What to look out for when choosing a web designer for your project

With content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress becoming widely available, the number of people offering website development at substantially lower prices has grown too. CMS opened the doors of design to people who do not want to program websites but rather design them and shape their content so that the site serves its users as well as possible – and increases the client's revenue.

A website for a low price

CMS simplified website creation to such an extent that a handful of individuals started offering websites built in record time and at extremely low prices. It is important to realise, however, that even if a site is built on WordPress, it still has to meet certain criteria that guarantee its quality.

These so-called web designers often forget about that. For example, they rarely use paid plugins that ensure the speed, security and availability of a website. SEO optimisation for search engines, quality copy and translations, or the optimisation of images and photos for the web are missing too. Not to mention that the design is often weak and unimaginative, because they have no experience with creating graphics and dynamic content.

At the prices they charge for building websites, however, it is impossible to deliver functionality and design at a high level of quality.

Extra charges

We are often contacted by clients who had their website built by amateurs for a very low price. Later they found out that, in terms of quality and functionality, it could not come anywhere near competing on the internet.

Moreover, when they asked for small changes or additional information on their site, these amateur web designers demanded considerable extra charges. Such a website is hard to rework, because it was built badly from the ground up.

That is why we recommend having a website built by a professional from scratch, even if the client has already paid the previous designer.

Design and functionality

Design and functionality are an essential part of every website. It is not just a well-chosen colour and a cool picture that catches the user's eye.

A well-executed website design also includes usability with the target group of users in mind. On top of that, a quality web designer can advise you on web hosting, the domain, email forwarding and FTP security, so that your website is not attacked by a hacker in the future.

The quality of a website is not only down to the web designer

A great-looking, functional website is not the achievement of a quality web designer alone. Cooperation with the client and the material supplied to the web designer play a substantial part too.

The client has to have a clear idea of what they want on the website, and the designer then works out the best strategy for how to present that material on the site. At our agency WebPress we use our own graphics, banners, icons, marketing strategies and User Experience (UX) strategies for this.

Cooperation between the web designer and the client

So far we have worked best with clients who came to the very first meeting with a well-prepared project about their own company.

One of our clients wrote out for us what should be in the menu, the headings of the sub-pages and information about the company. He then sent us his logo in various formats and the photos he wanted on the website. From this material we were able to understand the purpose of his business, identify the target group of users and put the content of the website together efficiently. The client had his website ready within a few weeks, including SEO optimisation for Google and responsive design (adaptation to different screen sizes).

It was precisely this experience that inspired us to write an article about the quality of websites and how a client can make a web designer's work more efficient.

Based on our experience, we have put together tips for clients who want to have a website built.

What to prepare before meeting a quality web designer

Prepare short texts and descriptions of the services or products you offer.

Well-written texts and descriptions speed up the web designer's work. You can write them yourself, but well-established web design companies have their own copywriters who will write the texts for an extra fee.

Even they, however, need something to build on, so we recommend writing at least a brief description. At the WebPress agency we offer the services of a professional copywriter, who can turn your brief description of a service or product into quality copy with keywords suitable for search engines.

Have a quality logo created.

Logo design is the job of graphic designers. The web designer's job is to place the logo on the website so that it is responsive and adapted to retina displays. Even though quality web designers have experience with graphics too, it is still better to have the logo created by an experienced graphic designer with plenty of experience in creating quality, effective logos.

Think about what you want in the menu.

If you offer a wide range of services or products, it is a good idea to think about dividing them into certain categories. The menu usually also reflects the division of the whole website, for easier orientation.

Typically the categories are HOME, ABOUT US, SERVICES (OR PRODUCTS), PROJECTS and CONTACT. At the WebPress agency we make sure the menu is clear and the user finds the service or product they are looking for within seconds.

If the website is more complex, with many sub-pages, we advise the client on the structure of the menu ourselves, since we already know how users behave on websites of a given type.

Look at your competitors' websites.

Your competitors' websites will help you form an idea of your own site. You can show the web designer what you like and what to avoid, so that above all you are happy with the website. For us, the client's taste and vision are decisive when creating a website.

Think about the domain name and discuss it with the web designer

A quality web designer has plenty of experience with domains that sound good and are SEO friendly (suitable for search engines). Of course, many domains are already taken, but an equivalent can still be found that is apt and easy to remember. You should avoid complicated words, long phrases, and using the domain ending .sk or .com directly in the domain name, for example www.companynamesk.sk

Your website represents you

Anyone can build a simple website with a CMS. However, creating a quality website with imaginative graphics, well-crafted texts, responsive design, fast loading, SEO optimisation and other additional services is the work of professionals who understand their craft.

Your company website tells the user something about the quality of the services or products you provide. That is why we recommend entrusting your website to professionals. With good preparation before meeting a quality web designer, your website will take on an exceptional dimension and can be built in a short time.