Small Business Websites

How to Find a Web Designer

Written by Brenda Stokes for Gaebler Ventures

Having a website is one of the single most important aspects of running a business nowadays. It is also important that you choose a web designer that knows how to incorporate all of the necessary elements into a website to make it successful.

Web design is an intricate task that should be carried out by a professional web designer.

This is because there are such elements as meta-tags and a website that is not so busy looking that a person is confused by it the moment they land on a page. It is important to get the point across on a website in an organized manner so that visitors will want to stay and not leave as soon as they arrive.

How to find a web designer

When looking for a quality web designer to build your web site for you, it is important to be methodical in your search. This means following a set of rules that will help you to find the best person for the job.

Here are some ways to find a web designer that is worth the investment you will be making:

• Look at the web design company's own website. Does it look professionally done? A generic website can be a sign that the website they'll create for you will also be generic.
• Do they have a portfolio on their website that shows their work? If so, do you feel that it is satisfactory?
• Are there grammatical errors on the site and does the content not read well. If you see these mistakes, you could expect the same to occur on yours. However, check with the web design company on who writes their web content. It is possible that their clients hire others and that the web designer had nothing to do with it at all.
• Call the website company and ask them questions. You want to ask how much experience they have. This can be in either years or how many websites they have created. It is difficult to translate experience in years for a web designer because someone can have 10 years of experience and have only created 100 websites, whereas someone with 2 years of experience may have created 500 websites.
• You also want to ask about turnaround time, if they provide the written content, and if they do provide written content you want to ensure it is search engine optimized. Search engine optimized content is content that utilizes niche-relevant keywords that will be found by search engines.
• Ask the web site company if they can provide you with references. You may want to ask past clients questions about the service they received.
• Confirm payment method. It is ideal that you pay a percentage up front and then pay the remainder upon completion. This provides you with insurance that the job will be done right.

So when you need a quality web site created, you now know how to find a web designer to get the job done. A quality website is just one more tool toward making your business a success.

Brenda is a graduate of California State University and a professional writer covering a variety of business topics. To learn more about Brenda, check out her website at The Digital Inkwell.

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