8 tips to help you choose a professional web designer

A web designer can be one of your most critical hires. After all, that’s the person who will create your company’s online face that will allow you to interact with your customers.

Summary

In this article, we will look at the critical aspects of choosing the right web designer for your company; I will take the other side of the scale to explain everything you need to know from signing a contract to choosing magazine mockups.

A professional web designer will always have his page in optimal conditions and an updated gallery of his last projects, so you will be able to know how he works.

Thus, you must hire the right talent. Otherwise, you run the risk of damaging your business image, as well as wasting time and money looking for a replacement. Here are some essential tips that can help you through the selection process. Let’s go over together the basics and requirements that a good web designer should meet.

Your Website

Do you lead by example? When you enter your website, it must be very well designed down to the last detail; remember that they will be in charge of designing the showcase of your business on the Internet and must be design specialists, many offer gold and silver at the price of a sunken ship, but when you visit their website they are the type: “In a blacksmith’s house a wooden knife.”

Experience

What work has he/she done? The best guarantee of a good web designer is his completed projects. Look at all the pages he has designed, his clients, and what kind of work he delivers. This way, you can get an idea of how professional your website will look. I don’t see the point of hiring a designer if you don’t like his work. Or if they don’t have work like what you are looking for.

Reviews

Customer feedback Watch your customer’s feedback on Google reviews, Facebook, or other channels. The valuation they are giving you says a lot about the reputation of your business. A good designer will always have good references.

Attention

Do you offer immediate and timely attention? This point is crucial, . As a customer, I like that I am attended as soon as possible when I get to a site. Your website should have all the communication channels such as Online Chat, direct message to your WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and contact forms. Check how long it takes them to answer your letter, imagine you hire them, and you have a problem with the service. They will take the same amount of time to solve it.

Clear accounts, lasting business

The designer has the responsibility to inform the client what exactly he is going to hire. Companies nowadays are so lively that they embellish contracts with “small” letters. A true professional mention them to you without fear, both in the estimate and in the formal agreement.

They may be offering the best product or service, but hiding details spoil many business relationships and leave customers annoyed and dissatisfied.

We are web designers and not fortune tellers. We can’t read anyone’s thoughts or predict what you intend to achieve with your online presence.

I always recommend detailing as much as possible, even drawing, if necessary, everything you want.

If you have a page as a reference, show it and make sure it is clear what you are looking for and your priority.

So the following should be made clear:

Technology to be used: will it be an unpublished design, will it use a template, will it be a CMS?

Functionalities: Specify if it will be an informative website or will it be necessary to develop some unique functionality. Information layout: What will the main menu look like, how many options will the website have?

What information is needed: In most cases, you are the one who should generate all the information to concentrate on your website, since you are the person who knows your business. You don’t want general information about your products or services. If you don’t have it, there may be an more cost for content writing, logo design, product photography, or whatever it takes to have a professional website.

A professional website is not about putting four pictures and a couple of short paragraphs; for that, you’d better do nothing, and you won’t give an image contrary to what you expect.

Sign a contract

Once you have a clear picture and are sure that the designer you found is the right one to work on your website, there should always be a budget, followed by a written contract that includes everything you want and the final price.

This should contain:

• General terms and conditions.
• Delivery times
• Required information
• Domain and/or Hosting
• Changes and revisions
• Exact price
• Forms of payment
• Costs for renewals and/or upgrades
• Extra charges, if any
• Technical support
• Warranties
• Cancellation and refunds
• Legal issues and prohibited materials
• Copyrights.

Safety first: You know, what is not written does not exist!

Design proposals

In design, you should always present at least one proposal or sketch before starting work. Imagine that it is not to your liking, and he shows it to you when it is already finished. It would be a waste of time for both you and the designer.

The professional should design a website that fits your corporate identity, brand manual and not be you who has to adapt to a pre-designed template.

It may be the case where you still do not have an identity or brand manual; only then can you adapt to the designer’s recommendations about colors, typography, etc.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a professional to design your online brand, note these critical points. I wouldn’t want you to feel cheated or deceived. Or, even worse, that you think that those of us who dedicate ourselves to this sector go with these intentions. Now it’s your turn. Let me know your perspective about what you have read, your particular case if something similar has ever happened to you or you have felt this way when buying or hiring a product or service.

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