Six Things To Consider Before Hiring A Website Designer In Raleigh
Your business plans have been laid and it’s time to look for a website designer. It may seem commonplace in today’s society but your website and marketing materials are crucial to how consumers will view your product and services, so finding the right designer for your needs is an important task. All the hard work you put into developing your business requires finding a designer who can capture your vision and translate it directly to your target audience. This is no easy task. There is quite a bit to consider when it’s your brand on the line. As you go through the website designer selection process here are some things to look for in your website designer in Raleigh and a few things to have prepared for a mutually beneficial exchange:
- Establish Your Vision: It is imperative that you and your designer be able to clearly communicate what you would like to achieve. They’ll need to know the basics of your business. What is your business model? Who is your target audience? What would you like your audience to take away from seeing/experiencing your website? What medium will you want to use to reach your audience: brochures, business cards, a website, and/or general branding? Be prepared to express your ideas about what you would like to see in the finished product as well as the things you do not.
- Hire Locally: It’s easy for things to get lost in translation so a meeting face to face is best when initially discussing your ideas and needs with your designer. If you can, hire someone locally to ensure your vision isn’t lost in the fray. It’s also a great opportunity to gauge whether they will be a fit for the vision of your business. Another way to assess compatibility is to use word of mouth, especially if the business is similar to yours or you like what the designer has done for someone else.
- Review Their Past Work: Ask if they have a portfolio you can view. Have they done anything similar to what you are requesting? Someone well versed in web design may not necessarily be proficient in package design. The amount of content in the portfolio could be telling of how much experience they have had. However, someone just starting out could have a fresh take and more creative ideas than someone more experienced. It comes down to how much time you want to invest in being hands on with the design project. In addition to a professional portfolio, do they have a LinkedIn account or display any of their work on social media? How does it align with your vision? Do they have a blog that offers advice or tips for businesses or other designers? If they can navigate these spaces well then they should be able to provide the same professionalism to your project.
- Set Clear Expectations: Once you have found a designer you feel confident in, let them know exactly what it is you expect them to produce. This is your chance to provide them all the content they will need and the feeling you wish the finished design to invoke. Make sure you can feel confident that your designer can verbally convey the key vision of your business using specific adjectives. Communication between you and your designer is paramount.
- Compare Rates: More often than not the old adage of you get what you pay for is true and it certainly applies here. You would do well to avoid any discount services as they won’t be as invested in making sure you receive quality work. Make sure you go into the discussion having researched the rates of projects that look comparable to what you will be requesting. Look for rates within $50 – $150. Someone with more experience will be on the higher end of that range but a freelance web designer will still be less expensive than working with a web design company.
- Set Clear Deadlines: Make sure you set initial deadlines for when you expect to see progress or final results from your designer. It’s a good idea to ask for three design options so you have something to choose from rather than just getting stuck with something you may not have wanted. You should also negotiate to have at least two opportunities to make revisions to your selected design. While still in the negotiating stage, make sure you are granted the rights to the art files. This will ensure that you can do any editing or make changes as your brand grows or changes direction in the future.
If you follow these steps when hiring a website designer, you will be sure to find a great match for your brand. When you are looking for a great website designer, also make sure to check out the services at Amistad Pros. Not only do we have great designers that can help meet all your creative needs, we also have the SEO skills to ensure that you rank high on search engines. So if you are in the Raleigh, North Carolina area give us a call today to see how we can help build your website.
