Starting your path down the online corporate advertisement and sales through the internet is a smart idea for any entrepreneur. Most of your clients will tell you that the first thing they did when they heard about you is searching the web for your website. But what happens when you don’t have one and desperately need professional help to put your face online?
Searching for an appropriate web designer whose skills complement your needs can be easy if you are thorough about it. Believe it or not, they are also looking for clients willing to work with them. So what can you do to attract the right kind of web designers that can help you develop a professional and custom-made website?
Designer VS Developer
The first mistake people make when searching for a web designer is the fact that they don’t really know what a web designer does. “Creating websites” is a very wide subject, one that involves people of different profiles and skill sets, most of which can’t be dotted to a “web designer”. It’s important to know the differences if you want to receive genuine help:
Web designer – These are people who develop the visual look and feel of your website as well as implement those elements online using HTML, CSS, Java, etc. They differentiate themselves from graphic designers by knowing how to code, and web developers by not getting too much into coding – they are the middle ground.
Web developers – Developers are individuals who work with pre-designed content such as image files or themes that web or graphic designers made beforehand. They implement these elements into websites by means of coding and programming.
Creating a briefing
The next obstacle that most people come across is the fact that they don’t know how to create a proper briefing for their project. Do you need an update for an existing site or do you need a site designed from the ground up?
Just as if you were looking for homework help, you need to specify your project as best as possible. Listing all the languages you want implemented into your website and themes that you have in mind for the visual side of the site is essential in narrowing down on adequate web designers. This briefing shouldn’t be overly complex but communicate your intents for the freelancer you find.
Portfolio screening
Web designers are very similar to every other type of designer in one aspect – they live and breathe by their portfolios. Taking a look at a designer’s portfolio will always give you a good indication of that person’s skill level. It will also give you an idea of what you can expect if you employ a certain web designer when it comes to visual elements they are able to create for you.
Just like asking for college essay help online, you can communicate your needs to a designer and get feedback on if and when they will be able to create a specific type of visual elements for you. Always look at someone’s portfolio before employing them full-time as web designers.
Communication skills
The results of your project will depend on the type of communication you have with your web designer. This means that you should always look for a native English speaker who understands what you are asking them to do.
Failing to do so can have dire consequences for your project down the line – you can end up with a completely different web site than what you wanted, and your designer won’t understand your frustration. You can have some of the best writing skills possible if a web designer doesn’t understand your language, and this should be of outmost importance when you decide whether or not to hire someone.
Price negotiation
Every web designer that knows what they are doing won’t even start to negotiate with you if you are unsure of your budget. You should talk to your team and see how much you are willing to invest into developing a website.
If you are looking for a simple and humble solution using one of the pre-made WordPress themes without much hassle, it shouldn’t be an issue to find a web designer and work with them for around $300-400. However, if you want to develop a completely unique website and start from scratch, the venture will cost upwards of $1,000 if not more. Even if you have the best writer create your content instead of delegating it to your designer, it will still cost a lot. Don’t go into web design hunt if you are unprepared to pay for professional work.
Copywriting support
Even if you have a website created, you still need content to fill in all the visual elements and feature your brand and company. Understand that many web designers are also adept at professional writing, since their profession requires them to be versatile and forthcoming.
Communicate your needs to potential web designers and tell them if you don’t have any proper content to fill your site with. While they might not be able to help you themselves, they might have friends who are copywriters or simply reject the project altogether. Take all of these factors into consideration when you think about hiring a web designer who does or doesn’t have copywriting skills.
Ongoing maintenance
Lastly, you need to communicate your ongoing project needs in the form of maintenance. Many web designers will be willing to maintain your site long after they are finished working on it. The maintenance can consist of upgrading plugins and widgets once in a while, updating your active pages with fresh visual content or even implementing new technologies and maintaining the site security.
You can’t keep up with web design trends if you are unfamiliar with the niche yourself, so hiring someone to do it for you proves to be the safest solution. Designers who are willing to design and maintain their own sites are the ones who you should seriously consider hiring.
Conclusion
Working with web designers is easier than working with graphic designers, mainly because they are more objective and prone to following your instructions. Don’t be afraid of putting your faith into younger designers if you don’t have the budget to hire a professional – sometimes their work can exceed the later. Make sure that you have a clear vision of what you want before asking for any design help and you should be on your way to find a long-term web designer who is perfect for your needs.
Guest article written by: Angela Baker is self-driven specialist who is currently working as a freelance writer and trying to improve herself in the blogging career. She is always seeking to discover new ways for personal and professional growth and is convinced that it’s always important to broaden horizons. That`s why Angela develops and improves her skills throughout the writing process to help and inspire people.