Web Designers: What You Need to Know Before You Hire
It’s that time of the year again where everyone sets their business goals and resolutions for the new year.
If you want to grow your business this year, then your new year’s resolution should be to improve your online presence. The best way to improve your online presence is with your website, not only does it tell people what you do but it can be an excellent way to show off your portfolio to potential clients.
With the new year upon us, many businesses often undergo a rebranding or change in style which both require a new website to be made. After all, with times constantly changing you have to keep up with the latest trends or else your competitors will take advantage of you lagging behind.
If you’re planning on having a new website built for the new year, then you’ll most likely need a web designer. With thousands of them online which one should you pick and who should you trust?
Here are a few key points to look out for before you hire a web designer.
Watch Out for Dodgy Web Designers
This is by far the most important, but not necessarily the most obvious point. Let’s face it; there are plenty of good web designers out there, but there are also plenty of bad web designers. Before you even consider contacting them and handing over your hard-earned cash, you should always research them.
The first thing to check is their previous clients and portfolio to see the quality of their work. If they can’t deliver any past work or provide any previous clients then be very very careful. The chances are they might not even be a web designer!
A reputable web designer or agency will ideally have a large portfolio you can browse as well as plenty of past clients you can talk to. If you’re happy with their previous work, then that’s a great start. Before you send your money over there are some other points you should check first.
Check the Costs
Before you sign any contract or agree to any work you should always check the total cost of the project. By agreeing on a price before any work begins you won’t be subjected to any hidden or nasty fees at the end.
Many web designers will try and lure you into a contract with their low fees only to add hundreds of additional charges at the end. To make sure you don’t fall for this you should always integrate the web designer before paying and read through any contracts or proposals they offer.
It’s also import to make sure you are clear on what you require from the website. After all, you don’t want to pay for something you don’t require or will never use. Why pay for an online e-commerce website if you’re never going to use it.
By checking costs beforehand you’ll never be overcharged.
Make Sure You Get a CMS
To put it simply, without a content management system included with your website it will be a nightmare to maintain and update it.
There are plenty of content management systems out there, but the most popular ones are WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. By having a CMS built into the website, it will allow you to make changes to the website in the future without having to hire another developer.
Not only does this save you money in the long run, but it also means if anything ever needs fixing or changing you can do it yourself straight away.
Without a CMS built into your website, you’ll be left with hefty fees and a long wait every time you want to update your website.
SEO and Social Media Compatible
If you want visitors to find your website on search engines such as Google and Yahoo then you’ll want to make sure it’s SEO compatible.
If the developer is using a CMS such as WordPress or Joomla, then the chances are they will already be fully SEO optimised, and you won’t have any problems with ranking on Google. If your website is built from scratch without a CMS then you’ll have to make sure your web designer is well educated in SEO practises, or you can kiss goodbye to organic visitors.
Before you decide on hiring a web designer, you should always ask them how good they are with SEO and how they plan on making your website SEO and social media compatible. If they don’t give a good or answer don’t understand what you’re talking about, then it’s probably best to find somebody else.
Leave It to the Experts
If you want the best website for the best price, then you’ll want to leave it to the experts. We’re talking about web designers that have years of experience working with hundreds of clients from different industries.
Here at Purplebox Digital we specialise in creating unique, top quality websites to suit the needs of any client. Having worked with hundreds of different clients over the years we can certainly class ourselves as experts!
To see how we can help with your new website design be sure to contact us below for a free consultation.
