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Thursday, 15 April 2010 08:24 am

Great Tips For Choosing The Right Web Designer

Submitted by admin on Thu, 08/10/2009 - 11:25

If you're looking to establish an online presence-or upgrade an existing website you will need professional help.
Choosing the right web designer for your needs can make the difference between an ok website and a fantastic one.

We have put together a few tips for choosing the right website designer for your business.


1.Know what you want.

Before choosing a partner to help in designing your website, you should get together a check list of information.   

A. Know what you would like your website to do, do you want it to sell your product or products, promote your business and or products, inform customers, or do you want it to do a combination of all these things.

B. You should have a figure in mind for your whole budget. Do a little research on the internet armed with the information in step A.

C. Know the audience you want to aim your website at. The web design company you choose can help work out the best design, layout and implementation for your site, but you're the one who will need to know what your market and what the website should do.


2. How will I maintain my site.

There are really two directions this could go. Either the site owner maintains the site or the site designers maintain the site. If your organization has the talent within it's walls to maintain your own standard HTML site, do it. However keep in mind that a "pretty site" has little to do with the effectiveness of a well put together site. Sure "pretty" is good, but compelling and well written is better. To keep costs down, maintaining your own site is the way to go.
There is another option for maintaining your own site, CMS or Custom Managed System. CMS can be a more affordable way to go over letting a web designer update your site, although the intial price may be more then a standard website, it could save you money in the long run.
Maintenance and updates are power on the web. Believe It. How many times would you visit a site if the information never changed? People feel the same way about your site. Whether you choose a webmaster or in-house talent, make frequent updates to retain viewers.


3. Know your partner.

Look for a clear, thorough process in the design company you choose. They should have a clearly stated design process from begining to completion.
They should also spend time discussing with you your needs, your target audience, SEO and marketing stratagies, hosting for your site and more.


4. Look at their website.

Is their site well-organized, easy to understand with appealing graphics? Is it easy for you to find information on their site? A good web design company knows that its own website is their most powerful marketing tool-and will put a great deal of effort into getting it right.


5. Solid add-on services.

A number of great web design companies provide little extras to make sites more effective and user-friendly. These can include image upload galleries, blogs, control panels, order forms, and other features. When evaluating various firms, examine sample sites and note what value add-ons you like and would value on your site


6. Speak with the designers.

If you feel you have found your web designer you or your business should make contact with them.
Do they conduct themselves knowledgeably and professionally? Are they quick to respond to your emails? Do they know what they are talking about? Do you understand what they are talking about, or are they baffling you with jargon.
Good quality web designers will not bombard you with pushy phone calls, if your first contact is by email and you require them to telephone you, make sure you ask.
If you feel that someone in your team is most suitable to working on your website design, make them the point of contact.


7. Get a proposal.

Once you have selected your web designer and discussed with them your creative brief (the check list you created in step 1), request that they send you a proposal.
Ask that they include a description of their development process and a price breakdown for the various aspects of the project and if there are any future charges (continued hosting, page updates, etc).


8. Does it feel right.
Your website can be a critical part of your business. Use these tips to choose right web designer for you so take your time in making sure it feels right. If you do, you're much more likely to get a website you're satisfied with.