The online presence of a business has a huge impact to its growth and success. If you want your venture to continue to thrive and survive in today’s competitive market, you would want to have an online presence that delivers a meaningful impact. You also want your message to be consistent, and to always provide value to your target audience.
Admittedly, aiming for such a value-laden brand message isn’t easy, especially now that your competitors are getting more sophisticated and your market is becoming even more discriminating. The biggest mistake you can commit at this crucial time is to simply wing it and hope for the best. At this point, you can’t afford to have costly mistakes and delays. You need to invest in a high-quality, fully optimised and responsive website. And this is only possible when you invest in the services of highly competent Web design professionals.
Get expert help for your website design
With so many Web design and development companies and professionals offering their services for attractive packages, it can be tempting to simply pick the first one that got your interest. But the fact is you need to do a fair amount of research first before you find the website designer that will suit your needs and preferences. The website designer you choose should at least fulfil the following basic criteria:
- - Technically savvy – In tune and skilled with the most useful design styles and tools today.
- - Creative – Knows the rules and thinks out of the box to help you solve your problem.
- - Cost-effective – You get what you pay for. But expensive doesn’t necessarily mean great. Choose a designer with the right competency and attitude, as well as with reasonable rates that reflect their experience and capabilities.
The research and selection process
The three common working setups for a website design project are: contracting an agency to do the project (on a one-time or retainer package); getting a freelancer; or hiring a full-time in-house designer. While you may be excited to finally get things going, it’s best to invest time and energy in doing your research and going through the selection process meticulously.
Make sure you go through the following steps to ensure that you’ll be working on your dream project, and not a costly nightmare
Be clear about what you want.
The first thing you have to decide on is this: the core goal of your website. There should be a single focus that you would want your website to accomplish. It can be one of the following: drive your sales up, boost your brand authority, get customer feedback, etc. Identify your needs first, as it will be the foundation for succeeding decisions you’ll make for your website. It’s definitely an important factor to keep in mind when hiring a designer.
Check out their portfolio.
Review your recent work. Check out their resume, qualifications and achievements. If you can, get feedback from their previous and current clients. Surf the websites that they have developed and try out the features and functionalities that matter to you or you would like to have on your site. Are they skilled in information architecture? Does the website load fast and is easy to navigate? Have they worked with more than a few projects with aesthetics and features that are similar to what you want for your website?
Know how they work.
You would want to know not just the end product of their work, but also their working style and process. Send them a message online, talk to them on the phone or meet up with them in person. Observe their communication style and their customer service style. Are they able to communicate efficiently and in a clear and consistent manner? Is their customer service or project manager helpful and knowledgeable? Remember, a website design or development project requires a lot of exchanges between client and designer. You would want to work with people who are easy to talk to and can respond to you in a professional manner.
Be clear about the pricing and terms of contract.
Make sure that you have a project brief that documents the responsibilities and deliverables of each party. Crucial pieces of information including the scope of work, fees, payment terms, timeline, deliverables and deadlines should be written down in clear wording. Never start a project without a signed contract, and make sure there is a clause about an exit or cancellation option in case something unexpected occurs during the course of the work.