Smart people make costly mistakes when it comes to hiring a web designer, often because they overlook one of the most important parts of their business plan: the design of their website. While your website’s technology and content are vital to the success of your business, don’t underestimate the importance of your website’s appearance, after all, you’re likely to be judged by it before you even get a chance to pitch your product or service! Here are 19 costly mistakes smart people make when hiring a web designer that you can avoid with careful planning and preparation.
19 Costly Mistakes Smart People Make When Hiring a Web Designer
1) Focusing Only on Design, Not Development
Hiring a Web Application Development Agency is not enough. You need to hire someone that has experience with both design and development. This mistake can cost you plenty of money in the long run, by paying for the same work twice or worse yet, not getting it done at all.
A good web designer should have an excellent understanding of site architecture, graphic design, and information architecture. In other words, if you hire a web designer to do your logo, but do not build your website based on what is learned from the logo design; then you are making one of those costly mistakes that smart people make when hiring a web designer.
Some clients find it tempting to look for someone who has speedy turnaround times or lower rates. While this may be attractive at first glance, it’s important to remember that every project is different, no matter how much experience any designer may have in similar projects. Once time management and communication skills are factored in, things can get very hectic!
2) Not Knowing What You Want
You might have an idea in your head of what you want, but until you know exactly what you’re looking for, it will be difficult to find. If your designer doesn’t have enough information about the project, they won’t be able to provide the best solution for your needs. This can lead to delays in completing projects and more headaches down the line.
3) Ignoring the User Experience
Ignoring the user experience while taking Web Application Development Services is one of the most costly mistakes you can make when hiring a web designer. Remember, you will be using this website on an ongoing basis and your clients will also have access to it.
Think about how that experience should feel for you as well as for the people visiting it. You should hire someone who is going to pay attention to every detail of the interface and make sure that it is intuitive and easy to use.
4) Not Reading the Reviews
You can’t be too careful when it comes to hiring the right web designer for your project. A lot of people make the mistake of not reading reviews and testimonials from past clients before deciding on who to hire. This is a costly mistake because it’s hard to know what you’re going to get when you don’t have any reference points.
You could end up with someone who will nickel and dime you every step of the way, or create an unusable website that costs more than anticipated. Instead, read online reviews and testimonials thoroughly so you can tell if the web designer is right for your project.
5) Not Focusing on a Mobile-Friendly Design
Many sites today are not mobile-friendly, so if you want to give your visitors a good user experience it is important to find a web designer who will take the time to create a design that works across all devices.
This can be difficult for some designers who are not familiar with how to code for mobile platforms. If this sounds like something you need, make sure you find someone who has experience in this area.
6) Not Having a Budget
This is one of the most costly mistakes when hiring a web designer. Many designers have quoted me a price and I’ve responded with, I don’t know what my budget is. If you’re not sure what your budget is, you’ll want to make sure you find out before contacting any designers. In most cases, this means putting a budget together before contacting potential designers.
That way they can quote you an accurate price for the work that needs to be done. Additionally, if you’re on a tight budget, you must figure out how much of your budget can go towards web design so that future projects can be planned accordingly.
7) Not Getting a Contract
A contract is the most important document when hiring a web designer. It will outline all the expectations and responsibilities of both parties, including the timeline for project completion, payment details, and what to do if something goes wrong. The lack of a contract can lead to costly mistakes.
If you don’t have a contract, then you may not know your rights or what is required of the web designer. Additionally, without a contract in place, it’s difficult to enforce any agreements or ensure that work gets completed on time.
8) Building for You, Not Your Customer
Hiring the wrong web designer is one of the biggest mistakes smart people make when building their website. The mistake here is not realizing that you are the customer, and your website should be designed to serve you, not the web designer.
You will be investing in this website for years to come, so it’s important to have a web designer who understands your vision and will help you achieve it. If they’re just doing work because they want more work or they need money, then you’re going to end up with a generic-looking site that doesn’t meet your needs.
9) Not Communicating Properly
When hiring a web designer, not communicating properly can be one of the most costly mistakes. One of the worst things you can do is to send your designer to work based on what you think they need to know.
The best way to ensure success with your web designer is to get all your questions answered before work starts. Be sure that the lines of communication are open at all times so that both parties know what’s going on and there are no surprises down the road.
