A website is one of the most important parts of a business – it is for many, the front door into their company and as such, should represent the company's brand, be informative, encourage a specific action and be aesthetically pleasing. Making sure you have the right balance between usability, accessibility and design are highly important for conversions and for most, require the outside assistance of a web designer.
Before letting anyone loose on your website, it is important to ask any prospective web designer a series of questions to ascertain whether they will steer your website in the right direction. Primarily, it can be prudent to choose a designer that is located relatively near to your business, as face to face meetings often generate better responses and results from strategies of web design. Hampshire based designers, no matter how award winning, may not be right for your business if you are based in Scotland for example!
Another vital tool to assessing how well a web design company will perform is to take a look at their portfolio. Make sure all their websites are different and are sympathetic to the particular business areas. Looking at a portfolio is a good way of checking a design company's skills, but make sure to ask for references and do not be afraid to check them by phoning case study companies.
A web design company should be available to provide a design brief and then an an indication of how much your design project would be. Be aware of any set-up costs or recurring fees – if you do employ a company, make sure to agree to a certain daily or hourly rate.
Lastly, it is highly important to get along with your web designer, as they will be in charge of your brand identity and a large segment of your business. Web design projects can last upwards of a few months to a few years so make sure you and your prospective designer do not have a clash of personalities.
Source by Evan Wiles
