Key Points to consider when choosing a web designer
A few years ago the web looked very different. There was little in the way of dynamic content, except a bit of Flash aniamtion, that most people steered clear of due to the drain on bandwidth. Back then, quality of design was a side issue.
Nowadays, things are a lot different ? we are in the web 2.0 era, and rapidly approaching web 3.0. Since web designing is quite a profitable business, it was inevitable for so-called designers to appear everywhere. Thanks to already-built designs and how-to guides, almost anybody that knows what web design is, can make a website . The problem appears when we discuss quality.
You’re looking for a web designer because you want a professional look for your business to increase customers – therefore you need to avoid those designers who are still learnign their craft. You have to make sure your designer can deliver the key aspects that are essential – a useful, appealing website that loads quickly. Visitors are very fickly – if your website doesn’t tick all the right boxes, they’ll leave your site in a matter of nanoseconds and be off to one of your competitors.
Usability is another factor that you must pay attention to – you don’t want visitors leaing your site in droves because they can’t find what they are looking for. For this, a professional designer is vital – selecting purely on the cheapest price will cost you more money in the long term, due to the potential loss of business. Here’s what you need to consider:
* Is your designer open minded? Your designer should listen to your opinions and requirements – after all you know your business better than anyone. He should be able to take what you know about your business and customers and fuse it with what he knows about web design. See if he listens and and asks the right questions, rather than trying to impose a solution on you. The desired result is a fusion of ideas to produce a remarkable website, rather than a “cookie cutter” solution.
* Good and quick – It doesn’t matter how long the deadline is, you always want to make sure progress is being made towards completion. Request he completes the work in stages (and details how long each stage will take). Review each stage as you go, to make sure he is completing everything as you want it.
* Promoting Usability ? As mentioned before, you need a website that is useful, rather than glittery or flashy. You have to check if your web designer understands that need – if he can construct a useful website that still looks good.
Finding the perfect web designer for your business is a tricky task but should not be impossible, if you follow the above and ask questions. Take time to check his portfolio to see if his past works are usable and well designed and you shouldn’t go too far wrong. If anything arises that makes you think he might not be suited to your business, then walk away and find another one.
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