20 Questions to ask your web designer before you get started.
You’ve decided you need a web designer but what should you ask them to make sure they are the right designer for you? Read up on 20 questions you should start with and any great web designer would be happy to answer.
1 CAN I SEE EXAMPLES OF YOUR WORK?
You need to make sure the person designing your site can build professional looking websites. Don’t be afraid to ask to see examples of their work to check if their style matches with what you need.
2 HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE?
It’s important to know whether the designers prices are in line with what you would like to spend on your website. Always find out the total cost before you start. Remember, your website should be an investment in your business. You get what you pay for.
3 HOW MANY ROUNDS OF REVISIONS AM I ALLOWED?
Establish whether you can make suggestions before/during/after your site is built. Most good designers will allow you to make revisions during the design/build process, however, if the designer has done a good job of establishing your needs before the build starts you shouldn’t need too many revisions. It’s good to also note, to many revisions mean delays in getting your site live.
4 WHAT ARE YOUR PAYMENT TERMS & POLICIES?
Always check the payment terms and policies before signing any contracts. You want to make sure both parties are comfortable with the payment terms. Does the designer offer a payment plan or do you need to pay upfront? Find these out early.
5 HOW EASY ARE YOUR WEBSITES TO USE? CAN I EDIT THE WEBSITE MYSELF?
Many new websites are built using a Content Management System which allows anyone to make changes (if you know how to use them). This varies from easy to use to mind-bogglingly difficult. If you plan on maintaining the website yourself, check that the designer is building your website in an easy-to-manage layout/design and that the CMS they use is easy to use.
6 WHAT SUPPORT DO YOU OFFER AFTER THE SITE GOES LIVE?
If you’re not planning on managing the website yourself once it goes live, or even if you are, it’s good to see whether the designer offers support once it’s gone live. You may find yourself busy with other tasks and putting off updating your website, so finding out if your designer can make quick changes for you is good to know.
7 HOW LONG WILL MY WEBSITE TAKE TO BUILD?
Most designers have some form of project scoping document that will establish what you need and how long it will take to build it. If your website is quite complex and you’re getting time quotes of days/weeks be wary. Decide when you’d ideally like to be live before starting and then check whether the designer is happy with this timeframe. Take note, however, the designer may be busy and it may take a little longer than you’d like, but this isn’t a bad thing. Surely it’s good to know your designer is in demand!
8 WILL IT BE A RESPONSIVE SITE THAT WORKS ON MOBILE, TABLET AND DESKTOP?
It has never been more important to make sure your website works over multiple platforms (mobile/tablet/desktop/laptop). Screen sizes all vary so making sure your designer is not only aware of this but builds your website to these specifications is a must.
For a while now Google are penalising websites that don’t work well on mobile. Why would they recommend a site that is going to give the user a bad experience when they can send that user to a site with a great mobile experience? Don’t let your site be penalised over something that is a must.
9 WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF ME DURING THE PROCESS?
As the person whose website is being built, you should want to be involved in the process. After all this is something you’re making an investment in to help build your business isn’t it? Your designer can’t read minds nor can they get access to all your assets unless it’s provided to them. In order to make the design/build process as seamless as possible, make sure you or someone else is on hand to provide the information the designer needs in a timely manner.
Us designers don’t expect you to drop everything when we call or email so maybe outline some times during the process to have regular chats to establish anything outstanding on both sides. Again any delays here will ultimately delay your website.
10 HOW DO I GET A HOLD OF YOU DURING THE PROCESS?
Will you have a contact number? An email address? Will you have booked in 1-2-1’s? Is the person you’re speaking with now even the person who will be building your website? Make sure both you and your designer have established the best way to stay in touch during the design & build process.
11 WHAT WILL YOU NEED FROM ME TO BUILD MY WEBSITE?
A good designer will have a checklist of some sort that they will provide you outlining everything they need in order to complete your website in time. Take time to read this and if you don’t understand anything or are unsure about the timelines ask. Your designer should make sure you are both comfortable with the timelines. Remember this is a two-way process, your need to do your part in order to have your website built on time and correctly.
12 WHO WILL WRITE THE CONTENT FOR MY SITE?
The words on your site are important for a number of reasons. 1, because they help towards the search engines ranking and placement of your site on google (SEO) and 2 because it lets your visitors know what your site is about and the service you provide.
Establish who will be responsible for writing the content of your site before you start. The most successful websites I’ve built are ones where we write the content collectively, my clients would provide me with key phrases they would like to use and I would elaborate on these to build out informative and legible content for their site.
13 WHAT SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION OR MARKETING DO YOU DO FOR THE SITE?
Does your web designer design and build your website and then hand it over to you or do they provide marketing and SEO services? Is this included in your package? Would you like someone else to do this?
As in point number 12, the content on the site has to be written correctly in order for it to be SEO friendly so make sure you know who is doing what.
14 WHAT STRATEGIES WILL YOU USE TO GENERATE REVENUE FOR MY SITE?
During the design phase of your website, a good web designer will ask what your business objectives are for your website. What do you need your site to do? Increase revenue, generate leads, and all of the above. Do you want to advertise your site? This is the time to discuss all these points.
15 WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER OTHER THAN WEB DESIGN?
Most web designers are a dab hand in other fields. SEO marketing and Web Design go hand in hand, as do Web Design and Graphic Design. Does your designer offer more services that can complement your website? If you’re happy with your designer’s web design work check to see if any other services they provide will be useful to you. Surely it’s easier to deal with 1 person instead of multiple.
16 WILL YOU REVIEW MY CURRENT WEBSITE AND ANALYSE IT BEFORE DESIGNING MY NEW SITE?
If you have an existing site your designer should want to have a look over it and suggest bits to keep and reuse and bits to start over on. Red flag if they don’t want to see it or make any suggestions on why and how it can be improved.
17 CAN YOU UPDATE MY EXISTING SITE INSTEAD OF BUILDING A NEW ONE?
Depending on what your website is built with and how it was built, your designer may be able to redesign your existing website. If they can’t they will most likely suggest an alternative platform to build your site on and give you the advantages of this. From my experience sometimes starting from scratch is a much better idea, that way you are not constrained to the platform or the design. You never know, that new platform could be even better to use or manage !
18 HOW WILL MY WEBSITE PROJECT BE MANAGED?
Does the designer have a strict project management plan they work with or is it more free flowing? There’s nothing more frustrating than getting started on your website journey and not knowing what next. Make sure you and your designer have agreed on a plan of action for all stages of the build.
19 HOW MUCH INPUT WILL I HAVE WITH MY WEBSITE DESIGN?
Ultimately the website is your website, therefore you should have as much input as you want BUT remember the reason you chose to have a professional web designer build your site in the first place. They are a professional. They know the best practices and can advise on the best design that will create the best website for your business. Use their knowledge to your advantage.
20 WILL YOU HELP ME GET IMAGES FOR MY WEBSITE?
Most designers have a go to place for stock images if you aren’t providing them for your site. Some will be free and some you may have to pay for. Other designers may be able to point you towards a photographer they have used to help get unique photos for your website. Either way, make sure your photos are high-quality and not blurry
