Building a website on your own can be painful, especially if you are new to it.

You have a business to run and so you take the decision to hire a web designer or a web design company.

But are they legit? They may have 5-star reviews online but can they meet your expectations?

This is why I have compiled the guide to help you pick the right web designer for any businesses. This list of 10 questions will help you decide whether to lock in the deal or choose someone else.

Before that, there are certain qualities that you can find out with web designers. Check them out.

Qualities To Check In A Web Designer

  1. Check out his previous projects

Chances are you will choose the web designer who is experienced and knows what he’s doing. That means he already has some of his creations to show you.

92% of people see the testimonials before making a purchase. This is the majority of the community that wishes to see proof before giving the green flag.

Okay, the designer shares some of the websites he created. You like the colors, the animations, the carousels and all that. But there are more. Out of all the factors, these three are crucial for every website irrespective of the industry:

  • The website should be mobile friendly
  • It should have a responsive design
  • It should load faster.

  1. Web design standards and conventions

You can find out when you check out their previous projects. The color scheme, quality of the images, alignment of the content. All that matters.

A bonus tip is if you can read code, check out the conventions they follow. Professional coders add necessary comments, follow the general naming standards, and make the code user-friendly to read.

  1. Design team vs freelance designers

You need to get this sorted out on day 1.

Is he a freelance web designer or has a team of talented individuals who build different components? Will he be outsourcing work to other agencies or does he hire other freelancers?

The thing is a professional web design company is a better option as they cover all the aspects a website needs. Even if they outsource work, it will come under the final bill. So you don’t need to worry.

10 Questions To Ask Web Designers Before Starting The Project

  1. How do you approach the project?

The first thing you need to confirm is what they use to build the website.

Do they prefer DIY website builders like Wix or Squarespace? Is WordPress, a content management system, their preferred option or do they write custom code?

All these options require a different budget, timeframe, resources, and offer different outcomes.

Sometimes, you may have a website that you need to renovate and make a comeback. Does the designer have a plan to tackle that? Maybe your business is entirely new to them. How will they approach that?

Ask them whether they have a plan that they follow to build a website from scratch. That way, you can be assured that your website design is in good hands.

  1. What is your experience in the web design industry?

You will check out their portfolio in the beginning. In addition to that, ask them whether they have worked with someone in your niche.

Let’s say you need an eCommerce store for consumer products (coffee or honey for example).

If the web designer has experience building online stores in that domain, it makes it so much easier because they have enough insights about how the store should look.

  1. What are the services offered in the package?

The web designer’s package is the entire list of things that they will do for your business. The common elements of every website are the hosting plan, web content, web design, SEO, and images but there are more.

Sort out what the designer’s package includes. Some will not work on SEO while others will refer a content writer to write your web pages. When a web designer mentions that he offers a “complete package”, get a written statement of what he will do for you.

  1. How can I contribute before starting the project?

No matter how cool the website looks, your satisfaction trumps everything.

This is why every great web designer will spend enough time to get deep insights of what you want.

During your first meeting, it is important that you need to convey your goals and objectives. Not just that. Ensure that the designer notes them down.

Some web designers send a google form so that they can get inputs from every angle and keep it for reference. Your input can make or break the entire outcome. Remember that.

  1. How will we stay in touch throughout the project?

There are a series of questions that follow this. Who will be the first line of contact? Where will he be active during the weekdays? Can you get updates on specific milestones?

The thing is you need an update on the work. That is it.

You don’t want to wait for a month for them to show up with the finished product which could’ve been made better if you had a couple of phone calls.

You may have a new feature that you need or a layout review that you want to do. Having one person in the front is essential so that you are informed all the time.

  1. What is the estimated budget and the suitable mode of payment?

If deciding the estimate is one part, keeping it under that budget is another.

Amateur web designers give a poor estimate and will ask you to cover the extra expenses that come.

And you should settle for the right payment gateway in the beginning. This becomes crucial if you hire a freelancer through Upwork or Freelancer where the service charges could be as high as 20%.

  1. How will you optimize my website for search engines?

In simple terms, does he have an SEO strategy is what you should look for. Does he hire an SEO strategist for the work or does his team have one in-house?

Creating an accessible website that also adheres to SEO’s best practices is what every website owner needs. Your business is new online and you need to bring eyes to your products.

The best web designer will follow a documented SEO strategy and it is proven to improve their win rates by 27.1%.

  1. What support do you offer once the project is done?

Let us just say, the project is done. The website looks awesome and it’s live for a week.

What happens if a page doesn’t respond or displays a bad request? Things like this can happen. Can you reach out to the designer who made the website?

You need to get this sorted right before finalizing the project. Some designers offer a time period where they assist you on fixing the bugs, while some others don’t.

It would be great if you pick the deal where they offer services after the website is complete. That way, you don’t need to hire a new designer and go through the process all over again.

  1. What work will be outsourced in the project?

This has to be decided prior so that you can estimate how the costs will be.

You should know that for every component of your website, there are dedicated teams out there who can do way better than the web designer himself?

This is why some design companies outsource SEO strategists, content writers, graphic designers, and even web developers. This simplifies the work from the designer’s side.

While outsourcing might sound good for business, if you are unaware of it, it will impact your final bill. Big time.

  1. How will the testing be before launching the website?

Assuring top quality output is essential. The veteran web designers know that.

Proper testing ensures that each web page looks right and loads faster to the end user. Does your web designer follow a testing strategy to rectify issues before the launch of your website?

Your website will be viewed on different browsers and phones of different dimensions. You may have an app that works in Android and iOS. Whatever the device is, your website should not fail to impress your users.

And that brings us to the conclusion. When you get these 10 questions to any web designer, you will be able to pick the right one to design your website.

Before Wrapping Up

I hope this information is a good starting point before you hire a web designer or an agency for your business website. Its better to save money, then burn your hands:)

Let me know if I have missed any points. That can be beneficial to all of us.

 

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