In our Website Basics Explained series we will show you where to start to get your first website, and what you need to go online.
You decided to get your own website and use a professional web designer. So, who should you hire A Google search result for San Diego Web Designer for example returns about 11 million results, ranging from individual freelancers to big web design companies in and outside of California. So how do you find the right one for your particular website needs
Where to look for a good website designer
Does the person or company creating your website have to be in your area Not necessarily as almost everything these days can be done online. However, if you don’t live in the middle of nowhere you will certainly have more than enough web professionals in your neighborhood, so why not use somebody locally
An online research on Google is certainly a great place to start. The first obvious thing to do would be to search for San Diego Web Design Freelancer or San Diego Web Designer. Of course you want to replace ‘San Diego’ with your own city, but unless you want to end up with hundreds of huge nationwide companies beyond your budget, you really want to narrow down your search to a local area.
Don’t limit your search to the ‘paid advertising’ results on top and on the right side of Google’s search result page! These companies are showing up there because they spend lots of money for advertising, not necessarily because they are so good that Google would put them on the front page. However, the first ‘organic’ search results in the middle of Google’s front page do appear in the first positions because Google deems them to be valuable or popular websites. So look through the first or second or third page and click on a couple of web designers you find interesting.
While browsing their websites, collect as much information as you can.
Check List To Select A Web Designer
Do you like their style
Is their site easy to navigate
Does it have annoying features like slow loading flash movies
Are all pages accessible without broken links or missing pictures
Do they list their portfolio so you can find out more about their work
Do you like how their copy reads and is it to the point
Do you see the designer’s professional background
Are they willing to give you a free detailed quote for a fixed price
Will they do the work in a reasonable time frame
Have they developed websites for other businesses in your industry or area If so, did they reflect the business properly
Does their site offer testimonials and can you contact these other website owners for a reference
And, last by most importantly Do they have experience in Search Engine Optimization and proven records of designed websites ranking on first positions on Google and Yahoo
Beware of companies and individuals who claim to be web designers or developers but don’t show their background, references or past work. Almost every kid these days is able to use web design software, but this alone does not make him a good web designer.
Freelancer or a professional Web Designer or Web Design Company
After evaluating sites you like and narrowing your choice down to a couple of web designers, you may need to choose between a Freelancer, or a Web designer or Web Design company. In our article How To Find The Right Web Designer we showed that depending on the size and complexity of your site, each may be your right choice.
With a freelancer, there are rarely any hidden fees or contracts to overcome before the project can begin. Freelancers may also be more readily available.
If your website needs future support or maintenance however, make sure to contract with a company who is around for a while and will have enough manpower in the future.
When you have done your ‘homework’ as per the checklist above, you should be able to filter out the ones who best fit your needs, so finally all you have left is to find out what they charge and whether this is in your budget. Our article How Much To Pay For A Web Designer will give you an idea what a web professional may charge to create your website.
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