How to Pick a Great Website Designer

Homework

If you are looking for a WordPress developer, it is important to ask some questions. You can ask if they understand PHP or javascript. You are investing in this website so homework is essential. Getting the right answers will help you in the long run.

For software management and ecommerce, which platforms are their specialty? For example, Magento, WooCommerce, Bagisto, Drupal, Joomla

Can the designer explain which platform would be most effective for your business? Those well versed and trustworthy will be more then wiling to offer a direction or have helpful tips to consider.

Small or Big Design Firm?

Big firms have a lot of resources but also tons of overhead. Some things to consider would be the type of customer service you will receive. What is their policy for taking care of changes, fast fixes, prioritizing new features and functionality?

You don’t want to get lost in the mix. 

If you find the right person with the correct resources your project will go smoothly. 

Hiring a freelancer or small design firm can save you significantly on your project, both money and time. 

Communication

It is important to find someone that is easy to talk to and that understands the goals of your business.

When it comes to hiring a qualified web designer, you’ll need a basic understanding of how websites work.

Look for someone that is willing to help you expand your knowledge and someone who takes the time to communicate with you. 

Legitimacy

It can be difficult to know who to trust in this digital age where the internet provides anonymity to individuals and companies that might not be what they say that they are. 

Ask if you can meet with them, either face to face or using video conferencing. If they hesitate or refuse, you should probably look elsewhere. It is better to be safe then sorry. Meeting in a safe manner is also advantageous in order to establish a good report and see if you will work well together. 

Skill

Is the designer you have contacted willing to show and share references? Can they explain how they have increased profit for companies that they work with and prove it with data tools?

You can draw a lot of conclusions about the designers style by their own personal website, which is a representation of their workmanship.

The right designer understands internet trends and how to drive traffic. That coupled with a great website and content that search engines value, your page rank will rise and you can grow a business fast.

Commitment

We live in an instant gratification society. It is important to manage expectation and find balance so that you receive a quality product for your time and money. 

Is the designer realistic in this regard? Can they meet reasonable expectations when it comes to timeframe for your business? 

Being upfront and transparent will tell you a lot about their level of commitment. 

You have come to the right place, we would love to meet you and answer any questions you might have about how to pick a great website designer.
Set up your appointment today!

Additional Resources

SSL Certificates

Nowadays, they have become a necessity. Your website needs a SSL certificate if you’re asking for any personal information. If you don’t have an SSL certificate, your website may still function just fine, but you will be vulnerable to hackers and Google will warn visitors that your website is not secure.

With an SSL certificate, your customers will see a green padlock icon or a green address bar. This gives visitors and potential customers peace of mind when they’re browsing your website and indicates well-trusted encryption.

Be sure to know the date of when your SSL certificate expires to ensure complete protection, 365 days a year.

Hosting

Web hosting is a service that makes your site or web application accessible on the internet. It’s also one of the most essential elements to consider when building a website. Web hosting is typically provided by web hosts, which are businesses that maintain, configure, and run physical servers that house websites. Some examples are Hostgator, GoDaddy & Bluehost etc..

What does website hosting include, types of website hosting, smaller and large hosting services, these are a few topic addressed in the following link. We can provide personalized recommendations based on your business or personal website needs, on what hosting services to pursue. 

Website URLs

A URL is a typed address browsers use to access a published page on the internet. 

When you buy your domain name, you usually register it at a monthly or yearly rate. You can also purchase your domain for multiple years which is a great idea. If you stop paying for the registration on that domain you will lose the website address.

If you haven’t purchased a domain already head over to GoDaddy.com and look for the domain name you’re interested in. When you find the domain name that works for you, its important to buy it right away because it may not be there long.

Google

Search engines such as Google follow links from one web page to another. Google consists of a crawler, an index, and an algorithm. The crawler follows the links on the web. It goes around the internet constantly and saves the HTML- version of all pages in a gigantic database called the index. This index is updated if the Google crawler comes by your website again and finds new or revised web pages. The new version of this page is saved. The traffic on your site and the number of changes you make on it, cause crawlers to come around more or less often.