Choosing A Web Designer – 7 Questions To Ask First

A meeting with a web design company is like having an interview. You want to ensure their business is genuine, and you want to get a sense for the personality and culture of the company. Take the time to carry out a phone interview or meet in person, and to ask these fundamental questions. Building a relationship and keeping an open line of communication with a web designer from the start helps make your project a success from the start.

Keep reading to learn the 7 questions to ask your website designer!

1. How experienced is the web agency?

If the web designer you’re approaching has only been designing websites for a year or two, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but industry experience can be incredibly valuable. Look for website agencies who have five or more years of experience.

2. Can you show me some websites you have designed?

Trustworthy web designers or agencies will be more than happy to share their portfolio of past work, or even offer testimonials from the clients. If you get any resistance here, it’s time to look for another designer.

3. How long will it take to design my website?

There’s not a correct answer to this. If you are pushed for time, and the web designer’s response is “four months,” you should look for a web design company with more resources that can better accommodate your needs. Check to see if they fit your needs and always allow extra time for unexpected issues or changes in the web design.

4. How many changes are you willing to make?

“As many as it takes…” should be the answer to that question. Dependable web designers do not limit the number of revisions, charge you for more than a set number of changes to your web design in the initial stages, or tell you that something can’t be changed. As the customer, you must be ecstatic with the final product, after all!

5. How will we communicate during the design process?

Once again, the answer to this question will give you a reflection about how closely the agency or web designer will work with your team. Sometimes designers use email to communicate, while others rely on project management software.

Make sure your intended designer has an answer to this question: constant communication is needed throughout a website redesign or a new design to keep things moving smoothly, and your designer should be the one organising said communication.

6. Is any SEO integrated when designing my website?

Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is an integral part of any new website. If you do not have a team working on the content or SEO of your website, ask the web agency this question. They should have a comprehensive SEO plan for you. If they don’t, look for a design company that specialises in SEO—it will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

SEO is something that should be integrated into your website’s design from the very beginning, not added in at the end. Since the optimisation of your website affects how highly it ranks on Google, it also affects how many new leads or sales you receive from it. Creating a new website with no SEO plan of some sort is not a good idea, so check with your design agency to make sure it is something they do!

7. How much will my new website cost?

Lastly, one of the most important questions to ask your web designer is what will my website cost. The answer to this question will always differ. The cost of a website usually depends on several factors, including:

• The web designer’s experience
• The size of the website
• The site’s functionality
• The number of people involved in the process

It’s always a good idea to communicate your budget before you get too far into the planning stage. If it’s not possible to build your website within your parameters, you will want to know that before hiring a web designer.

You know without a doubt what you can and can’t afford. So do not be afraid to say “no,” or to ask for a discount. If you don’t agree with the quote you’re given, remember you don’t have to accept it. But please remember one thing: you get what you pay for, and a cheap website often has many downsides.

Why ask a web designer questions?

Asking questions is a fantastic way to get to know the web designer or a web agency. It’s also a great way to catch someone off guard and check the way they react to something they couldn’t foresee.

When you receive a quote from a web designer, everything written in it has been thought out in advance and planned. But when you ask questions, you’re putting the web designer on the spot for their answers. This allows for a better idea of what they are really about.

These questions mentioned above, you should ask your web designer or agency, is by no means complete or all-out. You can ask these questions in person at a meeting, over the phone, or even in an email if you like—but the first two options are better since you’ll get an immediate response that way.

You can ask the designer you’re thinking about working with whatever you feel is best. This may mean finding out more about their experience with your industry and if they’ve ever designed websites like yours before, or what they know about the type of design you want.

Don’t be scared to ask questions when you’re searching for a web designer to work with. If you ever get the feeling that you’re a bother to the designer, it’s probably time to walk away. A trustworthy web design business should always be willing to help you and be accomodating too!

Are you ready to ask some questions?
If you’re looking for a web designer to work with, why not give Clickmode a try? We have years of experience designing and creating functional, stunning, and engaging websites for our clients—and we’d love to do the same for you, too.

You already know that you must have your questions ready to ask us, so give us a call at 082 203 4180 or email us! We would love to hear from you. We can also help you decide whether you need to hire a web designer or a developer.