Questions to Ask When Choosing a Web Designer for Your Website

A website can build or break your business. It is the first place your visitor will interact with your brand. As such, you want to ensure that the impression they get the first time they visit your website is positive.

When you develop a website for your business, you need to ensure that you create a platform that performs optimally. It should reach your target audience because this is the only way for you to achieve your business goals.

When hiring a web designer, asking the right questions could determine whether you get what you want or not.

Engaging web designers with questions can be exactly what you need to find the right person. They need to understand the vision you have and converts it into the website your business needs. So how can you tell that you have found a web designer who can do exactly what you want?

Here are ten questions that you must ask a potential web designer before you hire him to develop a website for your business:

What web design projects have you worked on that had goals similar to me?

If a web designer cannot visualize what you want, they will not be able to create the site you want.

This question helps you check their understanding of your vision so you can determine whether they are a good fit. The Balance Careers has come up with some of the best ideas to choose a good fit candidate.

Asking this question also helps you find out about their experience and if they can undertake such a project.

If you are creating an e-commerce website and they don’t have experience then there could be issues.

How do you conduct research when working on a website?

Researching your company and your target audience is an integral part of a web development assignment.

Before you hire a web designer, find out how they understand your business and its customers beforehand.

Find out whether they research your customers to understand what appeals to them and how they go about understanding your identity and brand.

Getting insights on how your designer understands the projects helps you see how well they are likely to present your brand on a website.

This is important because you want the consumers to visit your website and understand your brand, goals, and mission. If they go to your website and end up feeling confused, then your web designer hasn’t done a good job.

What services are included in the web design package?

Web design packages tend to vary from one developer to another. It is, therefore, your responsibility to evaluate each package and determine the services that would work best for your business.

Some of the services that you want to pay attention to when hiring are SEO & social media services.

Before interviewing, it’s important to generate a list of services that you want to be included in the package.

This will enable you to identify the services that are a must and those that are not.

How much time will it take to complete the web development project?

Since you are having a business website development, it is only fair to know how long it will take to get the job done. And considering the many benefits that a website will bring to your business, you will want the developer to deliver on the project within a reasonable period of time.

If you have a set deadline within which the project should be completed, it is important that you find a web designer who can deliver within the deadline. As you interview web designers, it is important to note that developers will often require varying durations to complete assignments.

By asking this question, you will be able to ensure that their availability and schedules are aligned with the timelines you have for completion of the assignment.

What is your SEO strategy?

Optimizing your website for search engines is at the heart of generating organic traffic to your site. As such, you will need to know how a developer will help increase the visibility of your business online.

Find out how he plans to utilize SEO to ensure that your website ranks highly on search engines.

The response you get to this question will help you know whether your developer plans to use keyword research and any other search optimization strategies to increase engagement and generate leads for your business online.

If you see that he has no SEO strategy in place, you are better off going with another option. This is because you need a website that can serve as an information hub where your visitors get interested in your products or services.

A site that does not utilize SEO strategies cannot help you achieve this and will fail from the word go.

Do you have a separate content marketing package?

A well-designed website does not guarantee customer leads and conversions or an increased return on investment. Content marketing must be integrated into the website for your business to achieve this.

Making content marketing part of your online marketing strategy offers numerous benefits including enhanced visitor engagement and site optimization.

Creating high-quality content also enables your site to rank highly on SERPs. As you talk to the web designer, find out whether they provide content marketing services to boost their businesses online.

Can I edit the website on my own?

Websites are dynamic and there is no doubt that you will need to change yours from time to time. It is important to find out how your web designer will make it easy for you to edit the site.

You will need a feature that allows you to access the site so you can make changes with ease. Also, let them tell you which software or tools they will give you.

Understanding these aspects enables you to say whether working with them is worth your money and time. It is up to you to choose the extent to which you’ll want editing access once the designer has finished his job.

This video on You Tube will guide you about how to edit webpage by your own.

How do you expect me to participate in the web development process?

Prior to engaging a web developer to create your business website, take time to think about the extent to which you would like to participate in the website creation process. Some of the things you may want to think about ahead of time include your participation making key decisions – would you like to be consulted or would you want to give the designer full control?

During your discussion, ask the designer this question so you can weigh his expectations of your participation in the process. This is important because if you do not see things the same way, then you are likely not to get the results you expect.

What are your charges for a project of this magnitude?

The cost of developing the website you want must be discussed with the developer. As you approach this issue, it is important to note that each developer will have a different fee.

Researching the prices that different developers charge in advance can help you figure out how much money you need to allocate to this work and determine how much you will be willing to pay.

Generally, it is advisable not to go for the cheapest developer you come across because you will get what you pay for. If you go for a developer who charges too little, you are likely to get a website that you will not be proud of.

Instead, consider spending a bit more to get the job done well, then find yourself in a situation where you have to spend more later to make up for poor quality.

Can I talk to a few of your previous clients?

Hearing from people who have worked with your potential web designer can provide you with an independent analysis of what he or she is able to do.

Their unbiased opinion can help you get the clarity you need to decide whether to work with him/her or not. Before you finalize your discussion with a potential web developer, ask them whether you could talk to their past clients just to hear what they have to say about his services.