Finding the Right Web Designer in 10 Steps

You know you need a professional website. But how are you supposed to find the right web designer and how do you know what exactly to look out for? After all, you are not a computer scientist, and things are constantly changing in this field. And how do you find out whether a web design agency is truly good?

These internet people can tell you anything... Whether you are an entrepreneur with a new idea or represent an established business looking to refresh its online presence – finding the right partner for website development is not easy. The good news: there have never been so many providers of web design services. The bad news: it has never been harder to choose the right one from the options available.

Do not worry, there is hope! We will break down the process into individual steps and give you a few tips to help you make your choice with confidence. Our tips: 1. Search online 2. Review the portfolios

3. Get in Touch

4. Ask About Communication Tools

Watch Out for Unnecessary Proposal Items

6. Make Sure Your Goals Are Understood

7. Request a Web Design Proposal

8. Ask for References

9. Do You Like the People You Are Dealing With?

10. If Necessary, Start Over

1. Search Online

If no agency has been recommended to you, run a Google search for "web design + your city".

This way, you can quickly see which agencies are capable of not only designing "beautiful" websites but also ensuring that your website appears as high as possible in Google search results. However, this is only a first indication. New agencies often find it difficult to achieve a high Google ranking quickly.

2. Review Agency Portfolios to Find the Right Web Designer

Visit the websites of the web design companies you have found and look at which websites are in each agency's portfolio. This allows you to quickly see whether the style of the work done so far matches your personal expectations.

Additionally, you can also find out other details about the agency: how long has the agency been around? Who has the agency worked for? Does the agency primarily create catalogue pages or elaborate online marketing systems? However, do not be too dazzled by the displayed references.

Many agencies include logos of clients in their portfolio or client list for whom they did not actually do the work themselves. In some cases, an employee simply worked for these clients in the past. In other words: expect a little "exaggeration". Therefore, pay attention to current links to client websites and case studies instead.

Do not be put off if the showcased work appears much larger and more expensive than what you expect for your own website. It is in the nature of things to only feature the most impressive and high-quality work in a portfolio. However, you should be concerned if the so-called flagships of the web design agency are all much smaller and less extensive than what you expect for your own website.

3. Get in Touch The next step should be contacting the preferred agency – ideally via the contact form on their website or by email. Share a few details about your planned project with the agency straight away. Measure the response time This also allows you to find out how quickly the company responds to your enquiry.

The time to the first response speaks volumes. If you do not receive a reply within a maximum of 2 working days, you should enquire with another web design company. An agency that is slow even when there is a chance of new business will very likely not deliver top performance when building the website either.

Subsequently, the agency should arrange a phone call or meeting with you. Pay attention to whether your contact person is able to listen to you or only talks about their own work. Listen carefully to identify whether there is a structured process for creating websites.

A web design agency thrives on continuously creating new websites. Professionals have checklists and templates for this – ask about them. 4. Ask About Communication Tools It is particularly revealing to find out how the agency communicates internally and which tools (e.g. Basecamp, Asana, etc.) are used to represent and monitor projects.

You will generally not find this information on the agency's website. The first meeting is a good time to ask. The main reason you should ask about these details is to find out whether there is a project manager for your project. A responsible contact person is important for your website to be created quickly and efficiently.

Large web projects cannot be implemented without a dedicated project manager, but even smaller websites benefit from one. Additionally, you will learn how well organised the agency is and how reliably you can estimate the deadlines for interim results and completion.

5. Watch Out for Unnecessary Proposal Items

Many web designers try to sell additional services prior to the website design.

If you are having a large website project created, tools such as user tests (to determine exact requirements) or elaborate theoretical models and concepts may be necessary. However, if you only want to have a simple web business card created, these steps are not required but can dramatically increase the project's price.

Many agencies also manage to complete larger projects without these additional tools. Ask how the agency usually handles this. If the answer seems logical to you, you can probably do without wireframes and preliminary user tests. 6. Make Sure Your Goals Are Understood After the first five steps, you have ensured that the agency masters both design and technology and is able to respond to your needs.

The next step is to determine whether the company can also understand your goals for the website. Unfortunately, this is the point where many agencies fail. Those who have never been entrepreneurs themselves often find it difficult to understand what goals and expectations drive a business owner.

The right team will not only tell you how to implement these goals effectively and measure their achievement but will also help you discover whether and how your goals can actually be realised online. 7. Request a Web Design Proposal An interested agency should be able to provide you with a proposal for your requirements within a short time (maximum 7 days).

For smaller web projects, it is common to create fixed-price proposals based on the specifications. For larger and more complex websites and most online shops, you will probably receive a proposal based on the agency's hourly rate. The fixed-price proposal represents the greater effort for the web agency, as it must be planned precisely in advance how many hours and what additional costs will be incurred for completion.

Regardless of whether it is a fixed-price or hourly-based proposal: you must ensure that the scope of the proposal guarantees a finished product! It will not be easy to compare proposals from different agencies. If not all items in the proposal are immediately understandable, simply ask.

8. Ask for References Ask the agency for telephone numbers or email addresses of clients they have already worked for. Of course, the agency will only share contacts from whom they know you will hear only the best. But the mere fact that they actually have such contacts should be seen as a good sign.

However, make sure that the provided contacts also truly match the client list, so you can be sure you are not just speaking with a few "friends" of the agency. 9. Do You Like the People You Are Dealing With? It is a professional business relationship, but the web designers you hire should also suit you and your expectations in terms of personality.

Creating a new website is also an emotional challenge – after all, the website often represents the first impression a potential customer can get of your business. A simple question you can ask yourself is: if these were my employees – would I enjoy working with them? 10.

If Necessary, Start Over If you have worked through the steps but still feel it is not the right fit, do not hesitate to start again from the first step – until you truly feel comfortable. Please remember: your website will likely represent you for an extended period (several years). And you may need the agency a few more times during this period to make changes or additions.

If you follow the points above, you should have found the right partner for creating or refreshing your website. We wish you great success with your new online presence!