Hot Metal Learning Center

Choosing A Web Designer

Finding a Web designer can be quite a task. after all, how do you know if the designer is any good? Freelancer, design studio, advertising firm, their not all created equal. When you hire a designer you want their expertise but you also want your own ideas being implemented. Make sure you get what you pay for.Your paying this person to translate your ideas into information that will be useful to your customers on the internet.

Here's what you should expect from a good Web designer:

Several Sterling References.

Call or email the references and ask how well the designer worked with the customer. Did the designer meet expectations? Was the schedule met? Where there unexpected cost at the end?

A Trail Of Good Web Sites.

Visit several of the Web sites designed by that person or firm and examine the work. Are the pages attractive? Are the sites easy to navigate? Do the sites have a look and feel appropriate to the Web site? Do any of the sites take an inappropriate time to load?

A Clear List Of What Is And Isn't Provided In The Web Design Project.

Will the designer put your site on the internet for you? Will the designer notify search engines that your site is available? How many pages will your finished site contain?

The Ability To Optimize Your Site For Search Engines.

Find a designer who understands how to perfect your site so that customers can find you.

A Delivery Schedule.

The designer needs deadlines in order to know when you need the site up and running.

Milestones.

Will the designer give you a chance to approve or disapprove of the site at each step along the way.

A Clear Estimate Of The Cost—all the cost!

A Professional Product.

The various pages on your site should all have a unified look and feel.

Your designer should expect professionalism from you, too. Here's what your designer can expect from you. Be sure your providing the following:

A Clear Sense Of Purpose.

You should communicate the way you want your site to look and feel. Flashy? Understated? Jam-packed with information?

The Content For Your Site.

You can't expect a Web designer to know your business as well as you do. You must provide logos, information, or whatever you promised to the designer in a timely manner.

A List Of A Few Sites That You Like.

The sites don't have to be in your same line of work, though.

A Mind That's Made Up.

f you change your mind a little bit, that's to be expected. But no one can work with a person whose mind isn't made up.

Prompt Payment

Enough said.