How to Pick a Website Designer for Your Business

Consumers now expect every business, large or small, to have a website. If you do not have a web presence then prospective customers may well dismiss you as being an unprofessional, fly by night company.

Your website does not have to be sophisticated? a simple blog or online business card will suffice for a smaller company but it must be clean, professional looking and search engine friendly.

Many business owners dismiss the idea of setting up a website because they believe that it will be expensive, time consuming or difficult. This could not be further from the truth. If you find a good web designer then you can get an affordable, professional looking website without too much difficulty.

If you do not work in technology or a related field then you may be unsure where to start and find yourself wondering “How to pick a website designer?" These tips will help you to pick a designer that will serve you and your company well.

Don’t Respond to Spam

The best place to find a good web designer is via the search engines. Don’t respond to designers who contact you out of the blue. After all, if a web designer’s own site is not easy to find in the search engines, what makes you think that the website they create for you will be any better? Search for web designers in your area and compile a shortlist of the top few results.

Check Their Portfolios

Look at the portfolios of each of the designers via your favourite search engine. Many web designers specialise in a specific type of work, such as WordPress, E-Commerce, Joomla or even bespoke website development. Find a web designer that works with the kind of technology or system you prefer. If you don’t know what sort of website you want, call a few designers and see what they recommend.

Arrange for a Visit or Phone Call

Finally, arrange a consultation with the firms you prefer the most. The purpose of this is to find out whether the company is easy to work with. If you find it difficult to communicate what you want to the web designer at this stage, it’s probably best to move on to a different company.

Ideally, you should get a fully itemised quote at this stage but when you are comparing web designers, make sure you don’t just look at the bottom line. Look at what each designer is offering.

For example, are they providing hosting, the domain name, ongoing updates, or training in how to use the content management system? Factor in these differences when comparing prices, and choose the company that offers the best value for money.