Tips for choosing a website designer

Tip # 1 - What to look for in their portfolio

When you’re assessing whether a certain web company is right for you, don’t get fooled by big flashy sites in their portfolio. Get them to show you websites that are similar in price to what you want to spend.

You want to see what you’re going to get for your money. Once you’ve got a few examples of sites in your budget range, here’s a few things to look for:

Are they visually professional enough?

Remember that your website could be the first impression a potential customer of yours gets, so it’s got to be good.

Are the menus straightforward?

Can you easily find and browse through all the pages? And very importantly, is the main page menu always visible so you can easily access the main areas of information, no matter where you are in the site.

Do the pages load quickly?

A lot of web designers used to be print designers, and their websites have far too many images and animations that take leave you waiting ages for each page to load.

Tip # 2 - Find out the specialty of the company

Most web companies have a specific type or size of website that their company is structured to be able to build efficiently. If they’re set up to build larger sites, then they’ll have top people (who cost more) and they’ll have internal systems and processes that are needed for bigger sites. All the extra resources aren’t so important for small sites, but you’ll pay for it anyway.

On the other hand, if you want a bigger site and you choose a company set up to build smaller sites, even though they say they can do it, it’ll be a stretch for them and you may end up with a website that just doesn’t do what it should.

Tip # 3 - Do they have experience building similar sites to what you want?

It’s always good to find a company that’s built sites in the same industry or on the same topic as yours. This means they may already have knowledge about your target customers or at least an idea about possibly opportunities for your business online.

Tip # 4 - How to check their References

Even if the company has built 100 websites, don’t assume that all their clients are happy. Ask for references and ring them. 2 or 3 will be fine. It’ll only take a few minutes each and it will give you good insight.

Here’s a few questions to ask:

1. Was the website finished within the timeframe they initially said?

2. Was the finished website everything they promised in the beginning?

3. Do they generally respond quickly if you have any problems or questions?

4. Do issues get resolved within a reasonable amount of time or do they tend to drag out?

Tip # 5 - When should you pay?

Never pay the full amount up front. At the most, pay 50%, and that’s only if you’re dealing with a very established company and you’re confident that they will deliver as promised. At the other end of the scale, some companies won’t ask you to pay a cent until the website is finished. This is great, but don’t let it be the main factor in your decision of who to build your website.

If you find a company that you’re comfortable with to do the job, there’s nothing wrong with paying a deposit and progress payments as the project gets done. A good question to ask is if for any reason you have to cancel the contract at some stage, will they supply any designs or work that have been done.

Article supplied by:

Dan Angland
Direct Response Ltd (MultiQuote)