When thinking of having your own website, most individuals assume the task is daunting. Most often, this is because many are under the assumption that finding a web designer will quickly become a headache. However, if you sit down beforehand and formulate a few essential questions to ask the prospective individual, you will soon find that it is not as daunting as you originally thought.
To help you in the process, we have curated a few questions that will come in handy when deciding your choice.
At first glance, this question may not seem overly significant. Still, depending on your website's niche, those web designers with minimal experience may have to work to get up to speed, which often translates into more cost for you. Similar to when a brick-and-mortar store hires an employee with prior experience, you will want to look for a web designer that can hit the ground running from day one. If the web designer has little to no experience in your niche, they will be hard-pressed to offer possible recommendations on your site's design.
Keep in mind that even though a web designer may advertise their availability, they may only be able to offer some of the skills and services needed for creating your website. For this reason, knowing which aspects of the work will be in-house and which elements will be outsourced is essential. Any portion of the work that is outsourced could reasonably add additional overall cost and possible challenges in the agreed-upon completion schedule. When the work is solely in-house, the web designer will put his signature touch onto the site, which is why you will want to know if outsourcing is being used and which agencies are involved.
The process involved in the creation of a website typically varies from designer to designer, but with each site, the process plays a significant role. Each web designer and agency has an internal process that they use, and as with most processes, some are better than others. Knowing the process itself, the implementation, and how it will impact your site's creation is something you need to understand as the client.
Many of the websites on the internet are merely masquerading as being custom design websites when, in reality, they are cookie-cutter type themes that have been tweaked for each client. In many cases, the cookie-cutter type themes are a result of limitations on the budget. However, if you are under the belief that you have contracted for a custom website, you may need to confirm this with the web designer. The understood definition of a custom website in the web designing arena is that every pixel and inch of the website, from beginning to end, has been"hand-coded" expressly for the client.
With very few exceptions, Google recommends that the best practice for a responsive website design includes that it is mobile friendly and constructed, and optimized in a way that is consistent with the overall user experience no matter the device used. How a web designer or firm approaches the design for responsiveness of the process can prove to be insightful and, in some cases, eye-opening.
Depending on the scope of the design, the length of time until completion will vary. Also playing into the completion time is the ability of the web designer to keep the project on track and meet all deadlines. Based on your needs, any potential designer should be able to give you an accurate estimate as to how long the project will take, along with a schedule that lays out each milestone of the project along the way. The designer should also provide you with those factors that could cause issues that might throw the project off schedule.
A professional web designer will keep the client involved in creating their website each step of the way. Although you are hiring the designer to create the site, there will still be those aspects of the process that will need your input along the way. Make sure you know what will be required of you, whether it be time commitments or resources, from the beginning and that all parties involved are on the same page.
Here at Skratch Creative experts in Web Design Houston, we are driven to help your business build the most potent brand possible by using industry-leading technology and marketing strategies. We combine our custom-tailored approach to brand management with award-winning content writing to elevate your brand beyond your competition.
