Are you a coach, consultant, or passionate entrepreneur who is looking to build your website? Maybe you’re a new business owner who wants a drop-dead gorgeous website that is highly functional and easy for your clients to navigate? Or are you a marketing director for an established business that wants to partner with a dream-team of developers, designers, and marketing strategists who can help you launch new funnels, campaigns, and products?
Whatever brought you here, welcome!
Building a new website is an exciting endeavor, but it can be intimidating as well. I’ve put together a list of 10 questions to ask before hiring ANYONE to build your website for you. These questions will help you to know you’re hiring the best designer for your goals. It will also help keep you from making the expensive mistake of hiring the wrong person for the job.
I also have created a Free fillable workbook you can download to use when interviewing your potential website designers.
Download Your Free
Website Designer Interview Workbook!
Can I see your portfolio and some of your recent work?
Check out sites they’ve done to see if you like their style. Remember that they have designed these sites to fit their clients’ needs & styles so if you don’t see something that is exactly your taste, that’s okay. Look at the flexibility they offer in their design capabilities. Also talk to a few of their past clients to get a feel for how they work, their strengths, and their weaknesses.
(You can check out our portfolio here.)
Are you a graphic designer, web developer or do you do both?
If they do one or the other they may partner with someone who with the complementary skill. If they only design or develop, ask them if the development is included in the cost of the website they quote you.
(We do both.)
What is your background in internet marketing & SEO?
There are a lot of websites out there that look great but aren’t optimized to show up in the search engines and don’t convert the visitors they get into leads. If you’re taking the time and money to invest in a new website make sure it’s going to work for you.
(We will optimize your site for you, including meta tags, titles, image alt tags, site structure, site maps, set up Google analytics and Google search console, etc.)
How do you price your work? hourly or by the project?
Some developers/designers price by the project or hourly. There are pros and cons to both options. Someone pricing on based on an hourly rate has no incentive to get the work done quickly and ahead of schedule. If things take longer than expected the cost of your website could increase significantly. Pricing by the project offers some sense of security because you know what your website is going to cost if you stick to the initial project scope. Be wary of low-budget designers. A quality website design is likely to start around $2500 – $5000 for a simple business website. Adding bells & whistles like a membership area, eCommerce, etc. can increase the price significantly.
(We typically price by the project.)
May I see your case studies, testimonials, and/or references?
You want to work with someone who is experienced in website design AND marketing who can build you a site that gets results. You don’t want a pretty site that collects dust in the forgotten corners of the internet. Ask to see case studies, testimonials and references. A designer worth her/his rates, will be happy to provide you with results from her/his work.
(See a couple of case studies here. Check out our client testimonials here. References available upon request.)
How long will it take to build my site?
Be prepared for good designers to be booked 2-8 weeks in advance. This is usually a great time for you to gather your content & images for your site. Allow for enough time for you to fulfill the content requirements. Remember, if you are late in getting your content to your designer on time, you are likely to lose your place in their queue and have to wait for the next opening. The more clear you are with your wishes, the fewer revisions you’ll have and the faster your site will be done!
(We strive to finish most projects in about a month, but the timeline will vary based on the size of the project and the delivery of content and images.)
How will you bill me?
Many designers will start your site with a % down and then request payments on the site when milestones are reached. Some will offer a pay in full discount. Only accept that if the designer has an excellent reputation, great references, and a clearly written contract that guarantees they’ll finish the work to your satisfaction. Most designers require that your site is paid in full before it goes live on your domain. A few designers will allow you to break your investment into payments if you ask.
(We have two main payment options: 50% down and 50% due in 30 days, or pay in full which will save you a bit of money. Other payment arrangements can be made upon request.)
Do you offer training to show me how to use my new site?
You want to feel at home in your new website and you should be able to make changes, updates, publish blog posts, etc. on your own.
(We include a free built-in video training library and 1:1 training after your site launches to help you and your team confidently navigate and update your site! All 1:1 training sessions are recorded so you can share them with your virtual assistant and new employees as your business grows.)
Do you offer hosting, maintenance & updates after the site is live?
Ideally, you want to hire someone who is going to help you protect your investment and partner with you as your business grows.
(We offer several ongoing “Peace of Mind” website hosting, maintenance & security plans to fit your support needs and budget. We also offer ongoing marketing support plans to help you manage all of your ongoing marketing campaigns!)
Do you offer a guarantee?
Some designers do, some don’t.
(We offer our clients a “Happy Dance Guarantee.” Our goal is for you to be so ridiculously happy with our work that you can’t wait to show off your site and tell your friends about us. We also offer a 30-day Quality Assurance timeframe after your website launches to make any “fine-tuning” changes to ensure you’re 100% satisfied.)
Additional Interview Tips:
Listen to what website designers/developers ask you.
A great website designer/developer will take the time to really get to know you and your business. They will ask questions, offer suggestions, and guide you through the website design process.
Set expectations.
Tell them what is important to you in a designer such as guidance on important decisions, timeliness, and creativity. And ask them what is important to them in a client. You’ll want your website designer to be your PARTNER & part of your biz dream team! Make sure you’ll work well together.
Make sure you own your domain name.
My heart breaks and the mama bear in me roars every time I hear of another client who is held hostage by their designer because the designer won’t transfer the ownership of the client’s domain name. YOU should always own your own domain.
Final thoughts …
Hiring a website designer is a personal decision. Find one you feel comfortable with who also has a track record of success.
I’d LOVE to hear about your business and website design project. Chat with me in our free Facebook group.
Wishing you all the online success you can dream of and more!
🙂 Heather
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