Are you trying to choose the perfect web designer? Or are you still trying to decide if you can do it yourself? Asking these 7 questions before hiring a web designer should help you make your decision.
Is it worth it to hire a web designer? Or is it better to build your website yourself?
The answer is, “Yes to both.” The truth is, it depends on a lot of factors that are different for everybody.
But don’t worry. We’ve written this guide to help you figure out if you should outsource your web design or go it alone. Just ask yourself these 7 questions to find out if hiring a website designer is right for you.
1. What do You Need Your Website For?
Do you need a complex website? Or something simple that doesn’t require much maintenance?
Is it a public website or just for use within your own business? How many pages do you need?
If the site is for employees only or serves some other simple purpose that doesn’t need to attract visitors, you’re fine to do it yourself. It’s not difficult to build a simple website.
But a public site with lots of sections, blog posts, and marketing agendas is a big project. It will take knowledge of both web design and SEO to build the site and draw in visitors. If you don’t have the time or knowledge for this, outsource.
Can You Afford It?
If you do need help, you’d better have the budget for it. You’ll need at least a few hundred, at most a few thousand.
Pricing plans differ greatly depending on what web designer you choose and which of their services you need. Check around and compare price quotes of different companies.
How Qualified Are They?
What credentials does the web designer have? Can they provide noteworthy certificates or achievements?
Check how they’re rated on business review sites like D & B, Better Business Bureau. Also, check user-submitted review sites like Yelp.
Ask them to provide references. Ask their references and past clients how satisfied they were with the service. And check out the websites they’ve built.
Do They Track the Success of Their Websites?
If they don’t track the sites they’ve built, you may be left high and dry when the work is done.
Their sites look nice, but did they actually help the client? Did clients get the results they needed, like attracting visitors, helping customers or making sales? Were results lasting or shallow?
And ask the web designer to provide these results as well. If they can’t show you any case studies or other proof of lasting results, your website probably won’t see any either.
Do They Know/Care About Your Goals?
Whatever your business goals are for your business site, be positive that your web designer is skilled at incorporating these goals. Ask them how they plan to do this and what experience and skills they have in these specific areas.
Most importantly, if you need your site optimized for search engines, make sure they specialize in SEO. This is something many web designers don’t consider.
It should say right on their website if they practice SEO. For example, check out LinkNow.
Do They Have a Good Team?
Does their staff develop your website in-house? If not, that means you’re paying them to pay someone else to build your website.
You need to know the team that’s building your website. Learn who the department leaders are.
Make sure you’ll have open communication with them.
Are They Trustworthy?
How do they ensure the security of your website? Are you responsible for any security risks they leave on your site or content they post on your behalf?
Don’t be liable for their mistakes. Find out the legal implications of your arrangement with this company.
And make sure they provide a warranty or some other assurance that you’re taken care of after their work is finished. Are you protected if glitches or viruses plague your website? Ask them.
Is Hiring a Website Designer Right For You?
Ask these questions to learn if hiring a website designer is right for your business.
For more ways to help your website, check out 4 Ways to Improve Your SEO Performance in 2018.
