9 Questions to Ask a Web Designer Before Hiring Them

You may not realise this, but your website has a tremendous impact on your business. People will get an emotional response when they visit your site.

That response can be positive if the site is designed well. It could be frustrating if the site has poor performance or is difficult for people to find what they need. People will decide whether or not to do business with your company based on the website.

That’s how important it is. Before you hire a web designer, you’ll need to know the top questions to ask.

You want to have a web designer that has the ability to turn your website into a lead generation and sales machine. Read on to learn the questions you must ask before you hire them.

1. What Platform Will You Use to Build the Site?

Designers tend to favour different platforms to build a website. WordPress is the most widely used platform, but it’s not the only one out there.

There’s Drupal, Joomla, and many others. You want to make sure that the firm you choose will use the platform that best suits your needs. You also want to make sure that you can easily go into the system yourself and make updates as needed.

2. Do You Use a Theme or Do You Build from Scratch?

Some web designers will use a template to cut down on development time. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you don’t want your site to look like every other site out there, either.

Plus, in some cases, it’s best to build a site from scratch. You want to make sure that you’re getting a website that reflects your business and your brand, not just a cookie-cutter template.

3. What Is Your Design Process?

Every website designer has a process as to how they work. You want to work with a design team that takes a big picture approach to your business.

They see your website as the hub of all other marketing activities, and the site has an important role to play.

There are designers that don’t see the big picture, they simply take orders and give you the website you asked for.

Top designers have a process where they learn about your company and do competitive research. They’ll ask you about your goals and objectives and design your site in a way that supports those objectives.

4. Do You Have a Particular Style or Work with a Certain Industry?

Some designers have a definitive style. That can be a good thing or it could be a bad thing. It could be a good thing if that style is fresh and unique.

It could be bad if the designer specialises in a particular industry and all of the sites within that industry have the same look and feel.

The bottom line is that your business is unique and your website should be as well.

5. Will the Site Be Mobile-Friendly?

There’s a good chance that most of your website traffic is from mobile devices. You want to make sure that your site gives those users the best experience possible by having a mobile-friendly site.

Not only that, but a mobile-friendly site is necessary to rank high in search engines.

6. Will My Site Be Ready for SEO?

If a potential firm stumbles on this question, you’re going to want to avoid them. Yes, you’re looking for a designer and developer for your website. However, the backend and overall structure of the site is essential for SEO.

Asking this question will ensure that you have a solid foundation to send traffic to your site.

7. What Are Your Payment Terms?

Money can be a difficult topic for business owners, but it doesn’t have to be. The expectations just need to be set forth and clear early in the process.

Most website design projects will have benchmarks to show progress and completion. You may be asked for partial payment upfront to get the project going, and then pay when these benchmarks are met.

Other firms may ask for full payment upfront. If you do go with a firm that asks for payment upfront, you want to hold them accountable throughout the process since you already paid for the website.

8. Can I Get the Source Files Upon Completion?

Some designers will use Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop for the initial design of your website. They’ll then translate the design into code which makes up your website.

When the project is complete and paid in full, you should be able to get these files. It makes your life much easier if you need to make changes to your site later on.

9. Can I See Testimonials and a Portfolio?

There’s no doubt that your digital marketing strategy and website development should be left to a team of experts.

Experts typically have a long track record of success. You’ll want to see a portfolio of previous projects to get a feel of how the team designs websites.

You also want to make sure that there’s a record of happy clients. Get testimonials and contact referrals to see how the company worked. You want to hire a team with professionalism and a team that does what they say they’re going to do on time.

Questions to Ask a Web Designer Before Hiring Them

Your website is often the gateway to your business. It’s the first place that people will turn to in order to learn about your offerings.

Based on the usability and the design of the site, they’ll make a decision within a few seconds as to whether or not to do business with you.

In other words, you can’t afford to take the decision to hire a web designer lightly. You should know these tough questions to ask a web designer to better understand the expertise and how they work.

Do you want to hire a website designer in Hobart that takes your site seriously? Contact us today for a free consultation and find out about how our web design team can make a difference to your business.