access to a pool of web designers with the appropriate skills. Next, you will assess their work examples to determine which candidates are the most skilled and versatile.
That not every portfolio will be to your liking is a good thing. Web designers construct websites based on customer specifications. Therefore, the more diversified a designer’s portfolio, the more competent and experienced they are likely to be.
When comparing portfolios, you should consider the following aspects:
• Website Appearance. Consider if the design is aesthetically pleasing and consistent with the client’s brand and message. Consider portfolios that effectively convey corporate objectives.
• Usability. Instead of relying just on screenshots in a designer’s portfolio, visit the actual sites. Verify that the websites load quickly, are visually appealing, and are simple to navigate. Check the responsiveness of webpages to mobile devices.
• Practicality. Look for portfolios with similar features to your own. For instance, if you want to establish an eCommerce website, seek applicants who have already created eCommerce websites. You may also be as precise as you wish. If you desire a contact form with checkboxes, seek designers who have previously produced such elements.
• Overall Potential. You don’t want just an attractive website; you want a revenue-generating powerhouse that also looks great. Pay particular attention to the CTAs and how the aid of the website creates revenue while reviewing portfolios. Find the Google rank of each website as well.
The aforementioned elements will assist you in comprehending a designer’s commercial experience and area preferences and culture. This might be useful for creating material for a very specific audience.
#4 Consult Former Clients
Choose a few sites from the portfolios of each designer you wish to collaborate with, then contact the companies that hired them. This will provide insight into what it is like to work with them.
Here is a list of questions to ask a prospect’s previous customers:
- What was it like to collaborate with the designer?
- What are your thoughts on their design methodology?
- Could the designer fulfill deadlines?
- What was the designer’s fee for the undertaking?
- How is the performance of your website? Would you attribute an increase in leads or sales to the designer?
Consider that a prospect may not always be to blame for an unpleasant encounter. Use your judgment to establish if the site designer or the customer is responsible for the issue.
