The 1st step to searching a website designer is to explore a few different ones. Just don’t hire the first one you speak with. Here are some places to begin looking:

• Referrals – Referrals are your safest bet for finding good web designers. If you are active on social networks, you should pose the question to your fans or followers.
• Search engines – use search engines to find web designers in your geographic location. Meeting with a local designer can be very helpful when creating web outlines, storyboards and helping them understand the vision you want for your website.
• Directories – Directories are sites, which list individuals or companies who provide web design services.
• Freelance job sites – You can also browse sites like Upwork or Upwork to find freelancers with the skills you need.
• Use existing partners – Ask your trusted business partners, such as your IT Services Providers or Web Hosting Company.

Tips when choosing a designer:

Once you’ve compiled a list of potential web designers, use the 4 tips below to narrow your list even further.

• Portfolio – Look through their portfolio (list of their recent web designs) to get a sense of the designer’s style and types of projects they have done.
• Industry/vertical specialty – Web designers come with all types of skills, some may be more skilled in graphic design while others are stronger in development or programming. A good web designer will have expertise in both but also extremely important is an expert in marketing (see tip below).
• Reputation – Testimonials on the designer’s website as well as referrals from current/previous customers are a must. If they are active in social media, check out their accounts and see what people are saying about them.
• Marketing – You want your designer to be an expert in search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM) as well as other online marketing services. A nice looking website will offer you little to no success if people aren’t able to find you via search engines. Do a search for a few of the designers’ recent projects in Google and see where they rank.

Ask for a quote (proposal):

After narrowing your list to the few you need to start collecting proposals. Contact the designer and provide them with a short brief of your project. This will ensure that the designer has all the necessary information to provide you an accurate quote. Your brief should include:

• Background of your business.
• Your website goals and audience.
• Specific deliverables of the project (i.e. logo, custom design or templates).
• Example of website designs that you like.
• Include any necessary backend integration to a database, customer portal, etc.
• Your deadline.

Last but not least, make sure you feel comfortable communicating with the designer. The rapport between you and your designer will ensure a great working relationship and the website you want.

The post How to Find a Website Designer appeared first on Greenhouse Design Group.