How do I hire a good web designer?
What factors should I consider when hiring a web designer?
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Jan 13, 2016
Before hiring a web designer first of all you should check his/her past portfolio. From how many years they are working and how much knowledge they have. Have they worked on any project similar to yours? Will be they able to complete your job on time and on budget? And with this concern you can check the web developer's portfolio and select one of their designers if you found them suitable for your requirements.
Also check out the below links
http://thenextweb.com/dd/2014/11/08/hire-web-designer-design-company/#gref
http://www.keenesystems.com/Services/WebApplicationDevelopment.aspx
Oct 11, 2014
Hire Me...Lol I'm kidding :)
Hiring a web designer is an important decision. Having a website which looks great and supports the SEO campaigns well is essential towards building a successful lead system online.
Although most of the answers by other already are sufficient, I wanted to highlight a few which are more important...- Passion to work with you closely and understand what youre trying to achieve
- past work portfolio
- reviews/testimonials from past customer
- After Sale Support - are they available if your website has issues after it goes live?
- do they understand SEO and ranking factors?
- ROI
Hope this helps.
Jun 4, 2014
Anyone can build a website these days.
But, people do judge a business by it’s website. It is important to find the right company, so I’ve prepared some questions for you to interview your web designer or developer.
1) Is Web Hosting and Domain Registration website-questionOffered?
Most web design companies offer hosting, but don’t make assumptions. It is convenient to have one company handle the design, development, domain registration and hosting.
2) Does your Company use Templates or Custom Design?
Web designers often use templates. There many attractive website templates available, and they can be a cost effective option. If you prefer a customized look, see if the design company offers custom design.
A custom designed/developed site will cost more, but it will be designed specifically for your business. This is a more flexible solution designed around your business needs.
3) How much will a website cost?
There are generally 4 costs to be aware of.
a) Domain registration
b) Web hosting
c) Design and Development
d) Ongoing marketing.
Be sure to clarify each cost, and note them in your budgeting.
4) Are your websites mobile friendly?
Many businesses are receive over 30% of their traffic from mobile phones. Ask the the web site designer for some sites that you can check out on your phone. Then check them! What do you think?
5) What kind of tech support do you offer?
You need to know who to talk to if you need help. Some companies don’t offer phone support. If want to be able make a call, make sure you can.
6) Who maintains the site?
I’m big on training my clients on how to maintain their own websites. We also offer website maintenance to make sure the clients sites continually to improve. Be sure to select a web site design company offers the options that work best for your business.
7) What website marketing services do you offer?
A great website isn’t so great if no one every sees it. Find out if your web site design company also offers, eMail marketing, social media, search engine marketing, graphic design and other marketing services.
8) Can I see some of your work?
Don’t just look at pictures of their work. Click around on at least 3 of their clients websites.
9) How can you help my business grow?
As important as the technical and design aspects of the website are, it is just as important to work with a company that knows and understands marketing.
Choose wisely, I hope that these questions help you make an informed decision for your business website.
~:-)
May 19, 2014
Call me... I will take the guess work out of the design, programming and hosting of the site and build you a site that is CMS based so you can easily edit he site content after I am done including editing, adding removing, etc.
May 17, 2014
Hi Rob,
You can consider following points which can help you to hire a good web designer:
1. Work Experience
2. Designer’s Portfolio
3. Technical knowledge with existing & latest technologies
4. Understanding of Your Requirement
5. Reach him/her (by phone, email, messenger)
6. Timely Delivery
7. Communication Skills
8. Cost
I hope above points help you to hire good web designer.
Apr 15, 2014
Hi there Rob, I suggest you to be observant first. Why not take a look of their portfolios? Though there are a lot of things to consider, professionalism must also appear.
Jan 7, 2014
Hi Rob,
I know this question is about a month old now, and a couple of people below had touched upon this slightly, but I wanted to add my advice to make sure you understand the scope of the project you're looking for and that the person you hire explains what is required, and how these things fit within their skill set. The reason for this is that for a simple web site that is static, informational only, etc - a "web designer" can do just fine. They should have the skills necessary to create an appealing design and implement it using the correct technologies. For a more advanced project, which might require a database, or even just a submission form, you need to make sure that the person you are hiring has the necessary expertise as a programmer as well as a designer to ensure that things are done with performance and security in mind as well.
As a company we have taken on more projects than I care to think about for clients that began with a "web designer" who bit off more than they could chew and just couldn't deliver, or delivered a result that wasn't what was originally agreed upon. Beyond the money aspect of it (assuming you get your money back if someone can't deliver), this leads to frustration and potentially costly set backs as well.
Just my 2 cents based on what we experience with our clients! Best of luck with everything!
