With the role of Internet becoming more and more vital in the reach of a business to its clients and customers as well as to the potential ones, an official website for any new or old business becomes quite necessary to highlight their online presence. A Web Developer can help in designing and making such a website that can help attract customers while representing the business and its products or services in the best way possible.
When looking for the right web developer, there are some things you’re going to want to look for. You want to make sure that your website will be built according to your specifications and with minimal errors. Here are the top five things to look for in a web designer so you know what to expect from them.
- The Right Experience Level –
There is no hard and fast rule as to how much experience is needed to build websites. However, if you hire someone who has less than 10 years of experience building websites it’s likely that their work won’t meet your expectations. If you don’t understand something about building websites, chances are they won’t either. That means that you should always ask questions before making any decisions on hiring a web designer.
- A Team Member Who Is Responsible –
When you hire a web designer, you need to make sure that they have access to all of the information you need. This includes everything from technical documentation, to content management systems, to social media sites. It also includes anything else they may need to complete the project.
- Knowledgeable About What They Do –
This doesn’t mean that they should know every detail about what they do. Instead, they should be able to give you an overview of what they do and then let you decide whether or not you want them to go into more detail.
- Willingness To Be Open-Minded And Creative –
While this isn’t a requirement, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they approach a project. How willing they are to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to problems is often a good sign that they’ll approach your job in the same manner.
- Willingness To Learn New Skills –
As technology changes, it’s important for web developers to keep learning new skills. Whether these skills are related to software development, web design, or other aspects of the job, it’s important for them to stay educated. Being knowledgeable is one thing; being knowledgeable about the latest trends in technology is another.
A great web designer is also going to take pride in their work. They’ll care about the quality of their work because they realize that it reflects on them. At the same time, they’ll care about the reputation of their company. Not only will they want to ensure that their clients get exactly what they expect, but they’ll want to help grow their client base.
These days, you can find a web designer online. Just type “web designer” into Google and you’ll see the results. If you’re serious about finding a web designer, you have a couple of options. You can try advertising your own services. Or you could use a site like Elance where people post projects they’d like to do for others.
One thing to remember when using these types of sites is that the best web designers aren’t always the cheapest ones. So it pays to shop around until you find someone who meets your needs. Once you’ve found someone you like, you can start by asking them a few questions.
Here are some questions you might want to ask:
- What kinds of websites would you consider building?
- How many hours per week would you typically work?
- Would you consider working with me part-time during off-peak times while we wait for our business to grow?
- If I were to pay you $500/month, how long would it take you to finish the first project?
- Will you provide references?
- Do you speak English fluently?
- Are you insured and bonded?
- Can you provide proof of insurance and bonding?
- Are you familiar with WordPress and/or Joomla?
- Do you have any special skills or knowledge that you’d bring to my team?
- How do you charge?
- Do you accept credit card payments?
- Are you willing to negotiate to price?
- Can you provide examples of your past work?
In addition to asking these questions, it’s also a good idea to read reviews of the web designer you’re considering working with. These reviews can be found on sites like Yelp where people have posted their experiences with various businesses.
It’s also a good idea to ask friends and family for recommendations. Sometimes their recommendations will be better than those of professional reviewers since they haven’t been influenced by the reviewer’s feelings towards the person offering the service.
You’re probably wondering why you’d even consider paying someone to build a website for you. After all, it doesn’t cost very much to create a simple, static page that you can just upload to a server. But the truth is that there are a number of benefits to having a website.
People who have websites tend to rank higher in searches than people without websites. They’re often easier to find online. They can drive traffic back to your business by providing useful information to potential customers. Websites also offer a number of opportunities to market your business through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+.
There are a variety of reasons why someone would want a website. You might be planning to open a new business, or you might simply want to update your existing business’ profile. Whatever your reason, once you’ve decided that you need a website, it’s time to figure out which web developer to work with.