How to Find the Best Web Designer
Choosing the right web designer is important! You are trusting this person to create a digital storefront that accurately represents you and your business in the best light possible. So, what are the best questions to ask?
1. What is your background in technology, design, and marketing?
Creating a website today can be fairly easy with the abundance of generators and templates available. What isn’t easy is knowing how to make it appeal to your target market and ensuring that the website is ranked.
In order to compete with the millions of websites out there, you have to have the latest current knowledge of on-page SEO including meta descriptions, how and when to use different types of headings, image alt-text, structure markup, correct URL formats, internal linking and more.
On top of all that, you have to know how to create high-quality page content, understand design and branding, need access to royalty free images or the ability to alter your own photos, have the ability to create custom professional graphics or infographics, and so much more.
If you create your own website using a template, you might be able to create a nice-looking site that is lacking the most important components. After all, a beautiful website that is never seen is like a shiny new car in the garage with no gas - you get to admire it but no one can see it.
When you speak to a potential designer, ask them:
Do they plan to use ready-made templates or will they create a custom site just for you?
Are they familiar with CSS, HTML and Javascript and have the ability to create custom features as needed?
Do they have a background in graphic design and what tools are being used to create any custom graphics? Proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite is a good sign.
Do they have experience with branding and logo design? If you don’t already have a good digital preference this is an important step.
Are they able to explain how they plan to ensure that your on-site SEO is compatible with the current Google search algorithm? You’re going to want proof and a written report should be available with the results.
What marketing background do you have? If strictly a website designer, they may not understand the overall marketing picture on how you plan to get leads.
2. What type of research will you offer for our business?
A good web designer has experience with a multitude of businesses and knows how to research the competition: what keywords do they use successfully, how are they advertising, what are their results, etc. to ensure your business can compete and then excel.
You will want to ask them what tools are being used and how much experience they have with them. They should be using SemRush, Moz, SpyFu, Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, and/or something similar.
3. Do you work in-house or outsource your projects?
This is a personal preference.
Outsourced web design may save some money upfront but some may find it difficult to convey your thoughts and ideas through multiple parties. Usually, with the least amount of hands on the project, the more your needs will be met.
Development and response time can be impacted if the design is created elsewhere. With an in-house designer, you are more apt to get a quicker response and faster overall design time.
4. How will my website be managed and maintained?
Be sure to ask about any added costs. This is where many companies make their real money after enticing you with a low upfront development cost. You may be quoted an appealing cost to initially create your site but then have to sign an agreement for a large monthly fee to keep your site going.
Also, find out how long changes can take. You should be able to get a near instant response to any problem especially if it’s causing any issue with your business or marketing.
Again, you may have more issues if your point of contact is only the middleman and the actual work is being done elsewhere.
5. Will I be able to make any updates or changes on my own?
More and more businesses are feeling the crunch lately and an expensive monthly maintenance package may not be an option.
If this is a priority for you, be sure to ask the designer if you will be able to make your own changes as needed. Your website will need to be built in a format so that content and image changes should be fairly simple. You should be able to request and receive a demo of the backend of the site and be given a custom tutorial for reference.
Will you need the designer for other changes? Possibly. Any time a new page or section is added, the on-page SEO must be added as well. Structural or overall design changes have the potential to affect other working parts of your site so you’ll still want access to your designer if the need arises
6. Do you offer branding consulting or logo design?
Online, first impressions are everything and with the ever-increasing competition, you may get only one chance. You need to make your business appear approachable, familiar and trustworthy, and above all memorable. Your brand must be clear and reflect exactly what your product or service represents while appearing likable and invoking familiarity.
If you don’t already have good branding or an exceptional logo, can your web designer provide these services or recommend a reputable firm? If they do offer logo design and branding, ask for samples of their work.
7. Do you offer content marketing or blog writing?
Content writing is probably one of the best investments you can make. Having good quality articles and blogs on your site bring attention to your brand, lend credibility to your knowledge and capabilities, drive more traffic to your website, and can bring in more leads. Equally important, websites that have content that is updated on a regular basis signals Google that your site is alive and relevant. Search engines use algorithms that are triggered to index your website more often and keep it more visible to future searches. An added benefit? When someone stays on your site for a long period of time reading your blog, Google will be alerted and is more apt to suggest your website over others with a higher bounce rate.
You can either learn how to create your own quality blogs that rank or hire an content marketing expert.
Once you start creating content in the form of blogs, vlogs (video blogs), podcasts or infographics, it is also important to ensure your website has a content hub. Also known as “information hubs” or “resource centers”, a content hub is a central location that organizes all of your topics automatically. When you create a new article or blog, it will fall in the correct category in the hub making it easy to spot and even easier for search engines to crawl.
This will translate into higher traffic and conversion because search engines will begin to rank your material higher. They also help your overall SEO by having the opportunity to include many more ranked keywords and phrases in your content.
