Small Business Design Resources

What to look for in a Web Designer

There are tons of people claiming to be web designers, the following are specifics of what to look for and what to look out for when choosing a web designer to work on your business website.

Skills

The number one thing that you should look for in a web designer is for their web site. You can usually tell what skills they have by just looking at their own website. Some web designers make excuses that they’re so busy on client’s projects that they don’t have time to work on their own website. How can a web designer say that they can design your business website if they can’t make the time to design their own? If a web designer doesn’t have a website or has only one page that says, “coming soon”, LOOK OUT!

Style

Each business has a certain style, so you want to make sure that the web designer you choose can design for your business style. For example, if you own a skateboarding shop, you would look for a web designer that is capable of creating grungy and sporty designs. Check the web designer’s portfolio to see their style. If a web designer doesn’t have a portfolio, LOOK OUT!

Testimonials

Anyone can rave about their work, but can they back it up with customer testimonials? Look for authentic testimonials! These can be written, but must be accompanied with at least a full name. The best authentic testimonials are in a form of a video recording, voice recording, inside a 3rd-party widget or found on a 3rd-party website. When someone has the capability to edit the testimonials the testimonials become less trustworthy, so LOOK OUT!

Expertise

You started to look for a web designer because you understand the importance of a business website, but you either don’t have the skills and/or time to design it yourself. A web designer should be able to steer you in the right direction and provide suggestions/support along the design phase of your website. Hiring a student or someone who can just throw a website together, isn’t really beneficial for your business image. Look for a web designer who has the expertise to showcase your business online and design a website that provides valuable experience for your target audience.

Keep in mind that most web designers are not programmers and vise versa, but many work together on website projects. Ask about your needs; don’t assume that they should know how to do everything. One can’t be an expert in everything, so LOOK OUT for those that say they are.

Social Media Presence

A web designer should be out and participating in some sort of Social Media activity. They could be writing blogs, interact in forums, be active on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube or any other social media platform. The whole point is that a web designer should know and grow with the online media to be able to keep up with the constantly evolving website demands and techniques. You can do a search in Google for a web designer’s name or business and if you don’t see any social media references LOOK OUT!