Hiring a web designer: eight top tips


Finding the right web designer can be tough, especially if you know nothing about web design. As with most projects, preparation is key. If you go into a meeting with a potential designer with these eight steps covered, you will be on the right track.

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Know the purpose of your website

As an example, let’s say that you make hats. Is your website’s goal to sell hats directly online, or to generate leads from people who want a hat made for them? Your website needs a single purpose that every page supports.

Make a wish list

Decide which features will help you to achieve your purpose. Examples include an online store and catalogue, social media links and videos.

Decide how much you want to spend

A website is always more expensive than you expect. Once you know what you want, you can compare quotes on the UK Web Design Association site to get a ballpark figure.

Create a basic sitemap

Use paper and pen. Justify each page as you add it, visualising the user journey.

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Look for relevant expertise

Even large companies will go to outside organisations for specific tasks; for example, the BBC used an outside agency to manage its global showcase, as it needed a complex but highly-specialised website. If you want something specific, see who has built something similar before.

Find images

If you want to make a professional web developer run a mile, just say “I download all my pictures from Google for free!”. Images you can legally use on your site come in three varieties: free stock images from sites such as Pexels; paid-for images from sites such as Getty; and the best kind – your own professionally-taken images. Which will you use?

Proofread your text

This is far quicker than changing it once it is on the site.

Get recommendations

Avoid Craigslist, and always hire a professional. How do you find one? Simply type ‘professional web development company in London’ into Google and hey presto, you get thousands of results such as web development services by Redsnapper. This is where you need to look at portfolios and ask for recommendations from friends and business associates.

If you know what you want and are prepared, you will find that choosing the right web designer will be a breeze.