As a business owner, you know how crucial a good website is for your company. It is your online business card and so much more than that. Your website is how you attract visitors, generate leads, increase conversions, and improve your bottom line. It is one of the main things that define your online presence. Make a mistake, and you lose opportunities to grow. Therefore, tips for choosing a web design company that gets the work done are never enough! If you can’t afford to or don’t need to take on someone full-time, you can always rely on a freelance web designer. But, although a freelancer will unlikely be a permanent member of your team, you still need to make sure you know what to look for in a web designer before hiring one. Thus, keep in mind the main traits of a reliable freelance web designer!
What to look for in a web designer
Your web designer needs to possess more than just technical skills and knowledge. Sure, they will need to know how to develop a responsive and easy-to-navigate website. They should also be able to offer you advice on the best practices and design solutions. Your designer should also keep website security in mind and know how to keep it safe. These are all things that will ensure you rank well.
And while these skills are imperative, they will mean little if your web designer lacks some other qualities that will ensure your cooperation is productive. Here is what to look for in a web designer:
- Excellent communication skills
- Creativity
- Great portfolio
- Superb work ethic
- Knowledge of SEO
Excellent Communication Skills
Every collaboration should be based on good communication. That’s the only way to ensure the work goes without a hitch.
To get it right when searching how to find the right web designer, first, you need to think about your business. You want to find a web designer who can understand your business goals and transfer them to the design of your website! For them to do that, excellent communication is a must. Any miscommunication is a surefire way to mistakes, delays, additional costs, and frustration.
It is also necessary for a web designer to be able to collaborate with other members of your team, especially since they will have to work with professionals in various fields, including:
- Marketing
- Programming
- SEO specialists
Finally, there is no good communication or collaboration without honesty. Your freelance web designer should be open about things they know and don’t know. If they take on a project that surpasses their abilities, it will lead to delays and errors that might be hard to fix.
Creativity
Web designer and creativity are inseparable. A web designer’s job requires them to think of solutions that will either improve the existing website or create something entirely new. If they lack creativity, they will get nowhere. Many designers tend to create similar designs, so all their work is repetitive and a lot of the same. You want your website to stand out, and it’s only possible if it’s original. Also, your web designer is one of the ways to create your brand, and if it looks like many others, how can you develop a recognisable brand?
Great Portfolio
An expansive portfolio is how you will see how much experience a web designer has. If they have worked on many different projects, they will be able to think of creative solutions for what you need.
So, it would be best for your business choosing a website designer with a portfolio that showcases diverse work, which can tell you how capable they are. Their portfolio will also show you how creative they are and can even shed light on their problem-solving skills, which are crucial for web designers. Every project comes with challenges and issues that require innovative and fresh solutions. These issues often need to be dealt with efficiently and immediately before the following problem can arise.
When checking out a freelancer’s portfolio, don’t be put off if they only share a few links to their previous work. That’s more than enough to gauge how well they can do their job.
Superb Work Ethic
Freelance web designers need to have a great work ethic. They will collaborate closely with their clients, and they should be able to work to a deadline and ensure that everything is delivered on time.
A part of the responsibility here lies with you, though, because you are the one who has to define essential milestones and deadlines and create a timeline your web designer can follow. Of course, it’s always wise to consult with them and make sure that the timeline is realistic, so there are no unnecessary issues down the line.
A reliable freelance web designer must have self-discipline and a passion for dealing with deadlines. If they don’t possess these internal drives, they will be unlikely to finish the job on time. A reliable designer must respect a client’s time and budget. Moreover, they need to have a passion for web design. If that component is missing, they will struggle with creativity and finding new and unique solutions. Consequently, that will reflect on the quality of your website and its ability to attract new clients or customers.
Knowledge of SEO
Search engine optimisation is a critical aspect of any website. That’s how search engines discover you and post you towards the top results for search queries. While your web designer will likely work with an SEO expert, they must understand the basics of website optimisation to incorporate them in their work as they go.
For example, every piece of code they write will affect your website’s loading time. If your website ends up too slow, your bounce rates will increase, and your rank will drop. Besides website security and easy navigation, website speed will affect user experience, and user experience is among the most crucial ranking factors.
The Bottom Line
Web design is a fun and creative job, but it’s far from easy. When it comes to choosing a website designer, you have to be careful. Besides technical skills that go without saying, you need to ensure that you can communicate effectively with the person you choose and that they are open and honest. That’s the only way you’ll succeed if you’re searching how to find the right web designer for your business, a person who REALLY can do the job for you well.
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