You have a website right? You may have one that is for your business or you may just have one for fun. So maybe you’ve decided you need a new and/or improved website. And may have also decided that you do not want to create and build it yourself and that you want to hire someone to do it for you.
First, determine if this is a personal or business website. Also, if it is a business website, is it for informational purposes only or will you be letting people purchase or order products. You’ll need to have a clear understanding of the type of website you want.
Ask for recommendations from business peers, friends, or family. Make a list and narrow it down to three candidates. You will then be able to compare them side-by-side in terms of experience, style, and cost.
Make sure you take a look at each designers’ portfolio to get an idea of their style of work. Also, look at other websites and pick out a few examples of what you like, as well as their similarity to your ideas.
Ask the potential candidates to explain their creative and design approach. Some designers concentrate on presenting information while others may concentrate on design or technical aspects. You should determine if the designer leans heavily to one side or the other — technical or design.
Find out what their recommendations are for your website including content arrangement, solutions to your needs, and how best to solve technical issues. Show the designers the websites that you like. Make sure you feel confident that the designer actually understands what you like and is not trying to push his or her own design ideas exclusively.
Finally, discuss their fees. Make sure you understand what the fees includes such as hosting, design, copywriting, and so on.