What To Know Before Hiring A Web Designer

It might be difficult to decide whether or not to hire a web designer. Prices vary widely, many people are unsure of what makes a great website, and it’s difficult to know what expectations to have for the end product as well as what it will accomplish to generate income. This post was written to assist you in understanding what goes into hiring a NJ web design Company and how to make the best decision for your company. I’ve seen a lot of people waste a lot of money on costly website design services that don’t work. And, whether you decide to join us or not, I want to assist you in planning and evaluating your alternatives. Web design is a field in which there are no barriers to entry. As a result, many people, freelancers, and even some agencies become involved to make money while delivering little value to their clients. A decent rule of thumb is that if it’s an extremely inexpensive website, say under $5,000, it’s not going to produce income. That is precisely the objective. It’s not a cost, but rather an investment. An excellent website develops trust and inspires confidence in your visitors by showcasing your features and advantages.  

Before you start looking for a web designer, there are a few things you should know.

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What platform do they use for web design?

These days, there are a plethora of web design platforms to choose from. And they differ significantly in terms of performance and functionality. There are total trash systems like Wix and Godaddy website builders, then the somewhat better Squarespace and Weebly, and finally the high-tier platforms with the most flexibility that can be tuned for outstanding speed like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. Shopify is also a viable alternative for E-Commerce-focused websites. Then some websites are entirely customized and built from the ground up, which are the most expensive and generally overkill for most company website needs. Inquire about the web designer’s platform of choice. This will provide you with a good idea of where they are. Run if you speak with a web designer who extols the virtues of Wix. The majority of people will use WordPress because it is the most popular platform and has the most features. We build the majority of our sites on WordPress, Shopify, and our own CMS.  

What is included in the website design and development price?

This is a significant issue. According to my years of experience and competitive research, many freelancers and web design firms start inexpensive and then upcharge for everything. So what appears to be a good price ends up costing a lot more since you’re paying for things like contact forms and social media integration that should be basic. It’s critical to understand EXACTLY what’s included, what’s an upcharge, and how much the upcharge is. I’ve seen firms charge absurdly exorbitant fees for putting up a contact form, which can take only a few minutes but can cost upwards of $500. Why? It doesn’t take $500 worth of time to set up, but they start low in the hopes of luring you in, then make up the difference by overcharging on items you’re likely to need. If a web design business isn’t upfront about what’s included and how much add-ons cost, that’s a big red flag, and you shouldn’t deal with them.  

Do they provide suggestions or do they just create what you tell them to?

You’ll need a site designer with experience. Choosing one that just develops what you want them to without making suggestions will not produce the greatest outcomes. Are you an expert in the field of marketing? Are you a search engine optimization expert? Is it better to hire a conversion rate optimization expert or a skilled copywriter? Why would you want to hire someone who doesn’t take the time to come up with new ideas to improve the performance and conversion of your website?  

Who will be in charge of developing your website?

Is it handled in-house or by a third party? Is it passed off to an intern or is it built by a seasoned pro if it’s done in-house? This is something that happens a lot with web design firms. Did you know that most web design firms outsource smaller tasks to foreign designers at a fraction of the cost? There are even courses available that demonstrate how web design firms may offer a website design for $5,000 to $10,000 and then outsource it for a few hundred dollars. This is highly deceiving and dishonest in my opinion. Another issue that happens is that when you have a small company web design project, which is usually under $10,000 depending on the firm, your project is farmed off to an intern with little monitoring. So you believe you’ll be working with an experienced professional web designer on your website, but instead, you’ll be dealing with an unskilled newbie. When you’re a little fish in a vast pond, that’s what happens, and no one ever tells you. Companies like Radiant Elephant only take on a limited number of clients at a time because I, the owner, personally work on every website we build to ensure you receive the finest website and value for your money.  

What to look for when evaluating a web design firm.

 

Their portfolio of web design

Take a close look at the portfolio of a possible web design firm. Is the work appealing, does it inspire confidence, does it load quickly, is it simple to browse, and does it make sense to a visitor interested in the product or service?  

Consult with previous web design clients.

Talking to a client or two is the greatest method to get a sense of what a web design business is like to deal with. A few clients who have consented to talk with potential clients will be available from reputable web design businesses. Inquire about the procedure, including how effectively the firm handled it, how attentive they were to emails and phone calls, and whether the product was delivered on time.  

Are you going to hire a graphic designer or a web designer?

While I have nothing against graphic designers, employing one to develop your company’s website is typically not a good idea. Graphic designers aren’t marketers, SEO specialists, or web developers. Sure, they might create something attractive, but attractiveness does not always equate to conversions.  

Designing a Mobile Website

It astounds me how many fresh websites I see built by freelancers or even agencies that aren’t mobile responsive. Some even dare to make it one of their upcharges. These days, having a mobile responsive website isn’t a luxury; it’s a need. Mobile devices account for more than half of all web traffic. You will lose a lot of business and make your brand appear terrible if your website isn’t created with mobile devices in mind. The ideal solution is to engage a web design firm that specializes in mobile-first designs. For example, I usually start with a simple but effective mobile design and then add bells and whistles as screen sizes increase, resulting in a more immersive digital experience on the desktop. There’s also a distinction to be made between a mobile responsive website and a mobile website. It is responsive in the sense that it adjusts to changing viewport sizes. It’s a webpage that changes according to breakpoints. A mobile website, on the other hand, is a distinct website that is activated when someone visits on their phone. This is a sloppy method that demonstrates a company’s or freelancer’s lack of a contemporary, best-practices-based strategy.  

Things to prepare for before you hire a web designer

As a seasoned professional web designer, I’ve seen what the most difficult aspects of creating a site for a customer are. And one of the most important factors is organization. My retainer was paid seven years ago, but I never received any of the materials I needed to start working. When it comes to fulfilling deadlines, this is usually the largest stumbling block. When you employ a web designer, you should have the following items on hand.  

Website content

If you aren’t employing someone to produce your material, you should have something ready to go. The most common cause of project delays is content production. While a good web design and marketing company would probably alter your content for marketing and SEO, having a solid foundation is crucial. Figure out the sites you want to include; you may end up adding more, but this is a good place to start. Consider writing 1,000-1,300 words for home, about, a FAQ, and your service or product pages, except product pages, which should be approximately 800 words. Make sure all of your material is spell-checked and ready to submit.  

Images for the website

If you want to utilize unique pictures on your website, make sure they’re organized and ready to upload to a service like Dropbox. If you’re sending photos, make sure they’re in their maximum resolution. If you provide a 400-pixel-wide image as the header image, it will look terrible and will cause the project to be delayed since you will either need to find the correct file or engage someone to retake it.  

Your Competitors websites

Making a list of rivals’ websites and noting what you like and hate about them is one of the finest things you can do. This will aid your website designer in comprehending the style you want to attain.  

Logo

If you don’t have a decent logo or branding, look for a firm that can help you with that. You don’t want to cut corners when it comes to your logo. A decent logo should cost at least $1,000. If you have a professionally created logo, be sure to have a high-resolution transparent.png version ready to submit.