Have you ever looked for something on a website and couldn't find it quickly enough? Have you ever added items to your shopping basket in a webshop to then come to the conclusion that an incredible number of confusing steps are needed to settle the bill? This can be very frustrating and you may even just give up.
You are certainly not the only one. It is vital that a website not only looks good but is also usable. The design of a website must ensure user-friendliness. It will determine whether a visitor stays on your site, and does what you expect, or whether that user leaves your website. The design must be simple with an interface that is clear, intuitive and easy to navigate. The user experience must be optimized so that people can quickly and easily find what they are looking for. A good website generates customer traffic and increases the conversion rate, which will have a direct impact on the success of your business.
How do you hire the right web designer?
For the above reasons, it is essential that you find the right web designer. A designer who can convert theory into the right design? But how do you find the right web designer from the millions of websites that offer design services? How do you select the one that is suitable for your website from the abundance of portfolios?
Here are some tips that can help you make that decision:
Start from a realistic budget
Remember that the design of your website is crucial to generate traffic to your website and to grow your business. When you hire a web designer, it can cost more in the long term if you are a bit stingy. Quality always costs a little more. Therefore, be open to slightly increase your budget. But also take into account the fact that expensive agencies do not necessarily guarantee quality. The strength lies in finding the best value for money. Many small companies that focus specifically on the development of websites sometimes dare to ask for a site because it is their only source of income. This can lead to you paying more for your site without this providing any concrete long-term benefits for your company. So be careful!
Rate the portfolio/examples of a designer
A quick way to see if a designer is a right choice to make your website is to look at the work he/she delivered in the past. Both functionality and design are important for a website. You can check whether you like their use of color, style, and branding and whether it matches what you are looking for in a website. It also pays to see to what extent the designer is up to date with the latest design trends and web standards. Many designers specialize in the use of a certain technology, a specific visual style or websites for specific sectors. It is a huge advantage if the designer has experience with your sector. Since everyone nowadays visits the internet on a multitude of devices, your designer must at least be experienced in responsive design.
Communication
Do not hesitate to ask questions and also demand a certain level of communication. If the designer has enough communication skills, it will be easy for you to communicate your ideas. He/she must also be able to quickly gain insight into your business objectives and to be able to work out specific proposals.
Check references
Customer testimonials are a confirmation of the work of a designer. Therefore, ask for references from existing customers. Try to figure out how effectively the designer could understand the needs of those customers to turn them into clear ideas. Ask if the designer has delivered all the work within the agreed period and check the effectiveness of the design to attract visitors to the site. It also doesn't hurt to inquire about the feedback their customers gave on the websites they delivered.
Knowledge of technologies and platforms
This is very important. Even though a designer is good at what he does, it is always handy if he/she has experience with the platform or Content Management System (CMS) that you have in mind. If you have not yet chosen a CMS, an experienced web designer can also advise you to choose the system that matches the goals and vision of your company. The designer must be familiar with some basic technologies such as HTML5, CSS and web design programs to create mockups or prototypes of a website. A web designer does not necessarily have to be a programmer, but it is important that he has a fundamental idea of the code needed to achieve a good result.
To retain ownership of your website design
It often happens that you find a good designer who is ready to design a masterpiece for you, but who is not willing to let you retain the intellectual property rights of the website and the design. Having a website made is an investment, but if you do not have the rights to your site, you can break it up in the future. Nothing prevents the designer from offering your design to other customers. A good designer is, therefore, one that carries out your wishes, but the right designer also ensures that you remain the owner of your investments.
Understand content and SEO
A website stands or falls with the content and how it is packaged for consumption. Yet it is often a part of web design that does not get enough attention. It is important to know that a website is determined by a coherent whole of texts, images, videos, etc... It is this which determines the website and gives it its unique 'tone-of-voice'. A web designer who understands this can provide real added value. Focusing on the right content also helps in tagging relevant keywords and optimizing for search engines. This will give you a better score in Google and therefore more page views.
