If you’re looking to grow your brand and your business, you’re not going to go far with an out-of-date, unprofessional-looking website. By hiring a professional to design your website, you can focus on what you’re best at while your website is taken to the next level.
You’ll find that a professionally designed website not only draws in more traffic and interest, but it’s also better able to convey your brand, business, and values.
Ready to begin your journey to find a web designer? Read on for all our tips and tricks to find one you’ll love!
1. Check Out Their Portfolio
The first thing you’ll want to do is to make sure the web designers you’re considering having examples of their previous work. Even if a designer is just starting out, they need to provide a comprehensive portfolio in order to show potential clients their expertise.
What should you look for in their portfolio? First, be sure they provide examples of work you’re interested in hiring them for. For instance, if you’re looking for a web designer for your website, seeing only examples of logo designs won’t help you decide whether they’re the right choice.
You’ll also want to see whether they’re able to work in a variety of styles or if you like the kind of style that they show on their portfolio. Web designers need to be able to use their skills, knowledge, and talent to design websites that suit each individual brand and individual.
If all of their work looks the same, this is a good indication that your website probably won’t receive a unique design touch.
2. Social Proof
You’ll also want to see what kind of clients the web designer has worked with in the past. Client reviews or a client list are important because they’re proof of a designer’s experience. Look for testimonials that are posted on the web designer’s website or that are added via their Google Business page.
When you’re reading reviews, pay attention to a few key things:
- How easy they are to work with
- Happiness with the finished product
- Quality of work
- Return customers
If you find that the majority of reviews are positive, this is a good sign that you’ll be working with someone who won’t let you down. You also want to be sure not to completely discount web designers who have a small number of negative reviews. Instead, focus on how they respond to those negative reviews and if they took care of the unhappy customer in the end.
If you like a designer’s work and feel that the majority of their reviews are positive, then you can also voice your concerns over the negative reviews in your initial contact.
3. Customer Service
Even if you probably won’t be meeting with your web designer face-to-face at any point in your working relationship, you’ll want to be sure that working with them is easy. Pay attention to if they respond to your questions and concerns on the initial contact quickly and professionally.
You’ll also want to ask them about what their process is, how they’ll be communicating with you, and how often you can expect communication. Designing a website isn’t an overnight project; you’ll want to be sure they’re able to give you a clear timeline and can communicate promptly with you.
Remember to ask them about their policy when it comes to revisions and changes. There are going to be times when you may not be happy with a certain design element or change. While web designers shouldn’t be expected to make an unlimited amount of changes, you want to be sure that they’re flexible enough to accommodate some of your concerns without piling on extra charges.
4. Consider Pricing
Before you even begin looking for a web designer, you want to have an idea of what you want to be done to your website and your budget. For instance, if you’re looking for just the homepage to be redesigned, this will be easier on your budget than your entire website.
You’ll find that the majority of web designers don’t post their prices on their websites–this is because the costs vary so much from one project to another. To get a price, you’ll want to contact them first and request a quote. Remember to tell each designer what you’re specifically looking for.
Because there’s no industry standard for what to price for a full website redesign, you’ll need to be somewhat flexible when it comes to your expectations and your web designer’s quote. Remember that more established designers with a full roster of well-known brand clients will quote you a higher price than a freelancer who’s just getting started.
However, you’ll find that the majority of the time, a higher price means a premium service. This will deliver a website that won’t need to reupdated for years to come.
How to Find a Web Designer for a Professional Website
The trick to finding a web designer that you love is having a good idea of what you want for your website while also remembering to stay flexible. Remember that web designers have gone to school to learn things such as color theory, composition, and how negative and positive space affects the way a web page looks to visitors.
By hiring a professional designer, you’re setting yourself up for success by having an attractive website that draws potential customers instead of causing them to click away.
Reach out to us and get started on discussing your project today!
