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How to Choose a Website Designer

When choosing a website designer what do you look for? How do you know that they will deliver the best service? How do you know they won�t rip you off?

What is a website designer anyway?

This is a good question without a definitive answer.

It�s best to approach the question from the point of what you will need a website designer to do. You�ll need someone who can:

Help you to settle on:

a page layout
graphics
colours
where text should be located
navigation issues
how the pages will cross-link to each other

You will also need them to create graphics for:

your logo
the navigation buttons
the general look of your site

You�ll need someone who can:

programme the code to make the design work
take care of the �behind the scenes� technical stuff to make the site user friendly

Finally you need someone to help you:

discover what is possible with online marketing

fit your website into your overall marketing strategy
plan online campaigns
attract more traffic to your site
convert the traffic to sales

There are a lot of skills there and a single person is highly unlikely to possess them all. For example, at GET we have web design, programming and online marketing skills in abundance but we don�t claim to be graphic designers or copywriters so we work closely with both an excellent graphic designer and a copy writer to provide the full complement of skills.

Hiring a Website Designer

Talk to a few before making a decision. This is something which has the potential to impact hugely on your business for better or worse and you need it to be right. These are the questions we think you should ask and the points you should consider before hiring a website designer:

Talk to previous clients, particularly recent ones to see how satisfied they are with the whole process.

Look carefully at other sites they have designed. Are they easy to use? Do they all look �the same� or does each appear to be tailored to the individual company?

Ask how much of the complete job was down to them. Did they handle the graphic design, the layout, the copy writing as well as the programming?

Ask if they provide a structured planning process leading you through the development.

Make sure you check their knowledge about internet marketing and search engine optimisation. These are not bolt on extras and need to be considered at the planning stage.

How interested are they in listening to your needs? They should pay attention very closely and make observations and suggestions of their own. Are they really interested or are they going to provide you with a �once size fits all� website?

Make sure you get a quote and check carefully what services are included. A good quote should really contain a detailed specification and the price to achieve that.

Check how any modifications or additions to the specification will be handled.

Make sure they understand your budget and will stick to it. Even good ethical website designers will make suggestions that might be outside your budget at the time. If you are interested in extras ask if they can be phased in later and detailed in the quote as a later option or upgrade.

Ask who will maintain the site as maintenance costs can mount! A site that is designed to be easy for you to maintain will probably prove a good investment. It�s perfectly possible and should be no more expensive, it just requires the right programming.

Ask how you will be expected to pay; instalments when a particular stage is reached, monthly payments etc.

If you have a deadline in mind, tell the designer and ask how feasible it is. They should be able to give you a very good idea about when the site will be finished.

Finally�

How well do you get on with the designer? Are they easy to talk to? Do they explain things clearly to your satisfaction? Do they provide ideas and solutions to problems? You�re going to be working closely with them so make sure you�re happy.

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