Before hiring any one individual or company there are several points to consider. To help make sure you ask the right questions I’ve developed the following guide, just so you feel a little more prepared to start your journey.First things first,
Check out their portfolio. In order to determine whether a designer will be able to bring your vision to light you’ll want to browse through samples of their previous work and any customer feedback/testimonials. The latter can usually give you a realistic idea about how customers felt about the whole process. If you want to go the extra mile, see if you can contact some clients who’ve had work done similar to what you want.
Know who you’re dealing with. There could be one individual handling everything or maybe several people involved in the process. You’ll want to know about the main individuals in charge of making decisions pertaining to your website, (these may include a general project manager, graphic designers, copy writers) and who will be your key contact throughout the project.
Know what they’re offering. You need to know what their creative process going to look like, and what exactly you’re paying for. Some Web designers will offer clients a free mock-up design before requesting any payments. This is to give the client a chance to see what their website could potentially look like. The key questions here are how long will initial designs take? What happens if you’re unhappy with initial designs? Are they offering unlimited reiterations and how many pages? Are they offering Web-hosting and emails? These are usually dependent on client needs and can be discussed if you or don’t require them. Who will provide the content? If you know what you want to put on your website, you can provide the Web designer with your own content and this can be negotiated in the price as well. But if you’re unsure then it’s good to have a discussion about how they can help to develop engaging and effective content. Do they provide after launch support? Most designers offer 30 days after launch support in the initial package, this is to ensure you are not left to fend for yourself.
That’s great but How much will it cost? Often times people are unaware of what to expect in terms of cost. Start by determining what services you definitely need and estimating a budget range, ask different designers for examples of their website work based on those estimates. A comprehensive website can cost anywhere from $1000-$7000. Prices can usually be negotiated up/down based on the inclusion/exclusion of some services. It is also good to be frank about your budget, as some designers offer convenient payment plans to ensure they can help all types of clients.
Lastly, Know what happens afterwards. It is important to realize that developing a website is not a one-time act. To keep customers informed and engaged you’ll need to update your content frequently. Ask your designer about their content management packages. Most designers will offer basic packages so that clients can easily make changes on their own. However, if you don’t want to worry then you can opt for a more comprehensive package, where the Web designer is in charge of future updates, this goes a long way towards making your website search engine friendly.
