Articles > Questions to Ask When Assessing a Website Designer

Questions to Ask When Assessing a Website Designer

Choosing a good website designer is different to choosing a website designer who is good for you. There are thousands of designers who are great at what they do, but it is important to find one who you can work well with.

You should treat the assessment and interview process the same way you do when hiring staff. It is worthwhile because the time you spend now will save you money and stress later. You can also use the overall process as an exercise to increase your own knowledge by learning from the feedback and discussions you have with potential designers.

The bottomline is that by choosing the right design partner for your needs you increase the future success of your new website.

It is important to find a company with solid marketing and business development skills that will take the time to understand your needs. Aside from designing a website, it is good to get a company that can partner you on an ongoing basis to develop your site as an evolving communication and marketing tool.

A good first indicator is whether a person you talk to tries to understand your needs and goals first. If they start selling you a solution before asking you questions and understanding your situation then its time to move on. If they immediately confound you with technical jargon so you feel overwhelmed or intimidated then get up and run!

The company you choose needs to have a balance of skills and experience, and an approach that matches your own. Some designers are very creative whilst others are more technical. Ideally it is good to have a blend of both.

Its also important to assess the size and culture of each design company you talk to. Size, internal systems and work style will determine their ability to deliver what you want to your deadline. It will also affect their ability to have a good working relationship with you. You might want to call them every day during the build process, or you might want to leave them to it and get the odd updates. Different designers will have different approaches to communication and managing a project. If you like to talk on the phone then don’t pick a designer that requires you to log requests via their website.

A methodical approach and a detailed design brief, will help you to understand what you are getting into, what both you and the designer need to do, and what the costs are likely to be. Below is a series of questions that will start you off on the right track and help both you and the designer get a clearer idea of what you want. Some of the questions may not be relevant to your specific situation.

Can you show me websites you’ve built that are similar in size, objective or functionality?

Can you show me sites you’ve built in my industry?

Can I have three of your clients to speak to?

What general experience do you have in marketing and business?

Do you have experience in social media and online marketing?

Do you have any industry accreditations or membership of web design groups?

What follow-up would you have with me once the job was completed?

How do you measure the success of your clients' websites?

During the design stage, for the the time I would pay for, how many chances will I get to modify the design before it is finalized?

Will I be able to add other features to the site in the future?

Do you maintain or check your client sites once they are live?

Do you have 24 hour technical support if the site goes down?

If I request a change to the site how long will it normally take you to do it? (within a week for normal work is good)

Do your websites comply with W3C standards? (the World Wide Web Consortium which has quality guidelines)

Do your websites comply with normal website usability criteria?

Do you provide editing and copywriting services? What is the cost?

Can you arrange photography for my new site or get access to stock photos?

Do you provide your own reliable, high-speed, secure hosting? What is the monthly or annual cost?

Are the other sites hosted on your server all credible and not related to gambling or pornography?

How many email addressed would I get with your hosting?

Could I access my email remotely on the internet?

What other features could I add later to my website? (such as a shopping cart, blog or newsfeed if appropriate)

Based on what I have told you do you think I need a Content Management System (CMS) where I could update parts of the site myself, or would it be better if all changes went through you? (if you are confident and want to update your website regularly then a CMS may be better as although it might cost more up front you won’t have to keep going back and paying for updates)

Why do you recommend this option? (check to ensure the designer does understand your situation)

Can you demonstrate this option?

What training or support do you give with your websites?

What does your quote cover?

Does the quote include you loading all the initial content at the start or do I need to do that myself?

Are there any potential extra costs that might come up during the build?

What is your standard rate for design work?

What is your normal rate for technical work? (eg adding a new feature)

Will you notify me up front during the website build if there are going to be possible extra costs?

Do you charge for your time if I ask questions?

At what stages will you invoice me?

After the web site is finished, what ongoing costs do I need to be aware of?

Can you actually optimize my website, if so can you outline the steps please? Do you have an SEO specialist or do you all do a little yourselves? (SEO is so specialized you need a specialist and not just someone who has dabbled in it)

Do you provide ongoing search engine marketing work such as article marketing or directory submissions – what would the cost be for this?

Can you provide ranking reports to show how my website is doing on Google, Yahoo and Bing?

Do you provide any help with webstats analysis to help me improve my site

Can you work with an external SEO company if I choose to use one?

Can you show me how to setup pages on Facebook, Twitter and other online tools – what would the cost be for this?

Can you show me how to setup Google Adwords campaigns – what would the cost be for this?

These questions will give you a clearer idea of which designers can meet your needs. A bonus too is that you will have documented information the designer has told you. This will help if in the future you disagree over what the designer said they would do, and what they completed. Clients often want to want to add or change things on their site once they become more involved in the design process, and this can incur extra costs.

By doing your homework and agreeing a clear brief with the designer you choose, your entire web site development project will run more smoothly, be less stressful, and ultimately should produce a better website for you.