Questions to Ask Your Potential Web Designer

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In an overly competitive industry, people are often faced with a lot of choices when it comes to employing the help of a website designer. As any one who has shopped around in the past would know, the inclusions and pricing can be quite varied from web designer to web designer. Finding a professional web designer who can deliver a website that aligns with the objectives and the branding of your business in itself is a process.

It all starts with a conversation, be it over the phone, in person or via email.

1. What is included in the web designer’s offer?

Ask for the complete list of inclusions in the web designers proposed offer. Usually designers have a set number of pages included as part of basic website design package which may or may not include website and email hosting. Some proposals might include a lump sum amount, which may include bells and whistles you might not need for your business and hence makes good sense to ask for a breakdown of costs.

2. Ask for samples of their past work.

Some of the reasons why this question should be asked is that; it helps you to weigh not just their level of industry specific experience but it also helps to identify the quality and attention to detail. 

Different designers have their own styles and there is no problem with that, however it is good to look for diversity in designs and functionality in various website examples as it is indicative of how broad the web designer’s overall experience is.  In the end you don’t want a website to look similar to a dozen others especially within your own line of work. It could also indicate whether it is a team of designers or a sinlge website designer responsible for building the websites.

3. How would they like to be paid?

In most cases website designers do ask new clients for a deposit followed by either the balance on completion or  if the project is  quite comprehensive the payment can also be requested in stages or milestones agreed upon prior to commencement. Needless to mention but important advice nonetheless to avoid jobs or web designers who will require you to pay in full in advance. 

4. How long will it take to complete the project?

There are differences when it comes to every designer’s timeline for creating a website. Ask how long the job will take, and each milestone should be scheduled so as to make sure everything is running on time especially when you are dealing with website launch deadlines. For the reviewing of the job after completion, you should ask how long you have before you can revert with your comments or feedback for milestones reached. 

5. Administrative access and website administration training.

If this hasn’t been asked or included in the 1st question regarding the web designer’s offer, ensure you have explicit confirmation form the web designer of access to the website’s backend administrative panel. This gives you access to the website that you own and ensures that you are not dependent on the web designer to make any changes and edits to the website. 

Also ask the web designer if the proposal includes website administration training or induction even if you have previous experience in maintaining websites, as updates and changes in website platforms are common and editing software could vary from website to website.

6. Are there provisions for additional and on-going website maintenance services?

Even after you’ve engaged the web designer in creating your website, ask if they provide additional services like content creation, templates for mails, SEO and contents for social media. This will save you the stress of sourcing help form another agency or individual who might not be familiar with the functional and administrative workings of your website.

For a lot of growing businesses on-going maintenance would be imperative and even though you might prefer making changes and minor edits to the website yourself it is good to know that your web designer is available to help in the future if need be. This arrangement could be made by either subscribing to a monthly website maintenance plan or hiring the services when the need arises, for a fixed lump sum or hourly rate.

AdWise Digital is Sydney based web agency that services small and medium businesses around Australia. They are the small business experts when it comes to web designs and online marketing. Their services include but not limited to web design and development, search engine optimization and email marketing.

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