10 Questions to Ask Potential Web Designers (Part 1)
© sam_churchill
For the modern business, web presence is essential. The issue is, there are so many web design companies with so many varying prices that it's often hard to know which company to choose. Let's quickly narrow down some of the top questions to ask. (We'll just deal with the first 3 questions today.)
Note: this guide is for serious business owners who are willing to make an investment into their online presence. If you plan to buy a fifty dollar template and let your high school sophomore nephew install it, don't bother reading further.
1. Are you primarily a programmer or a designer? Most web designers lean towards one or the other. If it's you a hire a company they will often have a team (a coder and a designer) who both work on the site. If the answer is "mostly designer" be wary. If you really fall in love with their design see if you can just pay for their design time and use a separate coder. If they claim they are equally good at both, also worry.
2. Do you do web design full time? Realize that if this is a side business or they are a college student your project won't have their full attention. You may get a cheaper website but it will also take forever, if they finish it at all. Web designers are notorious for disappearing. So find out how long they've been around, if they work full time and what their track record is like.
3. Can I talk to other clients/see your work? Make sure they've got satisfied customers under their belt. Also, check out the websites they've built. Do you like them? It's okay if you don't, better to find someone else who already builds what you like than getting a site you'll never be happy with.
(Check out Part 2 and Part 3 for the rest of the questions.)