What would you look for if you were to hire a website designer for your business? 10 points for best answers?
If you were a small/medium sized business owner and you needed a website, what would you look for in any website developer which you come across to decide if they is/are the right one?
A varied portfolio — a few designers’ portfolios I’ve checked out have shown different sites that all look more or less the same. If I’m spending more than $40 for a template download, I want a commensurate level of attention paid to the project.
Not underpriced. No free samples, which believe it or not I’ve actually been offered. Makes me wonder how much their time is really worth if they’re willing to give it away.
I don’t care one way or another if they work out of their home or a commercial space.
A questionnaire provided to me to fill out stating the site’s goals, basic features I require like product descriptions and pricing, wishlist features, whether I will provide artwork or if I need you to create new images, etc. Then once you have an idea of what I’m shooting for, you can break down estimated fees and time required.
A realistic schedule laid out, and firm deadlines for the different stages of development. A point of conflict I’ve noticed between designers and clients is different expectations of how long a project like this takes.
Basically I’d want to know they have their financial and creative house in order before proceeding. A professional who laid out their own expectations and their expectations of me would win me over. If someone walked through my door and asked for a flat rate for a small site without really talking with me about it, I’d think they were total novices and that they’d be using me to learn on.