HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT WEB DESIGNER – PART 3
21. How are your services priced?
The end cost to you for your website design project will vary greatly from company to company. The pricing structures are usually based on the scope of work, the number of personnel working on your project and overheads such as location, staff and materials used. One great way to save on all of these is to find an independent designer who can still deliver your project to a high standard, but without all of the unnecessary outlay of a big agency.
22. Is any of the work you will be doing outsourced?
When a vast array of services is offered by anyone design firm, it sometimes becomes necessary to outsource some of the more specialist work to outside companies. Things such as app development, SEO and programming can be an entirely separate entity from web design and take years to perfect when done correctly. This isn’t a bad thing, in fact, you are getting a range of specialists here all controlled by one person, so you don’t have to do the leg work. Just be sure to check who will be doing the work and also to check their credentials and company history.
23. What is included in my final project?
It’s important to know exactly what you’re paying for when you hand over your hard-earned cash. Be sure that you have full control and rights over what has been signed over to you. If hosting is included make sure that you know to what end, also, do you always have free access to it along with backups? Having to pay money for maintenance if you don’t want to edit the site yourself should also be a topic you bring up with your designer at an early stage.
24. How will the pricing structure work after the project is completed and I need extra work doing on the website?
You may even want to add to or change the project as it is materialising. Find out from your designer if there is a fixed cost involved in any changes and also the aftercare of the website. Also how much will the monthly hosting charges be along with any other extras that you have opted for?
25. Will my website be fully responsive and compatible?
Having your website display correctly on all mobile devices is a must in today’s market. Will your site need replicating to a mobile-friendly version or will this be programmed in from the start of the build so that one website will work on all devices and platforms? Find out which option the design company will choose and ask why that route is their go-to option. Make sure the end product has been well tested by the designer on all devices and platforms/browsers.
26. Do you include ON PAGE SEO into all of your websites?
Many designers will include a base level of SEO into all of their designs. This can range from keywords and image tags all the way down to simply using a solid foundation and code. Many themes and site builders like Wix use awful code that will work against you, should you want to rank even sensibly on search engines like google. A good idea would be to employ a separate company for your SEO once the website is complete to check for any major issues – your web designer may even do all of this for you.
27. How are keywords determined for my website?
An essential marketing component of your website is to have the relevant keywords present on each page. Again, it may be a good idea to have a separate SEO company to take the reins after the design has been completed as it is a very specialist role. This is particularly important should you wish for your website to rank organically based on its content. This is by far the best method for ranking in places such as Google and has a very strong foundation.
28. Do you perform other SEO services?
If your company does intend to take control of your onward off-page SEO services, make sure you ask for some case studies and proof that they are up to the task. Also see if this can be included as part of a deal with the initial web design, however, be mindful that they will rarely measure up to a dedicated SEO company.
29. Do you A/B test for conversions?
Conversion and usability testing is a great way to see how your website is performing regarding optimisation and conversion rates. Ask your designer if they provide A/B split testing after the design.
30. A content management system is basically the back end of your website where you (and your designer) will spend most of the time editing and adding items. This is also where all of the core platform code and any plugins used will need to be updated on a weekly basis. You will want to find out if it is a web-based interface if it supports WordPress and e-commerce platforms such as Woocommerce or Shopify. It is also very important to know if this system is still updated regularly by the developer and also if it works on all modern devices and platforms. You may want to ask if any training is provided to edit and expand your website at a later date. Youtube can usually answer most questions on this but if you have any specialised apps or plugins, you will need to ask the designer for training and perhaps videos for you to refer to later.
