By Erich Fruchtnicht
So you’re in the market for a website. This is a momentous occasion! Your options are nearly limitless when it comes to the wide world of websites, and many new comers can be overwhelmed. To help you navigate what can be a maddening array of information, I plan to use the next few columns to address some of the most common areas to cause consternation.
Firstly, before you can even begin the process of picking colors or planning dynamic features, you need to find a web designer. There are many to choose from and they are of varying quality, capabilities, and experience.
I believe that the two most important characteristics of a successful web designer are communication and responsiveness. If you can not communicate with your designer, then you are sunk before you begin. By communication I mean that you and your designer share a common language. I have had the opportunity to help many frustrated website owners who had first directly contacted a foreign design firm with the hopes of saving money. While there may be a perceived initial savings, you may end up spending much more time trying to resolve miscommunications and ultimately have to end up starting over.
Additionally, if your designer is not responsive you will have difficulty correcting errors or completing the design process on time. By responsiveness, I mean that you can not reach the designer by phone or email and that they do not return your calls in a timely manner. Both of these troubles can end up costing you the precious time that, as a small business owner, needs to be spent on growing your business.
Another consideration is whether you look for a designer locally or expand your search across multiple cites and states. Having a local designer may be something you wish to consider as it makes face-to-face meetings a possibility, but in today’s age of video conferencing and conference calls you may find that a designer who is farther away physically may be easier to communicate with and a better fit for your long term design goals. Ultimately, on this issue, I would recommend that you examine the portfolio of the designer to see if they can produce the quality you require. Checking the BBB records is also a good idea.
Consider that when you pick a website designer you may be working with them for many years. Be sure to pick someone who can provide what you are going to need over the long term in terms of support and expansion. It is always better to build a relationship with someone you can trust to treat your website like their own, and who takes pride in how your site looks online.
Next time I will write about, “now that you’ve found your website design, how do you talk to them?” I will cover some “lingo” and provide you the tools to communicate your vision to the designer so that you end up with the website of your dreams!
