Since the explosion of the Internet over the past 10 years, website design has become a vital part of any business or product. Without a well-designed website, customers will not visit your page and purchase your products. There are nearly as many web designers as there are web pages. This can make it difficult to identify the good designers from the bad. Use the following tips to help you choose the right web design agency for your next project:

• Inspect their portfolio: This is the first step in choosing a good web designer. Every designer should have a portfolio of his or her past work. Take a look at this portfolio and see if the designer creates web pages that have the feel you are looking for. Also, look to see if they only program in one specific format, or if they can program in multiple languages and platforms. Talk to past clients, if possible, to gather their opinion of the designer.
  
• Set up an interview: Before choosing a designer, you should speak to potential designers to learn more about them. Discuss your goals for your site, and what you hope to accomplish on your site. Tell the programmer about your company, and what you do. The designer should show an interest in your company and get excited about working with you. The two of you should discuss the designer’s planning process, fees, whether they will maintain the site after constructing it, and project estimates.
• Identify SEO knowledge: If your site is not properly optimized, then your website will not perform as well as it should. Discuss this issue with potential designers. Some designers will create the web copy for you, while others have a copywriter that works with them to optimize new websites.
• Check design skills: Ask potential designers if they design graphics, or if they only use premade graphics and focus on programming. A truly unique site should have unique graphics. A designer that can do programming and graphics will make it easier to create a fully customized site to your needs.
  
• Set goals: Discuss the budget and target time of completion with potential designers. Some designers can get started right away, while others may not be able to work on your site for several weeks. Make sure you both are on the same page as far as time goes. If you want to rush the design of your site, express this wish to potential designers. The budget for your site will vary, but many designers charge $5,000 or more for fully functional website designs.
• Discuss ownership: Discuss who will own the final design and contents of your website when the project is complete. Some designers like to retain the rights to their work, or the ability to change things in the future. If you do not want your designer to retain the rights to the design, make sure you communicate that with him or her to avoid legal trouble. Get the ownership rights in writing to prevent problems in the future.
• Likability: During your communication with the designer, take note of their personality and professional behavior. If the designer talks down to you or acts like you are not important, than he or she is not the right designer for you. Your designer should show you respect and behave in a professional manner in all of your interactions.
• Future goals: Talk to potential designers about your future goals for the site. Do you want to hire the designer full-time to maintain the website and add new content? Or would you rather maintain the site yourself? If you choose to have another designer maintain the site, or want to maintain it yourself, then the designer will have to ensure that the programming is easy to read and change in the future. Some designers may not want to program with those parameters, so it is important to discuss the issue with the designer before you hire them.

If you follow the above tips, and ensure you keep open lines of communication with your designer, you will have a much higher chance of choosing a designer that will work to your satisfaction. If you clearly express your desires to potential designers, you will easily find the best designer for your needs.

 

Andras is a part-time guest blogger and a full-time consultant at one of the coolest web design and web development company in the UK, Code23. His main interest covers online advertising, business development and design related topics. Andras likes to travel a lot, he prefers to discover untouched and hidden places all around the world.