Hiring a web designer is one of the most important decisions you can make when starting a business. After all, this person or agency will create the online face of your business. Your potential customers will base their initial opinion of you as a company based on the design of your website. With that being said, you shouldn’t just give the job to the person that offers you the cheapest price. Make sure you learn a thing or two about web design before hiring someone to do the project. By doing this, you’ll know exactly what to look for in a web designer.

Know What You Want

Simply telling someone that you need a website for your business is not enough if you want to be satisfied with the end result. You’ll have to really think about what you want your website to look like before you start hiring. For example, think about whether you would rather have a more traditional website or something more modern. Do you want something that is going to be visually stunning or would you prefer something minimalistic?

In case you don’t know how to explain exactly what you want to the web designer, you should select a dozen websites you admire and write down everything you like about them. This will help the designer understand what your website should look like.

Take Your Time

It’s important to take your time when hiring. Although you can find a lot of freelancers online to create your website, sometimes it’s best to hire your local Kansas City web designers. Doing this will allow you to meet up with them in person and discuss the project. Make sure you check out all the different options you have before making a decision. Note that although hiring someone online may be cheaper, local web designers may be able to provide you with a better design since you’ll work with them in person.

Ask Relevant Questions

Since you’re in charge of the hiring process, it’s on you to come up with relevant questions. In case you’re tech-savvy you could ask web designers something that will test their knowledge. However, it’s also important to ask questions like when they can start and what their average turn-around time is. Make sure you know who is actually doing the work. Sometimes people will actually outsource part of the project or the whole thing. This can be quite an issue when there is a problem with the website and the developer can’t fix it because he didn’t actually make it.

Check Their Communication Skills

Great communication skills are incredibly important when it comes to web design. To ensure the project is a success, the web designer that you hire should send you updates regarding the website often. Of course, the project itself should show off these skills of the developer since the website will be used to communicate your ideas to the outside world.

Ask for References

While portfolio samples will definitely help you see what a web designer or agency can do, references will show you how it is to work with them. This is one of the most important steps in the hiring process since it will help you avoid hiring the wrong person. Note that you should never hire someone just because they have great skills. If you want someone who will deliver the project on time and who’ll communicate with you properly, then you should definitely check their references.

Website Maintenance

While some developers offer continued services for website maintenance, others don’t. Keep in mind that this is not a deal-breaker, but simply something you should ask about before you hire a web designer. Those that do website maintenance even after the job is done will ensure your site is functioning properly at all times.