Choosing the right designer is critical to your online success. Lets look at the things to consider.
Firstly, in selecting a shortlist of suitable web designers don’t pick one from the sponsored listings in Google, Why? Simply because these are paid listings, it tells you nothing of the skills that the
web designer has in getting a website to rank in the search results. Do a search for a web designer in your town, for instance Web designer St Helens or Web Design St Helens then pick one of the top three organic results (the ones underneath the adverts).
Alternatively do a search for SEO in your area so for instance, SEO Merseyside. This is a fiercely competitive industry so you can be sure that the top three results are relatively skilled at getting websites seen on search engines and ultimately that is what it is all about.
How Much Will It Cost?
Secondly, is finding a web design company that will create your site within your budget. Expensive isn’t always best and nor is the cheapest web designer in town. You’ll usually find a middle of the road figure that isn’t too cheap or too expensive. Expect to pay anything from a few hundred pounds to over a thousand depending on the size of the website that you want designed.
One of the most common errors that people make when choosing a web designer or when having a website designed is that they go for a flashy looking website and put that as a priority over content.
Ask yourself this, the last time you did a Google search to look for something, what was it you were looking for? Usually you’ll find that anybody searching is looking for relevant information, of course the website needs to look presentable but more importantly it needs quality content. This is the one major underlying factor that affects website performance. If the content is poor then customers and search engines wont find it appealing.
What Is Included In The Web Design Cost?
Some web design companies charge more for providing content than they do for the design. Gwiz Web Design always work with the customer to create content as the site is being built. Very often we’ll ask you for outline information, This may be in the form of product literature, your own sales brochures and letters or even an email from you outlining your services and products. From there we craft the content for your new website to ensure that it is relevant to the market that we are targeting.
A good web designer will offer advice on domain names, hosting options, and how to manage the website once it’s up and running. Web design is no longer just a matter of building a website and publishing it. There’s a whole host of other avenues to explore such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.
How Will The Website Be Built?
One rather important thing to consider is how the website is going to be built. Gwiz predominantly use WordPress which is a Content Management System (CMS). There are several similar systems on the market some of which are very good. WordPress is used by such companies as Sony, VW, Forbes Ebay, New York Times, Katy Perry, UPS and many more. It has everything that a modern search friendly web design needs and more importantly it is very easy to add and edit content once the website is designed. You can even update it from a mobile phone! Some designers still use static websites, designed locally on a computer and coded from the ground up. These types of websites still have a place in specialised applications but for the main a WordPress website can provide all the functionality, looks and SEO friendliness that any small to medium business could want.
The Most Important Thing To Consider When Choosing A Web Designer
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly of all, you need to be able to work with your web designer. It’s important that you chat on the phone and even meet your designer, you need to feel comfortable working with him or her. Chances are it’ll be a long working relationship and so it has to feel right for you from the start. Inevitably I’ve ended up being great friends with most of my clients as we work closely not just as the site is being built but also as the site grows and develops. I take several calls, emails and Facebook messages a week from clients and friends who just want to run something by me and need a chat and my opinion.
Web Design St Helens
I hope that this has given you food for thought, if you’d like a chat about a new web design or if you have an existing website that isn’t performing then please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.
Web Designer St Helens | Web Design Merseyside | Choosing a Web Designer | Web Designer Liverpool
