Where to find an expert web designer

The most popular places to look for web designers are among personal friends, the phone book, or the internet. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each so you can make an informed decision as to who you want to design a website for your business.

Getting web design services from friends is good for your pocketbook. Friends, if they really are friends, won’t charge much if at all to design your site. The questions you need to ask are:

• Does your friend have the knowledge and experience to design a website?
• Is web design your friend’s primary occupation with ample time to devote to your project?
• Will this person be available to troubleshoot any problems that may arise in the future?
  

If the answers are ‘yes’, then great. If not, don’t let low cost web design cloud good business sense.

The telephone directory may be an effective way to find a web designer, although the internet makes this method somewhat dated. Make sure that the web design company also has its own website where you can view samples of their work online. Since the cost of yellow page ads is high, not every local designer will be listed.

Your best bet to find a professional website designer is probably online. The cost of internet advertising has decreased over the years and most design firms and freelancers are listed in either the search engines or online directories.

When using the search engines, it’s helpful to vary the keywords and sometimes their order. For example, using the terms ‘website designer’ may yield different results than ‘web designer’ or ‘web site designer’. Similarly, results may vary for ‘Torrance CA website designer’ versus ‘website designer Torrance CA’. The big advantage of using the internet is that you have access to designers nationwide, information about the company, and their design portfolio.

Locating a web designer via an online directory is extremely useful. Perform a search engine query for ‘web designer directory’ or something similar. Many directories are categorized by state and city to make it easy to find a local company. Most directories have a brief description of the firm, areas of expertise, and a link to the company website.

One last tip. Some people are uneasy working with a person or company they’re not familiar with. Most companies ask for at least a one third deposit to start design work. How do you know if the company is even legitimate and won’t take your money and run? Word of mouth recommendations are always best. If you don’t have a recommendation, check online to see if there are complaints about the company. If not, proceed with a small job. For example, have the company create only the home page. If you’re satisfied, you can then move on to have them work on the rest of the website.

Have you worked with a website designer? How did you find that person or company? Comment on this post and let me know.

Coming up in my next post . . . What questions should I ask a web designer?