As a business owner, you’ve decided to outsource some of the tasks on your plate and hire a website designer. Fantastic! You’ve scheduled a free consultation with the designer to see if you’re a good fit, but what questions should you ask a potential website designer before hiring them?
Here are the top questions to ask any potential website designer before you sign on the dotted line:
“What is Your Design Process Like?”
Every designer is different, and it’s important to make sure that the designer carries out the project in a way that you’re comfortable and happy with. Specifically, you’ll want to know:
– How much will you be involved in the design process?
– How much communication will you have? Does communication take place via phone, email, video calls, etc.?
– How many design revisions are allowed?
It’s important to get these questions answered now so that expectations are clear and there’s no risk of misunderstandings. Speaking of expectations, we now come to our next question…
“Do You Have a Contract?”
This is a big one. If a potential web designer doesn’t have a contract, there’s reason for concern. A contract protects both the client and the designer and ensures that each party knows what’s expected of them before the project begins. Without a contract spelling out exactly what will be required of the designer and client, there’s likely to be confusion and unfulfilled expectations.
More detail means less room for misunderstandings.
“Can You Provide Referrals?”
Ask your potential website designer if they can give you one or two referrals. Past clients are a great source of information and can lend credibility to a website designer. Ask past clients how smoothly the design process was, how professional the designer was, and how much the client was kept “in the loop” during the process.
“Will You Maintain the Website?”
While many designers will provide website maintenance for a fee, there are some who may not for a variety of reasons. Whether this is a dealbreaker for you depends on how much you already have on your plate, what platform the website was built on and how user-friendly it is, and how comfortable you are making changes and updates yourself (i.e. updating plug-ins, themes, etc.).
That leads us to our next question…
“What Services Will the Web Design Project Include?”
This is important to clear up so there’s no room for misunderstandings. Ask the potential website designer if the web design package includes…
- Security
- Copywriting
- Stock Photos
- SEO
- Proofreading
There’s a chance that the website designer doesn’t typically offer these services but would consider offering them for an additional fee.
“How Long Will the Project Take?”
The project timeline will vary by designer and largely depend on how they build the website, the number of other projects they’re currently working on, etc., but it’s important that you have a clear understanding of how long the project will run.
Make sure the timeline will be spelled out in the website designer’s contract and that it’s as detailed as possible. For instance, is the project broken up into two stages (i.e. Preliminary Design and Final Design)? If so, the contract should clearly state the completion dates for each of those stages.
Remember, the more detail, the less room for confusion and misunderstandings.
“Do You Charge an Hourly or Flat Rate?”
Once again, this depends on the website designer, but it’s important to understand exactly how the price for the web design project will be calculated. If the designer charges by the hour, there is the possibility that you may end up spending more than you planned if technical issues arise that need troubleshooting.
“What Tools Do You Use?”
Ask your potential website designer what types of tools they use/recommend such as:
- Content Management Systems (CMS). WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems out there.
- Hosting providers such as SiteGround or Bluehost.
- Contact forms. These can include paid contact forms (such as Gravity Forms) or free ones (such as Contact Form 7).
- Newsletter plug-ins such as Mailchimp.
While there are other questions you can ask a potential website designer, the questions outlined in this blog post are a great starting point and will help ensure that you and your website designer will make a good team.