Top 10 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Web Designer
Website refreshes are a balance of old designs adapted to new markets. A new website defines your identity in the marketplace. So, designing a new website requires planning and attention to detail. Furthermore, the web designer you hire should be a partner in your business’s success.
Use our top 10 considerations for hiring a web designer to help you find the right company.
1. What Are Your Goals for Your Website Design?
The first step in the web designer hiring process is deciding what you want your website to do. The most common objectives are to:
- Increase online conversions
- Sell more products
- Improve brand awareness
- Promote credibility
- Provide a platform for your customers to engage with your brand
In short, a website needs a clear goal for your design to be effective.
We recommend creating a list of what would benefit your business. That can mean effective hiring, customer communication, or product/service descriptions.
Next, order your list of business goals from most to least important. What you should have left are your website's core needs and structures.
Start researching web designers based on experience that fits your website goals. eCommerce sites, for example, require complicated infrastructure and flexibility. Marketing websites often have fewer web pages to encourage direct action.
If you need more inspiration, check out our client portfolio!
2. Who Is Your Target Audience?
Defining your target audience before hiring a web designer is also a good first step.
Your target audience is the audience you want your website design to attract. Retail customers, donors, and investors are all typical audiences. In fact, design and copy targeted at the wrong people will alienate your true audience.
A good website design company will work with you to nail down your target audience. This will allow them to address your needs.
If you’re not sure who your target audience is, our team of web design professionals can help.
3. What's Your Budget for Web Design?
The cost of your website will vary depending on the complexity of the design. Everything from page count, launch timing, eCommerce features, and automation will drive the budget.
Going through a web design agency like ours offers more value for your money. Our team of web design professionals can build and maintain your business's website.
4. What Is Your Design Timeline?
Once you define your website goals and budget, determine when you want your website to launch. We recommend reaching out to web designers 4 to 6 months before you need your website ready. We've found that this gives designers room to breathe and you time to make thorough edits to your final site.
The initial design and planning process takes a substantial amount of time. In fact, getting the design right often takes longer than the construction of your site. Planning, design and development can take anywhere from 8 weeks to 6+ months.
Defining a timeline early gives you more effective planning and cost estimations.
An outside opinion on the best level of complexity or timeline for your website can often also be beneficial. We’ll help you nail down a reasonable timeline.
5. Where Should You Get Website Design Inspiration?
Pulling inspiration from other sites can help you visualize your website design's potential. There is also no easier way to communicate what you are looking for than showing your web designer what you like. They will appreciate the inspiration, and you’ll be happier with the final product.
If you’re looking for inspiration, check out the website design we did for Miller's Jewelry. They showed us several high-end jewelry websites during the design phase. They now have a professional custom website that speaks to the quality of their jewelry.
6. What’s on Your Web Design Wish List?
Once you’ve gathered your inspiration, create a design wish list. What aesthetic qualities would you prefer? Think drop-down menus, buttons, icons, colors, fonts, etc.
Look back at the website designs that you admire and list the elements you admire. Possible elements include:
- Modern designs
- Image heavy layouts
- Bright vs. muted colors
No matter your preferences, our web design team will build you a gorgeous, performant site.
7. What Content Is Best for Your Site?
Website content can be text, blogs, videos, pictures, graphics, branding material, etc.
To build a quality website, you need quality content. Having content ready, or an idea of what your content should be, gives us insight into your best site structure.
Adding content-specific website features such as a blog can be a powerful tool to drive traffic and SEO benefits. Yet, creating a blog and then allowing it to stay empty is a good way hurt your new web design. So, only commit yourself to content you’re willing and able to maintain.
If you don’t have the time or energy to develop a content strategy, reach out to our team. Our copywriting team offers a content marketing plan that will ensure your website has top-quality content.
8. What Are Your Expectations for a Website Designer?
Expectations can make or break the relationship you create with your web designer. You need to clarify precisely what you expect so the designer has the opportunity to meet them.
Expectations usually fall into general categories like:
- What you will receive on project completion
- Project scope
- Timelines
- General availability
- The revision process
Knowing exactly what you can expect from a web designer will save time and effort for both parties. Does your business need branding work or a refreshed logo design? Do you want feedback delivered in a specific format?
Clarifying exactly what you expect to receive will ensure the web design process is a positive experience for both parties. A professional web design firm will help to establish expectations early in the process.
9. What Level of Project Management Do You Need?
Building an effective website is as much an art as it is a science. You will need to consider how involved you want to be throughout the process. So, choose a website design professional that can work with you at the level you need.
Some want a say on every step of the process. Some want to let the web designers work without much input. Either way, you need to make sure the web designer you’re considering has a similar workflow to your needs.
10. How Do You Track Project Success?
The success of your project can mean different things depending on your end goal. Our website design experts create performant, SEO-optimized, beautiful websites. Still, there are other factors our agency can't know without your input. Those factors include:
- The rigidity of your timeline
- The flexibility your design needs to have
- The exactness of your design requirements
- How your business plans to grow
- Your traffic goals following the launch of your website
Defining what you consider to be a successful project is critical. This will allow our team to deliver a website design you're happy with. At the end of the day, meeting your goals is what we care about.
Our digital marketing team will also work to optimize your site post-launch if your website design package includes SEO. Our team will provide a detailed growth and traffic metric report and a marketing strategy document after setup is complete.
Our Website Designers Can Help
The right web designer should be your partner for success. The web designer you choose should take it as seriously as you do.
The JTech team has spent over 25 years designing stunning websites for various industries across Montana. We want to use our expertise to help your business succeed and grow in the future with effective web design.
If your business is looking to hire a web designer or web design agency, reach out. We're also happy to ask any questions related to the web design process.