You will have plenty of options when looking for a web designer to develop your business website, and you will find that the fees that web designers charge can vary significantly.<\/p>\n
So, how do you tell one web designer apart from another?<\/p>\n
What skills and experience should you be looking for that will take your business website to the next level?<\/p>\n
Here are ten crucial questions to ask a web designer before giving them the go-ahead to design your business website.<\/p>\n
You may find a top-rate web designer with only a year or two’s experience. Even so, it would be best to play it safe and look for a developer with at least five years’ experience.<\/p>\n
Also, ask the company or individual for examples of sites they have developed in the past.<\/p>\n
Ask for customer references as well. You will want to know that the experience is backed up with a track record of satisfied customers.<\/p>\n
A web designer does not need to have specific experience of your type of product or service.<\/p>\n
However, some experience of working in your sector will be advantageous.<\/p>\n
In some cases, you will have specific functional needs, such as ecommerce. If that is the case, it would be advisable to seek a developer with experience in developing sites with that functionality.<\/p>\n
A good web designer will be able to turn their hand to almost any type of website. However, you do not want to be paying for their time on a learning curve.<\/p>\n
Company size isn’t everything when it comes to web designers.<\/p>\n
However, it would be wise to ensure that the web design company you choose has the necessary resources to deliver your website on time.<\/p>\n
For a small business website where timing isn’t critical, a one-person company or freelancer might be appropriate.<\/p>\n
However, if you are developing an extensive website and the launch date is vital, it would be advisable to go with a larger agency with backup resources.<\/p>\n
Asking how much input will be needed from you will help you find out how closely a web designer works with their clients.<\/p>\n
If the answer is that only minimal information from you will be required, then that’s a red flag.<\/p>\n
The best web designers work closely with their customers.<\/p>\n
They will work with you as a team to gain a thorough understanding of your requirements.<\/p>\n
And they will expect feedback from you as the development project progresses.<\/p>\n
There are lots of different web development platforms a web designer could use.<\/p>\n
But suppose your chosen developer develops your site on a relatively obscure platform. In that case, you may have issues with support in the future. Ideally, you want to use a platform that is widely used.<\/p>\n
It will also help if the chosen development platform will make it easy for you to make minor amendments to your site and add new content.<\/p>\n
You don’t want to find that you are 100% tied into a supplier because of the platform they use.<\/p>\n
You must agree to a list of deliverables before you hire a web designer.<\/p>\n
So, you will need to ask what is included in the price a web developer is quoting.<\/p>\n
Does the price include content, for example?<\/p>\n
How many web pages are included in the quote? And does the project scope allow for feedback and revisions?<\/p>\n
You will also need to ask a web designer for an estimated timeline.<\/p>\n
If your website must be launched within a critical timescale, you must communicate this with the designer.<\/p>\n
Ask, too, for a list of milestones and the expected delivery date of those events.<\/p>\n
Agreed milestones will allow you to monitor the progress of the project.<\/p>\n
But remember, even the best web designer cannot stick to an agreed timetable if you fail to provide feedback and answer questions in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n
So, you will need to factor in your time constraints in the development plan for your website.<\/p>\n
Make sure that you will be given backups up of all material used in your site’s development.<\/p>\n
You will also need copies of any relevant source code and full access to the web hosting account and content management system.<\/p>\n
You may never need or want to use these resources.<\/p>\n
Even so, it would be advisable to cover yourself for the eventuality of a dispute with your web designer or the company going out of business.<\/p>\n
You will also likely need ongoing support for your website.<\/p>\n
So, ask a prospective web designer what support they will provide in the short-term and long-term.<\/p>\n
Initial support and bug fixing should be included in the cost of the development project.<\/p>\n
Once the site has bedded down, though, you will also need to know what the scope and price of ongoing support will be.<\/p>\n
Finally, you will need to get a firm quote for the development of your website.<\/p>\n
And you will need to know what the payment terms are.<\/p>\n
Payment is likely to become due when certain milestones are achieved. You can also expect to be asked for an initial down payment.<\/p>\n
It is a good idea to ask for a small amount of the fee to be held back after the site has gone live.<\/p>\n
A final, post-live payment will give you some leverage should any problems arise with the site post-launch.<\/p>\n
The above are the broad questions to ask a web designer.<\/p>\n
Depending on the type of site that you need, there may also be other, more in-depth questions that you may need to ask.<\/p>\n
But to sum up, you need to be sure that a web design company has the experience and the resources to complete your site on time.<\/p>\n
You also need to understand the scope of the services that you are being offered.<\/p>\n
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