You only get one chance to make a first impression. When people visit your business’s website, they’ll make a judgment about it within 50 milliseconds — that’s about a half a second.
Because people make quick judgments about your website and business, it’s important to make sure your website design is on point.
You could go the DIY route and try to design your website yourself. But, if you want to feel confident in the image you’re putting out for the world, you ought to hire a website designer.
Read on to learn how to find the perfect website designer for your business.
Importance of Good Website Design
Why is good website design so important? While aesthetics matter, there’s more to the benefits of good web design than that.
The following are some of the biggest reasons why website design matters:
- Establish a hierarchy and show visitors the most important aspects of your business
- Make sure your website matches your business’s overall brand
- Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and easy to use
- Control your message and what you’re saying to your visitors (both explicitly and implicitly)
Clearly, good website design matters. The key to good web design, like what these agencies do, is hire the right designer.
How to Find the Best Website Designer
There are a lot of things you ought to keep in mind when you’re searching for a website designer, including the following:
Think About Your Goals
Start by thinking about what you want your website designer to do.
Do you have a website that needs revamping? Or, are you starting from scratch and building a website from the ground up?
Do you have an online store or blog that they need to spruce up, or do you only need a basic website with a home page and a list of services?
Figure Out What You Like
If you want a great looking website, you need to first figure out what kind of websites you like. Do some research and look at your competitors’ websites.
The point is not to copy them, of course, but this research can help you get inspiration and figure out what you do and do not want for your own website.
Consider Their Rates
Of course, price matters. Define your budget early on and figure out how much you can afford to spend on website design.
Designers’ rates vary pretty significantly, from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. There’s something out there for pretty much any budget.
Remember, though, that the goal should not be to spend as little as possible. Focus on quality, too, and make sure you can get all the services covered that you need.
Ask About Usability
Good website design is about more than aesthetics, although you do want your site to look good, too.
In addition to aesthetics, make sure you’re focusing on usability, too. Your website should be easy to use and quick to load. Design it in a way that is easy to navigate as well.
Look at Their Portfolio
Before you decide to hire a particular website designer, be sure to take a look at their portfolio.
Check to see if the type of websites they’ve designed in the past are the type of website you want for your own business.
Pay attention to when the company designed those websites too.
Ideally, they will have recent samples of their work to show you. Steer clear of designers that only showcase old projects that they’ve done.
Ask to Meet the Team
If you’re hiring a website designer who works for an agency, be sure to ask to meet the whole team.
Chances are there are going to be several people working on your website.
Ask to meet everyone who is part of the team and make sure you get along with them before you agree to work with that particular agency.
Ask About Future Changes
When you’re considering a designer, be sure to ask them what their policy is on making changes further down the road. What happens if a bug shows up or you’re not happy with the way your website runs?
Make sure your website designer has a reasonable policy in place for making changes to your website. Steer clear of designers that deliver the final product and refuse to fix anything later on.
Find Out How The Designer Measures Results
Find out how the designer will measure the progress of your website after designing it.
Do they pay attention to things like bounce rate, page views, and search engine rankings? Find out which tools they use to measure these factors, too.
Request References
Any website designer — or website design agency — worth hiring will provide you with references. Once you get these references, be sure to contact them, too.
Call or email and ask about the experience they had working with the designer you’re considering. Ask them if they would hire the designer again, too.
Consider Communication
Finally, pay attention to the way the designer communicates with you.
Are they friendly? Open to your suggestions? Do they listen to your concerns?
Consider how quickly they get back to you, too.
Do they respond to phone calls and emails in a prompt manner? Do they give detailed, clear responses — instead of generic, canned replies?
Need Website Design Inspiration?
Now that you know more about the importance of website design and how to find a great website designer, it’s time to start looking around for the perfect designer to handle your business’s needs.
Before you can hire a website designer, you need to figure out what your goals are for your website.
Do you need more inspiration for your website? Do you want to get ideas for what your website should look like?
If so, be sure to check out the Spotlight section of our website today. You’ll find tons of examples of great website design here that you can apply to your own website.