I never know how to pick them…
Watermelons, that is.
I’m the type that walks into H-E-B, sees a watermelon…
…knocks on it (because that’s what you do, right?)…
…puts it in the cart and whisks it on home with no further inquiry. None the wiser if the watermelon is sweet or not.
In reality, I don’t know what I’m looking for…or what questions to ask the produce guy to pick the right one. It’s always a shot in the dark.
But that’s ok.
I don’t have to be a watermelon connoisseur. If it’s no-good…I’m set back a few bucks.
When it comes to selecting the right web designer for your business, though, it shouldn’t be a shot in the dark.
This is a very important decision because your website will have a huge impact on how your business and your brand are perceived in the marketplace.
Choose the right web designer and your brand may be enhanced in the eyes of your customers…but, choose the wrong one and your website may reflect badly on your business.
How do you make sure you hire the right web designer? One that has the experience, professionalism, and follow-through that you need?
Well, here’s a list of 58 questions (and a BONUS question at the end of this post) that you might find helpful when interviewing web designers for your business website.
Ask these 8 questions to get a feel for their experience
- How long have you been in business?
- How much experience do you have working with clients?
- Is this your full-time job?
- What kinds of websites have you designed?
- Can you provide examples of websites that your company designed?
- What kind of results did those websites experience?
- What web standards and practices do you follow?
- Are your designs tested for multi-browser and cross-platform compatibility?
Ask these 5 questions to find out what and how to pay
- How much do you charge?
- What are your payment terms?
- Do you charge by the hour or by the project?
- What is included in the price?
- What is the billing procedure for work outside the project’s initial quote or agreed upon deliverables?
Ask these 11 questions to get an idea of the services they provide
- What services do you offer?
- Do you offer any digital marketing services?
- Do you perform other SEO services?
- Do you offer e-commerce services?
- Do you offer domain name registration?
- Do you offer web hosting services?
- Do you offer maintenance training?
- What support do you offer after the site goes live?
- What search engine optimization or marketing do you do for the site?
- What type of content management system do you use?
- I already have an established brand, will my website provide a consistent look?
Ask these 19 questions to find out how they work
- What does your current workload look like?
- How many revisions are you willing to make?
- How closely will you work with our company?
- How will we communicate during the design process?
- How much time is devoted to analyzing my business, market and competitors?
- Do you start from templates or build custom sites?
- How long do typical website design projects take?
- What assets do I need to supply?
- Who will write the content?
- How many pages will my website be?
- Will it be a responsive site that works on multiple mobile and tablet devices?
- How long will it take to complete my website?
- What happens if I don’t like the initial design?
- What do you need from me to get started?
- Will my website be built to expand as my business grows?
- Can you help me get images for my website?
- Will I be able to see the website as you’re creating it?
- Will my current site experience downtime as you update it?
- Will you integrate social media into my web design?
Ask these 15 questions to find out how they handle your website after project launch
- Will the functionality of my website be tested before it goes live?
- Do you offer on-going maintenance after my site goes live?
- How do you measure results after the site goes live?
- How will your design help me reach my goals?
- What type of results can I expect?
- Will I own my website once it’s completed?
- Who owns the site’s artwork?
- Can I edit the website myself, and which parts?
- Do you offer a warranty? If so, how long is the warranty good for?
- What happens if the website breaks or is hacked?
- Will I have access to all my design source files for internal use?
- What is your policy regarding building websites for my competitors?
- What strategies will you use to generate revenue for my site?
- Do you do A/B testing?
- Will I be able to access my website statistics without contacting you?
You may or may not use all of these questions in conversation with your potential web designer. However, a professional web designer may anticipate these questions and answer them upfront.
If you’re still not sure whether or not to hire someone…don’t be afraid to ask for referrals or references.
And here’s a BONUS QUESTION: Do you still keep in contact with previous clients and/or provide them with continuous service?
If the answer is “no”…this is a red flag.
A good web designer keeps in touch with his/her past clients and maintains good relationships.
So, even though selecting the right web designer for you isn’t as easy as picking a watermelon, the questions above should help you sift through a few quite confidently.