5 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Web Designer
Are you thinking about getting your website designed from scratch? Or would you prefer to give your website a thorough facelift? Regardless of what your plans are, a professional web designer can help you fulfill your web design needs.
However, before you settle for a particular web designer, you need to ask him or her a few important questions. The answers to these questions will play an important part in your selection process. Let’s get started!
1. Can I Review Your Web Design Portfolio?
Ask the designer to show you some of their work that they have already done. These include examples of websites they have designed and worked on. This is very important as you will gain an idea of their skill & experience. Meanwhile, you can get ideas about the kind of website you should have them develop for you.
Experienced web designers will give you ample examples to browse through and get an idea of their website designs, including the site’s navigation and themes.
2. Who Is Going To Manage The Project And Who Will Be Doing All The Technical Work?
Depending on the web design firm you choose to work with, there may be several individuals working on your website. For instance, a person may be designated to manage the entire project while a team works to develop the website in the background. This ‘manager’ would be the person who you communicate with. Hence, do ask this question upfront so you’re clear about their work process. Read more on how to manage a web design project.
3. What If I Do Not Approve Of The Initial Design?
All website design companies will work with you on the new design of the website and they should also define thorough design requirements so the new website design meets your expectation. But there are always revisions in web design projects so you need to ask them how many revisions they will provide for the scheduled fee. There may be instances where you do not like the initial design, or want to request changes. Being aware of the number of revisions in advance will ensure a positive relationship between you and your web designer.
4. What Will Be The Cost Of The Project?
In order to be able to provide an accurate estimate, the web designer will talk to you about your specific needs and design requirements. Only then, they will be able to tell you the cost of the project. Be sure to ask them what is included in the cost and what isn’t.
Also, websites can range from a few hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands – this is why you need ensure that the cost will not exceed your budget.
5. What If I Need To Make Changes In The Future?
Make sure that you discuss the process involved in making any changes to the website in the future. Ask them if they will provide you a Content Management System to allow you to make changes yourself. Some require you to pay them if you want any changes to be made. This is extremely important, because if you need to change important information such as your phone number, address, or pricing, then you need to be aware of the process involved.