Important Factors You Need to Consider When Choosing a Good Web Designer for Your Website

Whether you are planning on designing a brand new site for personal purposes or as an e-commerce business, it is a known fact that website design can and is a daunting task. It is thus important to get a professional web designer or wedesign company to develop for you the site. There are several key factors which you need to take into consideration when thinking about web design;

Appreciate the importance of a good website

First and foremost, you must appreciate the importance of having a good site as this is the first impression any visitor to your site will have about you or the company. Studies have shown that poorly designed or haphazardly deployed sites are the some of the most annoying issues both current and prospective clients complain about. A client is thus bound to either give you business or move to your competitor depending on the user experience he undergoes while visiting your site.

Know what you want from your site

It is important for you to know what exactly you want from your site and how you want it to function. It is recommended that you come up with a rough sketch either on paper or in soft copy. This should be shared between you and the designer; a good team will bring their experience to bear on what you have already envisioned from the sketch. Such a sketch also helps the webdesign team to come up with an appropriate color scheme, functions and other design details.

Check out several designers and get a quote

Once you have a rough idea of what you want from your site, make a point of getting several quotes from a number of web designers or web design companies and then make a comparison of the prices provided. As you decide on the designer of choice, make sure you don’t compromise good quality over small cost differences. Always keep in mind that a website is a direct reflection of the owner.

A good design team will strive to involve you in each and every step and ensure that the changes required at the design stage are noted early enough and continuously worked upon. A good webdesign team will also come up with a workable schedule of designing and developing your site. Further to this, there should be several meetings between you and the design team to discuss design issues. The website design should be in such a way that it is easy to navigate and find your way around it; the site should appear and feel smooth for visitors to enjoy their stay within the site and transact business.

Check out on their qualifications

As much as it is true that paper qualifications are not the only criteria to judge the proficiency or expertise of a web designer, there is virtually no harm in inquiring about the educational background and professional training the designer does possess.

Check out the level of experience of the design team

When deciding on the webdesign team to bring on board, it is important to confirm the level of experience both the individuals forming the team and the company in general have in the field of web designing and development. Checking out the sites they have developed over the years is a good place to start. If possible, try and have a chat with one of their former clients and get some firsthand information on how they work and whether they can deliver within budget and on time. Most if not all of their claims should be attested to by satisfied clients.

A good team should have several successful projects under their belt and should not compromise on quality at any given time. It is advisable to get a team or a designer with lots of experience and who are willing to share the trove of information which they have gathered over time as they take part in designing your site of choice. Their experience is bound to come in handy when you call upon them to try out new things or troubleshoot any other design issues that may crop up. Experienced designers usually give some very valuable advice regarding websites and other supporting issues.

Confirm if they offer customized designs and note the tools they use

It is a matter of common knowledge that there are companies or individuals out there who are only adept at offering standardized templates and are thus unable to personalize a website to client specifications. Before you engage the services of any designer, make sure that your designer of choice can deliver a functional and unique site. This will ensure that your site stands out in the crowded online market space. It is also important to take note of the kind of tools the designers are using; this includes checking out the programming language used and its compatibility with search engines. The ease of maintenance or update should also be considered.

Make a comparative analysis

Normally, the cost of designing and developing a site usually causes a lot of discomfort to many prospective clients. The truth is that prices differ and is dependent on where you go and what you want your site to do will. These factors will dictate the overall cost of designing and developing your site. As earlier mentioned though, it is important not to sacrifice the quality you want in the altar of cutting costs.

You should also take note that the level of experience your team of designers posses will, to a large extent dictate the amount of money you will be charged.

Confirm if they offer any value adds

Most web designing companies also tend to offer a host of other related services such as Web Hosting, Search Engine Optimization and Conversion Rate Optimization amongst many other services. Most designers also offer agile and easy to use Content Management Systems with their sites. When choosing a web designer it is important to take into consideration such factors as it has been proven that getting all the above mentioned services under one roof is relatively cheaper, more effective and is thus bound to be more efficient.

It is also advisable to look at all the value adds on offer and compare the costs of getting the same services from different providers. Issues around hosting and maintenance of the site should be discussed in detail and agreed upon. If the designer or design team is offering you hosting facilities from a third party as a single package, make a point of knowing the reliability of the said host and how much it will cost you in the long run. Check out their downtime and confirm if they have a 24/7 customer care department.