Nov 27, 2013
Rob, everything that has been posted is good so far. But be sure to be able to interview them, if not in person at least by phone.
Before giving out your real project, test them with smaller projects. This testing period will help you evaluate:
- professionalism
- responsiveness
- ethics
- design quality
and any qualities that you want to see in a designer.
Hope this was helpful.
Nov 27, 2013
Like mentioned, you have many things to consider. But the easiest I think is to ask for a portfolio of previous designs, and then contact the clients and ask their opinions.
Nov 24, 2013
Rob,
In my experience I find customers are most concerned with the availability of their provider. If you need a change make to your site it is important that it is done quickly. Many folks find the low cost provider and ultimately pay the price by sacrificing support.
Another key point to keep in mind is the long term plan of your website. If it is going to be somewhat static than you can be concerned with the development costs. If you are going to require even quarterly changes it is important to know what the ongoing maintenance charges will be. There are many hidden fees that are not taken into consideration and this is a common one.
I am available if you have additional questions.
Nov 19, 2013
Almost everything is covered by the great people in this network, so I will not repeat or rehash the statements, instead I will offer another aspect of what you might be looking for.
Web designing can be learned using available online tools or platforms. It is user friendly. If you are going for a basic web design, there are free templates to choose from, you don't even have to pay anyone.
If you are hunting to hire someone who can do more than just design webpages, that's another thing entirely.
Perhaps you need a Webmaster? Or a Web developer for your website? A web programmer to implement complicated new concepts into your website, perhaps?
Nov 19, 2013
These are the 3 factors that I should consider when hiring a web designer:
1. Experience
2. Technical and Communication skills
3. Portfolio
By the way, are you really looking to hire a web designer? There are actually a lot of ways to hire a competent WD even without your intervention or conduct personal interviews with them. What I heard that works well is that, you can contact a freelance site to assist you with all your hiring needs.
Odesk is one, Elance, too.
However, if you're wanting to hire a full time/part time WD, Staff.com is perfect for you. They have recruiters who can look for qualified WDs, assess their technical and communication skills and send you a shortlist of "worth it" to hire applicants ready for your final approval.
Nov 18, 2013
Hi Rob,
First you need to find a designer. Once you find him, ask him for his portfolio. Have a look at all the works he has done for his clients. Notice every detail about the web designs like technology used, color combination, creativity, look and feel of his designs. You should also look for responsive web designs.
After having a look at his portfolio, you need to set look on other facts like ROI, understanding your requirements, etc. Instead of going for a designer, you can also opt a company like Agriya, which offers web designing services.
Nov 18, 2013
Hi Rob,
I answered a similar question here on MosaicHUB a while back: http://bit.ly/IcHejQ
(Long URL: http://www.mosaichub.com/open_forum/question/im-looking-to-redesing-our-current-website-who-w )
Nov 17, 2013
Here's my list:
1. Ensure you have your specs and requirements perfected.
2. Look through their portfolio
3. Do they use direct comms like skype or a ticket system
4. Do they have an online project management system for you to monitor progress
A good web designer will excel at communications.
Nov 17, 2013
One thing to check are the references. You might also ask web developers for hints to find a good web designer. You will need both.
Nov 17, 2013
I ask for the following:
1. Portfolio
2. The best and the worst project / client (i ask for details)
3. What is the design in general for him / her?
4. How did you ensure that your design met the client's goals?
5. Describe the details of your work step by step (i ask to clarify some steps if needed)
Nov 17, 2013
In my personal experience there are 2 things: 1) the way it will look and 2) what it will say. Therefore my perfect web designer should really try to understand my business and also my purpose for the website. Great communication skills and wonderful artistic eye.
Nov 16, 2013
Consider:
1. his/her previous work / portfolio, does it relate to what you are looking for?
2. education
3. cost
4. delivery time and availability
5. browse the web to seek similar examples for what you are looking for and check with the designer/company
6. search for his/her work on Dribble and similar sites, looking for reviews about the designer work
7. talk with his/her previous employers, asking for their insights
8. talk with the designer himself/herself trying to get a "connection" and basic chemistry and understanding between the two of you
9. if you need also to brand, make sure he/she knows how to do that. not every designer has that understanding.
10. nowadays, you also need the designer to have an understanding of Responsive design, UI/UX, App and Mobile, etc. make sure the designer have know and experience in those fields.
hope that helps, good luck
Nov 16, 2013
Dont ever hire! a web designer (unless your building a web design company). Hire developers/programmers/database/security. Web designs are a dime a dozen you can buy great templates, portals, etc...what you need is the code behind the design driving traffic/revenue and userability and great developers do this. Freelance/IC the web design!- contractually make sure you own the web design code (graphics, pics, buttons, layouts, templates etc...)