Ask your potential website designer if they are familiar with content hubs and what type they suggest for your business. Ask for samples of their work.
8. Do you offer any other SEO services such as lead generation, backlink (local citation) services, and/or digital advertising?
All of these items work together so it is very beneficial to have a designer who also understands off-page SEO and marketing.
A good marketing plan should begin with lead generation. How do you plan to reach potential clients or customers? Ask your designer if they offer any options that would fit your business.
Backlink services (also known as local citation service) are an important way to set up quality links back to your website. A good backlink service will research the top-ranked sites for your business and submit your information. A great backlink service will also find the best sites but ensure that your submissions are permanent and correct any that are incorrect. Google will flag you in a negative way if you have inconsistent business data or are attached to low quality sites.
Also, be sure to ask if your submissions are permanent. Unfortunately, many services only keep your submissions live as long as you continue to pay a monthly fee.
Digital advertising is another field that requires constant training and certifications. While anyone can create a Facebook or Google Ad fairly easily, it does take experience to find someone that excels at it. Your designer may have the experience and certifications or should be able to refer you to a reputable firm.
9. Who owns the website at the end of development?
You will want to own your site when it is live just in case you decide to maintain it in house or eventually find a new designer. Otherwise, you may have to redo the entire site or pay a monthly fee forever to keep it going.
Be sure to ask who owns the website and content when completed. Your business name should be listed as the owner of the website and the domain.
10. Can you integrate other components of our business into the website (for example, a CRM or scheduling system)?
You should be able to have anything you need to ensure your website is helping your business in every way it can and your designer should have the knowledge on how to accomplish this. If not, then they should be honest about their capabilities.
11. How long is the development period of my website?
Be sure to inquire about this to ensure you are happy with the time period. Some designers are faster than others and can turn over a new website in a week or less. Others may be backlogged for months. In web design, a long development period is not necessarily a sign of a popular designer, but rather, one who is not well organized or just overwhelmed.
12. Are there any monthly fees?
Be sure to ask this, especially if you find that the upfront development price is low. There can be hidden costs for maintenance, hosting, SEO, or other items.
13. Do you create custom websites or use a template?
As mentioned in question #1, find out if your website will look like all the others or if it will be custom and stand out. Check out their portfolio to make sure you actually see if their live sites live up to their claims.
12. Will my website be optimized for SEO and is that an added cost?
On-page SEO optimization should be incorporated in the design itself. Keywords are identified and placed strategically throughout the site to help with ranking and should not be an added cost (see question #1 for more details).
Off-page SEO consists of a number of actions that occur outside of your website. Optimizing your website involves improving search engine and user perception of a site's popularity, relevance, trustworthiness, and authority. This is accomplished by other reputable places on the Internet (pages, sites, people, etc.) linking to or promoting your website, and effectively "vouching" for the quality of your content.
Your website designer may have the knowledge to perform such tasks and give you pricing, but if not, should be able to recommend a good reputable firm.
14. Will my website be secure (have an SSL certificate)?
Google now ranks SSL certified websites (those that begin with https://) over non-secure sites (sites starting with http://). Having the lock symbol also makes viewers feel more comfortable in filling out your contact form.
15. Will you provide analytics and performance statistics?
You will want to see how your website is performing. especially your retention rate. Are visitors hitting your first page then immediately leaving or are they going on to see other content? What content seems to draw the most visitors?
This is a basic need of any functioning website and one that should be available anytime. If you are placing an ad or releasing new content, your analytics will show you if it is working or something needs to be tweaked.
Ask your designer if you will have direct access to analytics or if there is a fee involved.
16. Will you provide website training?
Website training should be painless even for those with no experience. Instructions and notes should be provided so you can refer to them when you would like to change a photo or update some text. Refer to question #5 for more information.
17. May I see your existing portfolio?
Check out the designers existing portfolio and see if you can actually see their work in action. Are the websites designed simply but beautifully? Do they look different and custom or is the same template used? Does the first page intrigue you to want to see more? Does the overall branding look fresh, original and intriguing?
Even if you do not see a sample that looks similar to your ideal site, does it appear the designer has the capability to give you what you want? A good test is to supply a sample site from somewhere else and ask them if something similar is possible.
18. What are your reviews like?
Check out all the reviews and really read them. If someone took the time to write a review they either really liked that designer and enjoyed the process or they didn't.
If you still have questions, you can always ask for references.
Ready to Get Started?
My mission and goals are your mission and goals. You will own your site. There are no hidden fees. I will ensure that your site will be easy to update and change.
With over 35 years experience in technology, marketing, and design, 5-star Google-rated Charlotte’s Web Designs, LLC offers everything you need to help your business to get to the next level. I am fast, small business budget-conscious, creative, and will be in your corner every step of the way.
Please contact me today for a free consultation. And have your list of questions ready!
