Yesterday, I was on one of Meath LEO’s TOV webinars and having worked with many successful applicants for the TOV support in various counties over the years, we’re aware that some business owners often have the financial support in place before they identify who the supplier is they intend to work with.

To help you out in terms of how to choose the best web designer for your business, I’ve put together some thoughts on that based on our own experience.

1. They should ask you questions
   
   It’s your business that the site needs to promote and you’re the one with a vision for it.You probably know more about your industry and your customers than the web designer will. You’ll certainly know more about your business goals.

   So your web designer should be asking you plenty of questions to better understand your whole vision before they can consider what needs to be put in place for you.

   If they ask very few questions and start to quickly propose some ‘one size fits all’ offering after you first speak with them, then maybe ( no, definitely! ) look for a different web designer.

2. They should suggest ideas
   
   Having listened to what you have in mind, an experienced and/or creative web designer should have various ideas to propose to you.

   Maybe they’ve worked with other clients in the same industry, maybe they’ve previously needed to reach the same target audience as you or maybe they have delivered technical functionality which is appropriate to your needs.

   Whatever your vision, they should be bringing some ideas to the table.

   If a web design agency just notes down all your requests and then tries to go off and build something without any of this, then they’re not really adding value. Your web designer should be bringing some expert knowledge based on their experience which compounds your own expert knowledge creating a fantastic outcome.

   Note: please be open to your web designer’s ideas, this is what they do after all! 😉

3. They should have a strong portfolio
   
   The best way to believe that someone will deliver a successful website for you is to see what they have delivered for others.

   So ask or check their website for their portfolio and visit their client sites.

   If you see sites in a similar sector to your own, ask about these sites. If you see a particular design style you like, ask about that. Ask about the platforms used.

   A professional web designer will be happy to talk about their previous projects and discussing various design styles, language, typography, imagery, usability etc will help you imagine new possibilities and help get you both on the same wavelength.

4. Will they still love you tomorrow?
   
   Many of our clients have first come to us because they initially used someone who is simply no longer providing web design services.

   It may be someone who did Digital Marketing in college, then worked as a freelance web designer for a few years before moving on to something or somewhere else.

   This can leave a client with issues around ownership or control of domains and hosting, problems around site access and the ability to get future updates done.

   Only a successful web design company providing a good service is likely to be around to support your own business into the future.

   A true test of a web design company’s ability is their longevity.

5. They should have experience of various Sectors & Industries
   
   While it can be useful if a web designer has experience of your industry, you don’t want them to only have experience of your industry!

   A website should be specific to the business it represents. So every website should have its own set of design and content considerations. You want to know your web designer is capable of delivering a website tailored to your own specific needs.

   Having knowledge of your industry is certainly a good thing but you want them to have a broader level of experience to ensure they are aware of all the possibilities for your site.

6. They can show you their process
   
   The best web design companies have a clear web site development process.

   Following this systematic plan with their clients helps everyone to understand responsibilities, to avoid feature creep, to ensure content is identified and gathered on time and ensures successful project delivery on time and on budget.

   This type of approach proves that the web design company has the experience you need so that similar success is brought to your business.

7. They are aware of the overall Digital Marketing picture
   
   The best web design companies should be capable of doing more than just build you an initial website and ideally your relationship with them will not end there.

   A reputable web design agency will have a broader range of online marketing knowledge covering email newsletters, organic and paid social media, content creation including video, SEO and PPC.

   Your website will be like a base camp for all your online marketing efforts and your web designer needs to be able to give you advice and direction on other areas beside web design as they will also play an important role in driving traffic to your site.

8. Cheapest isn’t best

   Your website is one of the most important investments you will make in your business. Done well, it will generate revenue. Done poorly, it will simply be a cost.

   A well-delivered site may be in place for a number of years before it is completely rebuilt and so the actual cost per annum is often very affordable compared to any other form of lead generation and customer support.

   A successful site is like a high-performing employee who is there 24/7 delivering for the business. And like a high-performing employee who is helping to increase your revenues, it’s a worthwhile investment to make.