What to Look For in Web Designer
Your site is the cornerstone of your business on the web, and so you should exercise care in what goes on it. Because of that, you should consider carefully who you pick to design.
The biggest question is what kind of design you need, not what kind of design you want. Too many small business owners expect the site to be some major investment, but plan too small of a budget for it. Figure that you will be spending at least $1000; realistically, you will be spending a lot less than that, but that’s a great starting figure. After all, you aren’t paying for the time that the designer spends creating your site, but for what amounts to a somewhat permanent advertisement for your business. It makes no sense having no problem budgeting $400-$500 for a newspaper advertisement that’s only going to last a few months, but budgeting only $100 for web design.
Look at this way: Realistically, it’s only going to take about eight hours of labor (tops) to design the site, and most of that is creating the images needed for the site. Also, a good part of that time will be spent submitting your site to search engines and some of the major directories, such as DMOZ. You may budget only $10 per hour for that, but you are going to end up getting what you paid for. A better price is $25 to $50 an hour; a basic five-page site should run about $300 to $500 minimally. It may seem expensive, but you are paying for a lot more than just services rendered; you are paying for something that will be a major advantage for your business, and help to increase your business far more than almost any other form of advertising. That, not the time it takes to design it, should be the consideration.
When it comes to the designer himself, ask to look for sites, and get some statistics on those sites. When you are looking at the sites, don’t let your prejudices regarding popular colors and design influence your decision; ask yourself if you can tell what the site sells, and if you can everything quickly. If you can, then the design is successful. Also, plug some of the site’s keywords into your favorite search engine, and explore the results. An ideal result is within the first three or four pages (studies have shown that searchers will look as far as six or seven pages before choosing a company, so showing up on the first page should not be as important as you would think it is). You should take into consideration how well the sites do, rather than their design.
Also, remember that once you have chosen your designer, listen to what that person says. It may not sound like what you are expecting (especially if he says that it may take six months to show up on search engine!). Anyone that promises instant results should be disregarded out of hand, as that person is just not being realistic. Just remember to trust your gut and their results rather than the person himself, and you should do fine.