6 Things You Need to Know Before Hiring a Web Designer

Listening to the horror stories about hiring a web designer is enough to make anyone uneasy. There’s that one your friend just told you about the designer she hired from Brazil. The fact that he barely spoke English should have been enough to scare her off, but she put her faith in a guy who ended up bullying her into finishing the project even when nothing she had hoped for was done.

Or there is the one about the overzealous coder who somehow always knows just when to make an exit before everything crashes, leaving you dreading the fact that you know you will have to hire another web developer in order to fix the problem. 

These disasters range from broken sales funnels to losing all headway you had made in finally breaching the first 3 pages of Google. Tons of your hard-earned dollars can be thrown into trying to save a sinking ship if you are not careful.

But truth be told… it’s not always your fault (or ANYONE’S fault for that matter). Sometimes it’s all just a matter of miscommunication. 

With that in mind, I am going to show you EXACTLY what to look for, what to avoid, and what questions to ask your web designer before ever pulling out your checkbook. 

Let’s start with how to find a web designer. There are a couple of things you should do when looking to hire a web designer.

1. Seek referrals from your business friends

Ask around on Facebook groups, in meet-ups, or even at your local appointments. People are always going to recommend others who they’ve had positive experiences with. And knowing that a friend could trust this designer is a good indicator that you probably can too. (Not to say you should hire a designer based on this alone. You need to make sure the web designer is a good fit for YOU… not just your friend. But it’s a good place to start.)

2. Make sure the style of the website you want looks like their past work.

If you are wanting a website that is super minimalistic, check to make sure the designer you are considering has done websites like this before. Odds are, they have a particular style they are better at designing. For example, if you look at our portfolio you will see websites with a fair amount of color. Neutral minimalistic palettes are definitely not our strong suit when it comes to design.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t hire a designer based on the types of projects they have completed in the past. If there is a design you are set on, just make sure you bring it up with them before signing any contract. See if it’s something they would be comfortable doing.

If you don’t have a particular style in mind, take a second to peruse their portfolio. Do you like what you see? Odds are they are going to be a good fit.

3. Reach out to their past clients to see what their experience was like.

If you found this web designer without the help of a referral (or if it was a referral you are a tad iffy about) it’s 100% okay to reach out to past clients the web designer in question has worked with. Ask them about the designer’s process and their overall satisfaction with the designer.

Did your web designer pass these three tests? GREAT! Don’t pull out your wallet just yet, there are other important things you should know about before pulling the trigger.

4. Ask questions

Here are several examples of questions you could ask your potential designer. You don’t have to ask all of these, but it’s a good springboard for you to know what to look for. 

• What marketing strategy do you implement in the websites you build?
• What platforms do you design on? 
  • Not every platform is going to fit your needs. To get a better idea of what website building platform will work best for your business check out this article.
• Do you have a maintenance or training plan?
  • Make sure you have some sort of game plan for maintaining your website after it’s been built. Do you want them to train you or your team to use it? Do they have a maintenance plan you want to purchase? This will help you make sure your investment in your website is worthwhile.
• How do you take my business goals into account while you design?
  • You want a web designer who is going to be really conscientious about the direction your business is heading in. The goal of a website redesign is that it can support your business through the next 5+ years of growth. 
• Do you help with SEO?
  • SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is how your website ranks on internet searches. It’s super important! BUT, not all web designers include that in their process. You might need to hire an SEO expert in addition to your designer if it’s not something they offer.
    
    If you need an SEO revamp, check out our Search and Rescue Package.

• What is your timeframe? What if I need more time?
  • Understandably, web designers often work under tight timeframes to keep projects from dragging out too long. You are setting the project up for failure if you start without knowing if this is a timeframe you are both able to commit to. A tight turnaround will require a lot of your attention as well as the web designers.
  •  If you are not starting out on the same page as to when everything will be finished, you are going to run into frustrations, miscommunications, and an overall bad taste in your mouth. Truth be told, the web designer SHOULD be the one to communicate this to you, but either way, you need to know before starting the project.

Other helpful questions you might want to consider asking:

• How many projects do you take on at once?
• How do you prefer receiving feedback? What’s your process?
  • Asking them how they would like to receive your feedback is a great way to show them that you are engaged and want this to be more of a collaborative effort. 
    

Now you can grab your wallet!

You just successfully hired a web designer 🥳🥳🥳 But we’re not done quite yet. 

Once you have hired a web designer, there are a couple of things you can do to ensure the project continues flawlessly. 

5. Know how to communicate with your designer! 

• This applies to meeting project dates, offering suggestions, and just general messaging with your designer. If something comes up and you aren’t able to make a deadline, please communicate with your web designer. They are human too… they will understand. I promise. 

6. Be prepared to give feedback

If you see something in the design that you aren’t loving, tell them! The earlier you tell them, the easier the fix will be.

At the end of the day, there will be differences in design tastes, and that’s OKAY. To make sure you are getting an end product you LOVE, make sure you are giving clear feedback. Especially when asked for it.

Hiring the right web designer can be a total gamechanger for your business! A beautiful, strategically designed website can:

• boost your clientele
• increase your revenue
• exponentially increase your confidence as a business owner. 
  

Take Pam for example. Pam came to us looking for branding and a website for a bed and breakfast she’d been dreaming about her entire life. Taking her vision and translating it into a visual reality was one of the most rewarding projects we have ever worked on.

Here’s what Pam had to say: 

“Had a wonderful experience with Austin and Monica as they helped me create a web page and design for a dream I’ve had. For years I have had a dream to start a Bed & Breakfast, but haven’t known how to actually start. There were several ideas in my head, but nothing ever seemed to come together. After discussing plans with Austin and Monica, they were able to create ideas and designs which helped the ideas in my head actually have a plan. Beautiful color pallets and logos were created which gave life to my dream. Austin and Monica are talented designers and their ability to work together complements each other’s strengths. Looking forward to making this dream a reality.”

See Pam’s Project details here.

Don’t let the horror stories of hiring a designer keep you from finding a rockstar web designer who is ready and willing to take your business to new heights! 

If you’re ready to ask us any questions you’re itching to know the answer to, get in touch with us here. We love answering your questions!