Remember how the web looked like just five years ago ? Almost no dynamic content (with the exception of Flash content that took a great while to load, and everyone was avoiding it), almost no taste in the way websites were designed and almost no stability at all.
Nowadays, things are a lot different ? we are in the web 2.0 era, and rapidly approaching web 3.0. Since web designing is quite a profitable business, it was inevitable for so-called designers to appear everywhere. Thanks to already-built designs and how-to guides, almost anybody that knows what web design is, can make a website . The problem appears when we discuss quality.
You're looking for a web designer because you want a professional look for your business to increase customers - therefore you need to avoid those designers who are still learnign their craft. You have to make sure your designer can deliver the key aspects that are essential - a useful, appealing website that loads quickly. Visitors are very fickly - if your website doesn't tick all the right boxes, they'll leave your site in a matter of nanoseconds and be off to one of your competitors.
Usability is also an important consideration - if a visitor finds it hard to find what they are looking for, they will become frustrated and leave. This means a professional, established web designer is vital. Cutting corners on cost here is going to be false economy - it is much more important to find a designer who understands what your business needs. Here is what you should consider when choosing a web designer for your business:
* Is your designer open minded? Your designer should listen to your opinions and requirements - after all you know your business better than anyone. He should be able to take what you know about your business and customers and fuse it with what he knows about web design. See if he listens and and asks the right questions, rather than trying to impose a solution on you. The desired result is a fusion of ideas to produce a remarkable website, rather than a "cookie cutter" solution.
* Good and Fast - Keep a track on what your web designer is doing. No matter if you are weeks away from the deadline, always keep an eye on what he is doing. From the beginning, ask him to do his work in steps, and to outline the necessary time for each of them. Look at each task after he finished it so that you will make sure everything is just as you wanted it to be.
* Is he promoting usability? As we discussed, your business needs a website that your customers find useful - it should not be glittery and flashy at the expense of usability. Make sure he understands this - if he seems to intent on selling you all the "bells and whistles" then walk away.
Finding the perfect web designer for your business is a tricky task but should not be impossible, if you follow the above and ask questions. Take time to check his portfolio to see if his past works are usable and well designed and you shouldn't go too far wrong. If anything arises that makes you think he might not be suited to your business, then walk away and find another one.
About the Author:
Robin Porter is CEO of Arpey Internet : a professional uk web design company that specialises in building web sites that attract customers, and in particular focuses on web design london
No comments:
Post a Comment