So, you need to hire a web designer for a business website, update an existing website or a new project. Are there any guidelines or tips to get the best designer, and best out of a designer? Yes. Absolutely. To start, you need to understand the scope of the project or work you want done. At the very least you need to be clear about,
- What kind of information do you want on your site
- What’s your budget and completion goal
- Who are your users; do your have a visitor profile
- What are selling or what’s the main purpose of the website
Put together a written brief, which can be faxed, emailed or discussed over the phone. You may also need to consider if you require a database and if you expect google to find and rank your webpages. In other words, will you want the designer to understand the principles of SEO and design the site to be search engine optimised? The key is to be clear about what you expect. What is your measure of success and how will it fit with your business strategy?
You won’t get the best out of any professional if you are hazy about what you want. And the best place to find your web designer? If you want to try a design contest, 99 designs is good place to start. Or, talk to business friends and colleagues and ask for recommendations or referrals. Look around locally, call up a designer and ask questions.
Today’s video is by Becky Stockbridge, a web designer from ibec creative with 3 questions you should ask a web designer before hiring them. How long will it take? How do you make updates? (if you plan to update the site yourself, and if you can you should, the designer can incorporate a content management system to make it easier for you). Do you SEO your site designs? Always a key question.
Once you know what you want hiring a web designer is easy.
