Nowadays, there are so many web designers that it’s often difficult to choose just one. Interestingly, they don’t make it easy for you at all. All website design firms claim that they can help you build the amazing website of your dreams.
The thing however, is that in spite of their claims, some are better than others. You see, web designing isn’t just about claims. Thanks to its visual nature, you can only rely on the available evidence. So, if for instance, a web design firm has a pretty average looking website, that’s a red flag right there.
I mean if they can’t do such an excellent job on their own site, what are the chances they’ll do a great one on yours? You get the idea. Here are some other things you should be on the lookout for as well. They’ll help you choose the right designer.
An excellent web designer often has a portfolio of successful web design projects that they can point you to and excellent references that you can contact to confirm their work. I mean, it’s easy for anyone to collect a slew of well-designed sites and list them as their own.
However, to truly confirm that they actually did design the site, they should be able to provide verifiable references. That said, there’s also the highly important matter of the general reception of the website.
A great website is one that’s satisfactory to the client, his audience and the web design firm. So, you’re looking at an all-round win for everyone involved. If even one of these elements is missing, then you have a potential problem.
It doesn’t matter how well designed a website is, if the client and his audience (a clear indicator of this is the high bounce rate and minimal visitor/site interactions) don’t like the site, then the site is basically useless. So, keep your eyes open for a web design firm that’s able to satisfy all three parties –you should be able to spot this from their portfolio.
A world class web designer is often adaptable and able to research the client’s industry in order to find what works there. All industries have their standards; their “dress code” if you will. Law firms have websites that are professional looking with little or no frills.
The idea is to communicate to their prospects and clients that they are serious minded. Dentists’ websites tend to have the professional look with a few images of people with great smiles and white teeth; and maybe a few before and after pictures of past clients.
A music star’s site will usually contain album photos, events, videos from shows, podcasts and lots more. The point is to communicate mirth, joy and artistry to their audiences. So, a good web designer knows just how to build websites that are specific to the industry.
Having a great-looking, highly functional and very user friendly website doesn’t have to cost you an arm and leg. While they may not be cheap –no decent looking site if cheap- they aren’t necessarily expensive either. Nothing says building your website should burn a hole in your pocket. The good news is that you can always shop around until you find one that matches your price range.
There is a real difference between the two. In your search, you will probably find designers who have theoretical knowledge about everything from XHTML to Macromedia Flash, but have no knowledge of how to combine that knowledge and mix it to produce the perfect result.
You see, the difference between a designer that is just knowledgeable and one that has both knowledge and experience is that the latter will be able to produce astounding results. The former? Not so much.
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to go looking. Armed with this knowledge, we can guarantee that you will find an excellent web designer in no time at all.