When you’re ready to start your website design project, there are 7 questions you should make sure you’re asking the website designers you’re “interviewing” for the job, so you can help ensure you’ll be happy with the end result. Here are the 7 questions we recommend asking to get a good idea about what you’ll receive after signing a contract:
Here Are The 7 Questions You Should Ask Your Website Designer:
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How long has the website designer been designing websites?
Does their website tell you who they are, what experience they have, how long they’ve been designing and building websites? This is good to know as it will give you an idea of their background and experience. It can also give you an idea of costs, as the more experience someone has, the more it can cost, since you are paying for that expert knowledge.
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What platform will your website be built on?
You need to know if they are building a website on Weebly or WordPress. Is your website fully customizable or a template? If you want to stand out, you really want a 100% fully customized website, but that can often cost you more, as there is more time associated with building it. You also need to know what platform you’re going to be on so you know if you can expand your site later as your business grows – you don’t want to have to start your site over just because you want to add an ecommerce shopping component to it.
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Does your website designer have marketing experience?
This is extremely important to ask- what good does the most beautiful website do if no one can find it, if it doesn’t ask for the visitor to take action, or if it isn’t designed for the right audience? You should find someone who knows the digital landscape and can help guide you into areas that you may not know. Ask the designer about search engine optimization and social media. Ask them for their opinion on it, and what they do to market the sites they design. Do they have tips for growing your business? How do they make your website results oriented? Do they install analytics code? Recommend sign-up forms? Etc. Do they ask you about your competition? Do they recommend doing a competitive analysis before they begin designing your website?
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How do you manage your site after launch? Do they have packages to help you?
Once your website is complete is it up to you to keep it updated, manage applications/plugins, etc. or do they have a package where they will take care of it for you? Do they have packages to complete web edits for you, or do they offer training so that you can master the edits yourself? Also look into hosting- will they host your website for you? Many times you can get cheap hosting at GoDaddy (or another equivalent) but their servers are slow and limiting, which can be frustrating for both you and the designer.
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Do you like their work? Have you seen other sites they’ve done and like them?
Do you like the designer’s website? Do you like the websites in their portfolio? If the answer is no, you should start looking elsewhere. Although designers can do different styles of websites, if you don’t like what they’ve done previously, you probably won’t be happy with what they come up with for you.
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Will you own the design in the end? Will you have access to the files?
Who owns the design of your website? You or the designer? This is VERY important as a business owner. You are having a site designed with YOUR brand in mind. You should then own that design at the end, so you can use it appropriately in your other marketing materials. You should also make sure you have access to all your website design files so that in the future, if you are unhappy with something, you can control your website without needing to go to the designer.
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What is their design process like? Do you feel comfortable with it?
Ask them what it’s like to work with them? Do they have their processes explained online, or in their proposal? Are you comfortable with the payment terms, and what they are asking you to provide? Do they lay everything out clearly from the beginning? If there is something you aren’t comfortable with you should bring it up before you ever sign a contract or start your project. Clear communications throughout should be of utmost importance!
Have you created a list of questions to ask the website designers you are interviewing, and are these 7 questions on it? Before you begin a website project, you need to do your due diligence to ensure you are going to be happy with the end result.
Here at Creare Marketing we prefer working with clients who understand the importance of their digital marketing as whole, not just launching a website. We’d love to talk to you in more detail about your website design project, so contact us today to get started!
