Why Should You Hire a Website Designer?
There are many benefits to hiring a professional web designer. Not only do you save time and effort by allowing experts to handle complex design tasks, but you can also utilise their expertise to ensure the best possible outcome for your website. They will also enhance your visibility and improve your SEO to help your website stand out.
Top 8 Pitfalls to Avoid When Hiring a Website Designer
- Hiring the First Web Designer You Find
- Not Doing Your Research
- Not Hiring the Right Type of Web Designer to Suit Your Business
- Not Setting Your Budget
- Not Asking Questions
- Overlooking SEO
- Not Knowing What Your Website Needs
- Not Thinking About the Future
Looking for a Web Designer?
When hiring a web designer, whether you are a small to large business owner, service provider, or tradesperson, there are numerous reasons to choose them and mistakes to avoid. But ultimately, the choice is yours to make. Choosing the right web design company that aligns with your unique needs is crucial. By doing so, you can ensure that your presence online sets you apart from your competitors and leaves a lasting impression on your potential clients.
Ideally, it would be best if you chose a website designer who excels not only in creating visually pleasing and user-friendly websites but also in implementing Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategies to increase your website’s visibility and ensure it appears at the top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Reasons to Hire a Web Designer
So, why is it important to hire a web designer? Look below for some key benefits of hiring a website designer that can significantly enhance your business’s online presence and performance.
Saves You Time and Effort
Hiring a web designer can significantly save you valuable time and effort that would otherwise be spent attempting to design a website yourself. This allows you to prioritise what you do best – running your business – while the website designer takes care of building the ideal website for you.
Experts in Web Design
Professional website designers are experts in their field, allowing them to efficiently and effectively create your website to a high standard. You can trust their expertise in web design to result in a high-quality, professional-looking website that is easy to navigate and user-friendly, giving you the confidence and security that your website is in good hands.
Enhanced Visibility & SEO
Additionally, their Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) skills can significantly improve your online visibility to help your business grow. With their knowledge and proficiency, they can help your website stand out from competitors while effectively communicating your services or products and branding.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Web Designer
When hiring a web designer, there is a minefield of mistakes you should avoid. Since you are likely just starting out on your web design journey, we have compiled a list of the common pitfalls to steer clear of, ensuring you make an informed decision to choose the right website designer for your business.
Hiring the First Web Designer You Find
Avoid the temptation of hiring the first web designer you come across. Take the time to explore and compare your options. While you might have heard of them through word of mouth or found them on Google, don’t just settle for the first thing that comes across your lap. They may be the right website designer for you, but it is better to explore your options and make sure.
Not Doing Your Research
Before you dive into hiring your web designer, it is essential to conduct thorough research. This includes reading and reviewing customer testimonials to gauge their satisfaction and the quality of their work.
Additionally, exploring the website designers’ portfolios to assess their style, creativity, and expertise will give you a good idea of whether they will be a good fit for your business.
Check out other websites you like the look of to gather inspiration and identify the kind of design that resonates with you.
Don’t forget to look at multiple web designers, not just one. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket only to find that they’re not right for you later down the line.
Not Hiring the Right Type of Web Designer to Suit Your Business
Whether you opt for a freelancer, agency, or in-house team, the type of web designer you choose should align with the specific needs of your business. Consider their expertise, experience, and ability to understand and fulfill your requirements.
If you want to know more, take a look at our article on What Are the Different Types of Web Designers? We also cover what makes a good website designer great, including a range of criteria such as communication, expertise, specialisation, longevity, honesty & transparency, support, reviews, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), User Experience (UX), and device compatibility.
Not Setting Your Budget
Setting a budget is a vital step in your decision process. Compare the costs and services different web designers offer to determine the best fit for your business. However, don’t just go for the cheapest option. While you might save money on designing your website, cheaper options have potential drawbacks, and you tend to get what you pay for. (If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!)
Conversely, don’t go for the most expensive option either. You should go for the website designer that best suits your needs. Don’t pay over the odds for all the bells and whistles if it isn’t within your budget. Only you can decide how much you can afford. If you want to learn more about web design costs, feel free to check out How Much Does a Trades Website Cost? And How Much Does SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Cost in the UK?
Not Asking Questions
When hiring a web designer, it is vital to ask the right questions, including enquiring about the Content Management System (CMS) being used and its suitability for your business needs. What other services do they provide? Find out about the range of additional services they also offer, such as SEO, paid ads (PPC), social media, or logo design.
While you might consider just having a good-looking yet practical website, you may find that website designers offer other services, such as enhancing your business’ branding with a new logo or Socia Media Marketing, optimising your website with SEO, or combining it with PPC.
Do they fit your budget and timeline? Additionally, do they specialise in creating websites for your industry? Do they provide the support you need? Will they help your business grow?
Overlooking SEO
Do not overlook the importance of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Make sure that the web designer understands and incorporates SEO best practices for better visibility and ranking on search engines like Google or Bing.
Feel free to read our article on SEO to discover more about the types of SEO and what they involve.
Not Knowing What Your Website Needs
Whether your website is for e-commerce, brochure, blog, customer interaction, or showcasing your services or products, you should understand what it truly needs. Do you need a booking system or quotation form? How many service, product, landing, or category pages do you need? What do you want it to look like? What features would you like to include?
If you have an idea of what you want your website to include but don’t communicate with the web designer, you may find that your desired website doesn’t meet your expectations. Make sure you collaborate with your website designer. You’re the expert in your business, so let them know as many details as possible about the services you provide or the products you offer.
Not Thinking About the Future
The most common mistake when hiring a website designer is not considering the future. Remember to think about scalability, adaptability, and the potential for future expansion and enhancements of your website as your business grows and evolves.
Once your website is live, will the website designer support you with maintenance and updates?
Has your website been SEO-optimised? SEO isn’t something that can be stopped and started. It must be ongoing in order to reach the top of search engine results pages.
Need a Web Designer for Your Service-Related Business or Trade?
If you need a web designer for your service-related business or trade, the Web Design and SEO Company can help. We specialise in providing New Websites and SEO Services for tradespeople and service-related businesses.
Get in Touch
If you are interested in our SEO-optimised Websites and SEO Services, head to our Online Shop for Websites for Small Businesses and Tradesmen. Alternatively, if you have unique functionality and/or styling requirements, Book a Call with us for a Bespoke Website Design.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to explore our Knowledge Hub, where you’ll find FAQs and useful resources, such as Blogs, Videos, and even eBooks on choosing the right website design company and SEO agency for your Trades or Small Business.
You can also reach us by calling 01752 291865, messaging us on WhatsApp on 07457 404241, completing our contact form, or starting a Live Chat now!