Every business needs some kind of web presence, some more than others. While Facebook and Twitter can be a good start, nothing compares to your own business website; while many small business owners feel this to be a secondary or even tertiary priority, your website should be treated as your best and brightest signal to prospective clients all over the world. It’s a powerful marketing tool, a necessary business asset and needs to be built right the first time.
Of course, this means you need to get in touch with a web designer, which can be a challenge in and of itself. How do you know you’re working with the right designer right off the bat? Is there any way to know you’re getting what you want before it has the chance to come crashing down?
When it comes time for you to find a website designer for your business, the Future Buzz has a handful of “requirements” to keep in mind when it comes to selecting a website designer:
- Review the designer’s previous work and look for common style elements. Be sure that these stylistic choices match what you’re looking for in your own website before you try to make contact.
- Make sure the designer is available to speak with verbally, whether in person, over the phone or via an online communication system like Skype. Take with them and let them know what you’re looking for in a website.
- Do not ask the designer to get you to the front page of Google. In fact, if they offer, choose someone else—unless they’re working in collaboration with a greater SEO firm, of course. Designers and developers are connected, certainly, but neither one has to be an SEO guru; expecting otherwise could lead to mediocre design and even more mediocre optimization.
Once you have a couple designers who have made it through the first stage of the gauntlet, do another review of their previous work. Again, seek out common themes and elements, and above all look for improvement from one project to the next. When you’ve found those similar notes between projects, make sure that they’re commonalities with which you’re comfortable—they’re probably going to end up on your website. If you’re not comfortable, return to step one and repeat until you have a prospect or two that seem spot-on, then reach out to them again to talk price estimates and turnaround time. Entrepreneur.com recommends testing prospective designers out on a small project first, but this could turn out to be a waste of everyone’s time if you aren’t extremely discerning.
Another great option for those who don’t have time to do all the research is to entrust locating a skilled web designer to your marketing team. Even if you’re a small business with a social media guru on contract or are just looking into picking up your own personal SEO specialist, if they work on the Internet they definitely have a preferred web designer. Ask about them and find out what they like about the designer, what they can offer you; your favorite SEO firm may have a subcontract with a skilled designer or two prepared to work closely to get you a perfectly designed and flawlessly optimized website for your business.
Do you need a perfectly designed and optimized website for your business? Fill out this form to contact 4 Step Studio today!
4 Step Studio is an online marketing agency that specializes in website design and redesign, SEO, social media and more. Our team of experts focuses on helping small business get found online, while educating them on what will make them successful in the digital world. To learn more about what we can do for you, visit our website at www.4StepStudio.com
Get the Latest Online Marketing Trends in Web Design, Social Media, Blogging, and More. 
Don't Be Shy, Leave a Reply