Choosing a professional web designer for your website can be one of the most important decisions you make regarding your company’s marketing strategy. A well-designed website will rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) and, according to HubSpot, is 35% more likely to generate leads than a poorly designed site.
Let’s dive in.
The Audience: What Will Your Website Serve?
Picking a professional designer for your design project is not easy since the world is full of many design experts to choose from, and selecting the right one can be overwhelming. You need to know what your website will serve before hiring a designer. Before choosing a designer, you need to find out what kind of website design you’d like.
o you want a traditional website that looks like the ones of most other companies? Or do you want to go in another direction with custom website design? You may choose to hire an experienced agency or professional designer. Or perhaps you want a more affordable option; to learn web design on your own and get help from a free online tutorial or paid online course.
Even if there are thousands of websites on the Internet, each website serves a different purpose for its audience. The website is like a product that you must create. You should know what features you need for your website development and who your customers are. The more you know about the kind of website you want, the better it will turn out.
Once you have set your mind on your audience and what your site will serve, you need to think deeply about your customers.
Target market: who are your customers?
It would help if you chose a web designer that understands your targeted customers. Your first step, however, is to determine your target market. All companies have different products, services, or needs, yet they all have one thing in common: the need for customers and clients.
You might be a business owner, a small business, or a large enterprise that would like to create an online presence for initial marketing purposes and eventually serve as an additional resource for many customers. If your business has a small target market, you may need to create a limited number of leads for your business, and you must get those leads quickly.
This scenario is when effective targeting would be crucial.
If you don’t know your target audience, try this exercise:
- Who is your most important customer? – List them all.
- Why are they important?
- What do/did they want/need? – List those that apply to you.
- What do you offer that meets their needs? – List those that apply to you.
- How can you reach this audience more effectively? – List those that apply to you.
When you’re crystal clear on your target market, you’re one step closer to finding the right web designer.
Finding a web designer who not only knows how to get your website found online but directs people to it is crucial, as there are many talented web designers out there. Some specialize in business websites while others specialize in blogs, and others still in e-commerce sites. Different types of websites will have additional requirements and different design styles for your business’ website.
However, once you’re clear on who your website will serve, choosing the right designer becomes a much easier process.
The following vital tip to consider is your goal.
Goals and objectives: what do you want to accomplish with this site?
Every website needs to have a single, clear purpose.
It is essential to set, as a goal, what you want your business’ website to do. Go back and review the answers to the previous questions and choose something from each category that applies to your company or product. One use of your website could be for online sales or marketing, but another could be for customer support. One benefit could be for e-commerce, another for product information, and yet another for events.
An excellent way to think about your site is using the acronym “SEO.” Search engines, SEOs (search engine optimization) refer to how your website is designed and coded in the world of search engines. Your design will affect how people on the Internet find you and what they see. Your coding will determine how easily people can use your site, which affects the type of traffic you get.
When it comes to deciding the goal of your site, remember there is no “one size fits all” way to do things. Some websites, for example, have a prominent call to action that directs the visitor toward the purchase of a product or service. Other sites that do not necessarily focus on making sales but rather express their mission and importance without being too overt are less likely to attract a large following.
So before you determine where to put your resources, consider what you want from your website. What do you want people to do when they get to your site? If the answer isn’t clear, it may be time to reevaluate the website. And remember that saying “I’ll know it when I see it” is not good enough. It would be helpful for you if you had a goal before you start your search for a design agency.
What’s next?
Layout and design: how shall the site be structured?
By now, you know what your website will serve, the target audience you intend to attract, and your goal for the site.
The next point of consideration is the layout of your website. Do not overlook this tip. It is essential to know the form of your website before looking for professional web design services. The format of your site should determine the structure, organization, and flow of information. It should also affect how easily visitors browse and find what they want.
What you intend to do with the site and its purpose will dictate the layout style you choose.
When you know these things, you’ll be able to determine the layout of your site. You can then narrow down the possibilities of the web designer you’re going to hire. Of course, you don’t need to know the layout in full detail. That is almost impossible. The professional website designer you hire will know what you are looking for and know how best to achieve your goals.
Next?
Choose a web designer wisely.
You’ve narrowed down your choices for a web designer by the goal and target market. Now you need to employ sound judgment and use your common sense and gut feeling. There are a plethora of designers around you.
Experienced designers know not only to be able to serve your business but also be able to understand your business and its objectives. They should have or develop a good understanding of your target market, and they need to speak their language effectively. Beyond the evident technical expertise they have with website design, a web designer who can take care of a client’s needs, especially one that is new at online marketing, will help you save time, money, and effort on marketing.
This list is not all-inclusive.
The more you learn about the web designer — or team of designers — you choose, the better your experience will be. So, go through the list below. Look for some of these qualities that will help you make an informed decision:
- A good web designer should be able to understand the client’s business goals and target audience.
- A good web designer has the industry expertise and knows the current web design style of the time.
- A good web designer is always looking for new opportunities to learn more about their work.
- A good web designer needs to partner with other designers or advise clients on a new design.
- A good web designer has a robust design process and is always willing to answer questions or go over project details with the client.
- A good web designer is honest with the client about tasks that require more time and money than previously estimated.
- A good web designer should be able to find a balance between work and play.
- A good web designer’s portfolio shows a wide range of responsive designs. He also has experience with different business needs, not just one specific niche.
- A good web designer is flexible when it comes to budgeting for client projects and needs.
When I think about a good web design, it comes down to the client’s experience. If it’s your first time on the Internet and you want to build a website that will be helpful for your business, then you’ll have to take all that into account as well. A designer should understand how their site can help your business and where it can go in terms of its design and layout. They are there for something more than just making a new website look pretty!
So, if you’re looking to get more traffic, really want to improve your customer satisfaction, and want to build an online presence through a website of your own, you must have a plan in place. Fortunately for you, there are several places where you can learn how to make this happen — the only thing left to do is take action!
Group6 Interactive is a Vermont web design agency that specialize in custom web design for small businesses in the US. Need help?
