Having a professional website up and running is essential for any small business these days. A website is not only important for branding but also for marketing purposes.
People will nearly always search online when they are looking for a product or service, and you want to make sure your website is the one they find.
But there are good websites and bad websites. A good website can give your business a real boost, while a bad website can actually do more harm than good by hurting your brand image.
You want to make sure you find a suitable designer to work on your site, and here are some of the most important questions you will want to ask when making your decision.
So You Use a CMS?
First of all, ask whether your designer uses a content management system (CMS) like WordPress. Many designers use these to create websites, and these have the benefit of allowing you to make changes yourself once the website is live without having any design knowledge.
For example, you may want to add a new page, post a blog, or edit some content, and a CMS makes all of these tasks easy to do.
The type of CMS is also important, so make sure you ask about this. Some designers will use their own content management systems, but it’s better to use a designer who uses a CMS like WordPress. That way, if you ever decide to change designers, you can keep using the same CMS.
Do You Use Templates?
Some designers will use templates from which they will design your website. These may be free templates or they may be templates that they have paid for or designed themselves.
While free templates can save you money, they are often best avoided because you want your website to be original. There is no problem with a designer using a template to create your site, as long as the site is unique and does not look like thousands of others.
How Will You Optimize It for SEO?
You will want to make sure you can be found online when people search for your products or services. That means you need a good search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
While a lot of SEO involves what you do after your site goes live, the design is still very important. A good designer will know what is involved in creating a site that takes SEO into consideration right from the start, so always ask about this.
Are Your Websites Responsive?
Responsive web design is becoming increasingly important. Google recommends using it because it improves the user experience for mobile visitors to your site, and that is good for SEO.
Whether you have a responsive website or not, you should make sure it is mobile optimized. You have a better chance of it showing up in the search engine results for mobile searchers if you have a site that is optimized, so always insist on this.
Do You Provide Any Extra Services?
It’s also worth asking about any extra services that they provide. Some web designers may be able to provide you with marketing services like SEO and PPC advertising, and this can be useful because they are already familiar with your business. So it’s always worth finding out before you choose your designer.
Can I See Your Designs?
It’s also very important to look at the previous designs that your designer has produced for other clients. A good designer will have no problem directing you to their portfolio so you can see the designs for yourself, and this will give you a very good idea about whether they are the sort of designs you want for your own site.
What’s Your Process?
Also, make sure you ask your designer about their process. Ask about how long it takes, the sort of questions they will ask you, and whether you can ask for changes once they have come up with the design.
Does it matter if they are located further away? For example, if you are looking for webdesign in Berlin does it matter where you are based? Often it will all be done remotely. Their answers will help you to make your decision.
Find the Right Web Designer for Your Business Site
Choosing the right designer is a big decision and it’s, therefore, worth spending some time on so you get it right. A good designer will create you a site that helps your business to succeed online and stand out from your competitors, so it is always a great investment.
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