Don’t hire a website designer until you know these 5 things.
Before you invest your hard earned cash in a brand new bespoke website, make sure you’re asking the right questions.
There are sooo many website designers out there who are amazing at putting together a slick, super polished website, but will fall seriously short when it comes to user experience and strategy. Meaning what? That you’ve ended up with a website that’s super pretty but doesn’t actually do anything to help you reach your goals (aka: bring in leads, convert sales and make your life easier). So ultimately, you’re wasting your money.
Or they might design and build a kick-ass website that does all the things, only to inform you that they actually own your website and you’re held to ransom, paying expensive hosting fees forever more.
There really are so many things that you need to think about when looking for a website designer and they go far beyond aesthetics and price. So don’t sign on the dotted line with the first website designer you see that’s flaunting their pretty websites for a steal. Ask some questions first.
So, what questions do you need to ask a website designer?
Question 1 - Will your website be designed to convert?
Because, let’s be real, pretty does not pay the bills. And it certainly doesn’t get you two weeks at that 5* all-inclusive resort in the Maldives that you’ve been dreaming of.
You need a website that is designed to convert, so that visitors actually do something - whether that’s booking a discovery call, enquiring about your services or joining your mailing list. You need to know what you want your visitors to do and your website designer needs to make that happen. And pretty alone will not make that happen.
What will make that happen? Strategy, planning and research. Your website designer needs to get to know you, your business and your ideal client and they need to know exactly what you want and need your website to do. They then need to put all of this information into the design, holding it front and centre at all times, making sure every design decision hinges around it and that a successful conversion strategy is put in place.
Question 2 - Will your website be setup with solid SEO foundations in place and will it be fast?
Nobody is waiting 10 seconds for your website to load. Not your ideal client. Not your BFF. Not Google. Likewise, you could have the best website in the world, but if no one can find it, then no one is going to be looking at it.
Your website designer needs to optimise your website for speed and for SEO. They need to be researching your target audience and your keywords and building these into each and every page. They also need to be optimising your website for speed, using images with a low file size and avoiding any unnecessary plugins and features that will slow your website down.
It’s true that SEO is a long game that involves many different factors and needs consistent work and refining, but your website designer should be setting you up for success, with solid SEO foundations in place that you can build on.
Question 3 - Will you actually own your website?
If I see another website designer offering to build websites for free, seemingly out of the goodness of their own hearts, I am going to scream. No one is working for free to help you make money. It doesn’t work that way. There is always a catch. And in this case, the catch is that they will own your website and will lock you in to really expensive hosting that you can’t get out of. It will end up costing sooooo much more.
So before you move forward with your website designer, check who will own your website once it’s launched and who has control over where it’s hosted. Platforms such as Squarespace host all of their websites, but you, as the client, should be in full control over this and able to manage your hosting as you see fit. You should also own your domain, emails, content and design files.
Question 4 - What happens after your website launches?
A new website is not a ‘launch it and forget it’ type situation. You want to make sure that your website designer isn’t going to disappear into the void as soon as your website is live. Ask about post-launch maintenance, updates and what happens if you need help with amendments down the line?
A good website designer should be on your team from day 1, cheerleading you and your business and sticking around long after the launch, even if you don’t need anything from them. You should feel confident in knowing that when you do need them, they are there.
Question 5 - What process do they use to make sure your website actually works?
If their process is to “design something pretty”, look elsewhere. Sure, you do want your new website to look s**t hot, but that isn’t all you want. You need a website this is going to work for your business and help you to thrive and grow.
A good website designer will guide you through:
Strategy - Who’s your audience? What are your goals?
User Experience - How do visitors flow through your website? How easy is it to find what they need?
Testing - Does everything actually work ahead of the launch?
For a full breakdown of my bespoke website process, see: Ready for a high-converting website? Here’s a deep-dive into my bespoke process and pricing.
As you can see, there is so much more to hiring a website designer than price and style and it’s really important that you do your research and ask the right questions. If you take the time to do your homework initially, the final result will be so much better for your business.
Find out more about my bespoke websites here and feel free to get in touch with any questions.