7 Questions to Ask a Web Designer (and Yourself!) Before You Hire Them

Jackie L.

It's one thing to know you need a web designer, and another to know who to hire. These questions to ask a web designer will help you figure everything out!

There are almost 75,000 web design businesses scattered throughout the U.S. today with nearly 150,000 employees working at them. These businesses generate about $34 billion in revenue each year.

All of this means that, if you're looking to hire a web designer right now, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a good fit. There is certainly no shortage of viable options to choose from.

But in order to find the best possible person for the job, there are certain questions to ask a web designer that you should run through when meeting with one. The answers you get back will tell you a lot about a web designer and let you know if they're the right person to design your website.

Take a look at 7 questions to ask a web designer before you officially bring them on board below.

1. How Long Have You Been Designing Websites?

The first thing you're going to want to ask a web designer when you sit down with them for the first time is how long they've been in the web design business.

Ideally, you want a web designer who has been working on websites for quite some time now. They should be able to show you some samples of the work they've done for different individuals and businesses in the past.

You should spend some time clicking around on the sites a web designer has created for others. It'll give you a great feel for how they go about designing sites and, maybe more importantly, show you how responsive those sites are once they're finished with them.

2. Will You Be the Point Person for My Web Design Project?

The next thing you want to discuss with a web designer is how hands-on they are when it comes to working with their clients.

Believe it or not, there are some web designers who will meet with you, sell you on their excellent services, and then have someone else at their business do most of the dirty work for them. This might make life difficult for both of you if you encounter any issues along the way.

You want to work with a web designer who is going to be the point person for your entire web design project. If you have a problem with something they've designed, you want to be able to hash it out with them directly so that you're both on the same page.

3. Do You Use Templates for Web Design or Start From Scratch?

There are some web designers who use templates to design the websites they work on. There are others who prefer to start from scratch and customize websites to fit the needs of those they work with.

You can get a great website regardless of which direction your web designer decides to go. But if they use a template, your site could potentially end up looking just like a lot of other sites out there, including some of your competitors' sites.

On the other hand, if you go with a completely custom site, there could be bugs that pop up along the way and slow your site down in the beginning. Only you can decide which option sounds better for you at this point in time.

4. What If I Don't Love Your Initial Website Design?

There is a chance that you might not love the initial website design that your web designer comes up with. Then what?

A good web designer will sit down with you and listen to your critiques of the site before making changes so that the site works better for you. A bad web designer will stubbornly refuse to make any changes and try to tell you that what they did is what is going to work for you.

You need someone who is going to take constructive criticism and use it to improve upon what they created. Otherwise, you're going to butt heads with your designer and end up with a site you don't necessarily want to use.

5. How Long Does It Take You to Design a Website?

Are you in a rush to design a website and push it live? If so, you don't want someone who is going to drag their feet and take weeks or even months to design your website.

At the same time, you might be OK with giving a web designer a little extra time if you're asking for a lot and expecting something amazing. It all depends on your specific schedule and how soon you're planning to launch your website.

6. Do You Offer Assistance With SEO?

You can put together the most beautiful website in the world. But if it doesn't have great content on it that is designed to draw traffic in, it might not work very well for you.

In addition to offering web design services, a web designer should also be able to supply you with search engine optimization. By putting an emphasis on SEO, you can bring in more organic traffic to your site and allow the world to see what a great job your designer did on it.

7. How Much Do Your Web Design Services Cost?

Cost shouldn't be the first thing you consider when you come up with questions to ask a web designer. If your only concern is cost, you need to rethink your priorities.

But you're probably going to need to stick to a budget when designing a website. So don't forget to ask how much a web designer charges at some point. You don't want to fall in love with a designer only to find out that they charge too much later.

Keep These Questions to Ask a Web Designer in Mind

Arm yourself with these questions to ask a web designer and fire away during your initial meeting with them.

Web designers shouldn't have any problem talking about everything from their experience level to their rates. It'll set you up with the information you need to choose the designer that would be right to design your site.

Contact us to find out about the web design services we can offer to you today.

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