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What to Look for in a Good Web Designer
08/01/2008 - By Hosch Services
In your search for a Good Web Designer you may encounter variants on the name – like web developer, web artist, webmaster and so on , but for the most part we're talking about someone who, alone or with some assistance, is going to "get your website up an
Experience
You will need someone with all the techniques, tools and tricks that will help you prepare your web site and accomplish your online goals. Ask all prospects for a portfolio, years of experience, and do a good job of looking over some of their work. When looking at some of their work check the functionality of the sites they have built. Do the sites in question contain many of the features you would normally find on other sites? How a website looks and functions is good indication of what you can expect.
Original copy and Graphics
Creating professional and 100% original web graphics separates the adults from the kids every time. Most anyone can do some "quick and dirty" copy writing and slap it on a page with some pictures and hyperlinks. On the other hand, a talented and veteran designer will demonstrate knowledge of page layout, have a way with color and know how to place elements on a page for best appearance and web site performance. Take a good look at a number of the sites each prospect has built making sure no one is using "templates" or "starter pages" that come with some software programs or are available (even free) on the Internet, unless you want to cut costs and are looking just to get your site up as quick as possible.
Marketing Experience
The easiest way to find out if your prospective web designers are good at marketing web sites is to view their site and their portfolio. That you are considering selecting them to design your site is a good first indicator that their designs convert. You'll further want to ensure that you can find what you're looking for on their site quickly and easily and that you can do the same on some of the sites in their portfolio.
Cost
Pricing for a professional web site of 10-15 pages with the standard features runs all the way from $500 to $5000. It may be that your idea is so complicated that you might have to pay for an estimate. For a full picture of all the costs involved in the project, ask for all the costs to be broken out individually - domain name and hosting, graphic design work, marketing fees and web development matters.
You may need to place a deposit if the job is large enough, and you should have all payment terms worked out before work starts. You can work out an hourly rate, a flat fee or some combination of the two. Leave nothing unstated or assumed: Get every detail in writing, including deadlines and how many revisions are included.
Job Timeline
After you ask the developers how long the process will take, make a point of asking references if the project was, in fact, completed on time. A basic web site may take as little as a week, while more involved and technically challenging sites could take a month or more. You need to know what the real-world turnaround time is for the specific people you are considering.
Communication Skills
Don't hire anyone who insists on speaking to you in "computer lingo" or won't explain unknown terminology. You have to communicate with this person about things that are important to your very survival, so you need to be clear at all times.
Full Service
There may be one or two things that your designer/developer cannot do, but for the most part you should be able to find a reasonably-priced professional who can handle just about everything. If the designer needs help installing a particularly complicated shopping cart, or your site requires some heavy database programming, it is reasonable to expect that your designer might need some assistance. All of this should be spelled out in the pricing, of course (see #6, above), and you shouldn't be surprised by anything your designer is telling you. If you are, you overlooked something in this list!
Availability
Are these prospects full-time web professionals? Or are they moonlighting from some other job, even a completely unrelated one? It may be that a part-time web designer who's working at Burger King really can do a great job for you, but will he/she be available to meet with you during normal business hours? No matter what decision you make - full-time pro, part-timer or student - you must be able to get hold of your designer.
Finally, do you homework before speaking with anyone. You don't need to be an expert - after all, you're hiring help, because you're not - but you need to know enough to know what you're hearing. If you are uncertain of your ability to keep on top of what's going on, do a little research to familiarize yourself with the process. Personally I prefer hiring a local to do anything. I like talking to a person face to face so I can use my intuition ("heart" knowledge) to get a feel for each person's honesty, integrity and character.
