How to Choose a Web Designer
Hiring the right web designer can be a daunting task. How do you know if their work is good? How do you know if their pricing is fair?
Once you have decided that you need a website, or need to re-design a site that just isn’t meeting your needs. The next step is crucial. Hiring the right web designer can be a daunting task. How do you know if their work is good? How do you know if their pricing is fair? How do you know that they have the creativity and skill necessary to make your vision a reality?
Choosing a Web designer or web design firm that has great examples, glowing references and fair pricing, will make the process of creating your website easier, and will lead to your online success. So, needless to say, this is one of the most important decisions you will make.
One critical point that needs to be made, is that there are hundreds (more likely thousands) of “experts” who will tell you that they have the skills needed to build a website. Or, even that YOU can build your own website. Now, we do not mean to imply that that is not possible. Rather, it is important to know that, depending on your needs, and the level of success you are hoping to achieve, that taking this task on as an untrained beginner, usually leads to disappointment.
When it comes to designing a dynamic, technologically sound, optimized web site, there are many skills that come into play. Well written copy, with proper ratios of keywords, advanced components like Java applets, interactive applications, 3D VRML, and Search Engine Optimization, are just a few possible facets of a website. Chances are that you (or the friend of an associate, whose teenage son is a “computer geek”) do not actually have the mastery of the techniques that go into building a really useful website. So, the first step is admitting that you need a professional.
The next step, is weeding out who actually is a professional. One of the best indicators of quality, in web designers is to get an impression of the firm or designer by checking out their own website. Certainly, a web design firm that has not bothered to put in the time and energy needed to make their website fantastic will be one to mark off the list. As with any out-sourcing, or hiring you do, you will also want to check references. It is great if the web designer you are choosing has twenty awesome websites to show you. But, if the clients they worked with to build those sites, had a stressful, negative experience while completing the project, then you will want to move on to another company that will offer better service.
Once you have narrowed down your list of potential web design companies, you will want to present them with a thorough idea of what your project will be, so that they can give you an accurate estimate of pricing for the website.
What is the Big Idea – for your Website
The mapping out of an idea for what your website needs, and what you want is the best way to ensure that you will choose the right web designer. This may sound like a small factor. However, keep in mind that all of the other factors hinge on this one. You have to know what you need done to be able to ask if the prospective web design company can handle it. You have to know what functions you need (such as search features, online ordering, etc.) in order to get an accurate estimate for pricing.So, start with the basics. Determine what information you need to offer on your site. Consider what services you need to provide to your customer base. Also, think about features that you think will draw people back to your website, time and time again.
Another important step you can take in identifying what you want for your web site is to research websites of other companies and find features and ideas that appeal to you. Obviously, you do not want to copy anyone else’s website, but being able to identify features and to show the web designer an example, can help to clarify the vision you have for your own site. Just like anything you might want to customize, you can benefit greatly by having a starting point – such as “ I really like this, but I would rather it had this here, or that there…” These suggestions can be a great starting point for you to determine how well a web designer can interpret what you want and make it fit within your design and budget.
It can be helpful to even have some simple sketches of your site design. Try to include information such as the number of pages, specific types of information, links that would be useful, as well as featured pages where your audience can search for relevant information, use email forms, register online for services or products, play games or take quizzes or pages where they can download files and documents. Sketch out ideas for any pages that you think will make your website user-friendly, informative, and that will accomplish the tasks you need for your business.
Site Maintenance
Determining how your company will be maintaining your website is another challenge you will face with building a website. It can be an important factor in choosing the web design firm that is right for your needs. Keeping a website up-to-date and consistently performing can be a time consuming task. You may have someone on staff that may be a good choice for properly maintaining your website. Or, you may need to outsource this job to someone. In either case, you will want to ask some very important questions of your potential web designer, regarding how they handle site maintenance issues. For instance, if they are going to provide the updates, you may want to ask them how they ensure that they are current on your industry. You will also want to know what they charge for maintenance, and what is included. If your company will be handling the website maintaining, in-house, then you will want to know what tech support and copyright policies they have. It is critical to feel that the web design firm you are considering is going to provide ongoing service. Websites can be complex, and a properly maintained site will perform best. So, you need to know that once your website is built, that you will still be able to trust your needs to your chosen web design company.Who is Your Website For?
Now that you have decided what information will be on your site, and you have sketched out some ideas for how it will look and function, you have to carefully consider who exactly will be your target audience. Who will need your product or services? Who will be seeking something your site offers, and search the web for similar products or information? There are a few basic categories for consumers on the internet, so you may want to list them, and then, be sure your design caters to their different requirements.Potential - The first, and most sought after, of these categories is usually the New Customer. Here you are seeking customers who have found your site via an informative article, a link from another site, or a referral. These potential customers need your website to not only showcase what you offer, but they will need your site to give them a sense of who you are, and why they should choose to do business with your company.
Converted – In every industry, there is competition. Well, the best thing you can do to lure customers over from your competition, is to gracefully illustrate to them how your company offers something better, cheaper or both – and to do so in a way that makes it easy for them to switch their loyalty to you.
Loyal – Speaking of loyalty, you want to offer something to your existing clientele that causes them to be completely uninterested in whatever your competition has to offer. Your website needs to keep them satisfied, and keep them coming back for more.
Specialty – Some other areas where you may want to consider drawing an audience would be from Professional Groups, Local Citizens, or Specific Demographic Groups. For instance, you may want to offer local tips, like weather updates, or restaurant reviews, for the city where your business is based. Or, you may want to offer Medical Journal Articles, if your business caters to the medical Once you have determined who your website is for, you will be ready to go to the web designers you are considering with an informed foundation for what you need in a website. Stepping into this process with a plan, will ensure that you know what you need from a web designer, and it will show them that you are a client that knows what they are looking for.
Web Design Pricing
Pricing is almost impossible to forecast in web design, because there are so many variables in site function and design. You need to know who will be handling maintenance. Will there be copywriting needed? Is there custom graphic and logo design needed? Will the design include complex databases or secure online ordering functions? All of these design elements, as well as web designer experience, quality, location and project completion time, are factors in determining the price of a website. So, it is easy to see how difficult it would be to give a broad listing of available pricing.To give, at least a ballpark idea, here are some basic pricing parameters: Generally speaking, for any decent web designer you should expect no less than $75 per page for a simple static site with no interactivity, and upwards of $500- $1000 per page for more advanced design, where the web designer is able to create custom graphics, logos and complex interactive functions, and where search engine optimization is available. This may increase, if you also need professional copywriting services for the text that will make up your website content.
A reasonable starting range would most likely be somewhere between $300 - $500 per page. You can always determine what your budget is, and try to work with your web designer to fit as much of your concept as possible into that budget. Keep in mind, that as with most services – you usually get what you pay for.