10) Not Knowing When to Walk Away
If you are smart, you will know when to walk away from the potential designer. You will understand that even the best web designer in the world can’t make up for what you don’t have in terms of content, information, and knowledge.
There’s no such thing as an expert because there is always someone who knows more than you do. So, if your website developer isn’t making sense to you or if they are telling you one thing and doing another then it’s time to let them go and move on.
11) Not Choosing the Right CMS for Your Needs
This mistake is one of the most common mistakes that smart people make when hiring a web designer. CMS stands for the content management system and this is the software used to control what content you want on your website.
For example, if you need to be able to publish new blog posts or update your company’s product line, then you will want to hire someone with experience in Drupal. But if all you need is a simple website with an e-commerce component, then WordPress may be the way to go.
12) Hiring an Agency with a Poor Website
One common mistake that many people make when hiring a web designer is hiring an agency with a poor website. This mistake can be costly because it’s often difficult to find out what the company does before you hire them.
From an agency with poor custom web application development, you may not know whether the company has any design experience, or if they specialize in certain types of sites (i.e., eCommerce sites, nonprofit websites). And while some agencies have excellent websites that include this information, many do not. So how do you avoid making this mistake? First of all, check out the web designer’s portfolio on their site to see what type of work they’ve done and what industry they work in.
13) Only Considering Local Web Design Companies
Hiring web designers has grown into an art form, and it’s not always easy to know who to hire. Web design companies come in all shapes and sizes, but there are mistakes people make when hiring them that can cost you big.
14) Not Designing for Conversions
It is important to remember that the website is there to help drive conversions. Conversions are the lifeblood of any business. So not designing for conversions, as one of the costly mistakes smart people make when hiring a web designer, can be detrimental. It will lead to wasted time and effort and in turn, lost revenue. The more you know about what your visitors want (or need) from your website, the better chance you’ll have of converting them into customers.
15) Stopping After the Website Launches
One of the worst mistakes that smart people make when hiring a web designer is stopping after the website launches. Once you have your website up and running, it’s important to keep up with its design and layout so that visitors are encouraged to stay on the site. Create an email newsletter or blog, update content regularly, add new links to keep the navigation fresh, and make sure you’re optimizing your site for search engines. If you stop updating your site after it launches, then visitors will eventually find their way elsewhere.
16) Not Including a Regular Blogging Strategy
Hiring a web designer is no easy task and hiring one who knows how to design for your blog is even more difficult. Many bloggers make the mistake of not including a regular blogging strategy when hiring a web designer. This can lead to several mistakes, such as having large gaps in your content or having outdated content that does not reflect your brand. Instead, you should try looking for a blogger-friendly web designer who will create an eye-catching site that makes it easier for you to keep up with the latest trends in blogging and social media marketing. You will be glad you did!
17) Investing in Marketing Before a Quality Website
Hiring a web designer is no easy task. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration, from your budget and your needs to the designer’s portfolio. One mistake that some people make is investing in marketing before they invest in their website. Marketing will only get you so far if your site isn’t ready to be seen by customers. It’s worth the investment in the beginning because this will help you find a web designer who can help create a quality website for you without wasting money on marketing that won’t bring in any business.
18) Refusing to Invest in Brand Photography
Investing in photography is one of the most important investments you can make as an entrepreneur. Your website needs to be compelling and professional, so forget old-school stock photos or rely on your selfies.
If you’re running a serious business, hire professional photographers to do your product photography, rather than doing it yourself.
19) Being Disengaged Throughout the Process
It is important to be engaged in the process of hiring a web designer. If you are not, it can lead to costly mistakes and getting less than what you were hoping for out of the process. You must be honest with yourself about what your needs are and what matters most to you. Asking all the questions you need to be answered so there are no surprises, later on, is key.
What will your site look like? Who will design my website? How will you manage my project? Be involved and answer these questions throughout the process so that when something happens it doesn’t come as a surprise.
Conclusion
If you’ve read this far, you now know 19 costly mistakes that smart people make when hiring a web designer. Thankfully, the information here is meant to help you avoid these mistakes and find the perfect web designer for your business.
Remember: we’re all human, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you happen to do something on this list. It happens to us all! The web app development company in the UK will be able to help you get the site up and running in no time. Plus, they can provide you with customer service if something goes wrong. At the end of the day, it’s in your best interest to hire someone who has the experience and knows what they’re doing.
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