How to Find a Good Web Designer – Developer

Choosing a good web designer is not just about getting some guy to build you a good looking web site. There are many factors that can and will affect the success of your site. For you to know what qualifies as a good designer/developer you need to be educated. That is the intention of this article.

I believe that your web site development begins with a plan. A solid plan that incorporates search engine optimization,(SEO) and usability at its foundation. Building your web site in this manner will enable your SEO to be much easier with just minor tweaking and updating. At the time of this writing it is still not yet possible for search engine spiders, a.k.a: robots, to make sense of everything you have on your website.

Spiders love text. They don’t read javascript and they do not have the ability to read complex flash text or images. Making sure that your entire web site including all its pages are indexed by the spiders is essential. If they can’t see your pages, it may as well not be there.

So what does all this mean to you in your search for a web designer or web developer. In case you’re wondering why I refer to designer and developer as if they’re two different things, the fact is, is that they are.(if you want to be technical). Web designer seems to be the general term thrown about as one who makes or builds web pages. However this is usually the person who designs the physical appearance of the web site. He usually just works with images. Since there’s more to building a functional web site than just pretty pictures and fancy moving graphics, it may surprise you that a web page can in fact also be a computer program, or more appropriately, a web application. This is the behind the scenes code that gives the site its intelligence, so to speak. Some web designers are only responsible for completing a physical design for your site. If they don’t code in HTML or CSS, the design usually photoshop or fireworks, then goes to the coder, who actually puts it all together using html, CSS and in some instances a scripting languages like PHP, asp.net or ruby for back end programming. The end result is a web page that renders in the users browser and depending on whether some scripting was included, also allows the user to interact with the page and make choices and decisions. This is the very short version of a somewhat complex subject.

If you can keep this in mind when you go over the contract it will help you understand why the programming aspect (developing) of your site is usually pricier. Any serious web design company will have an in depth contract and should not hesitate to explain details of the contract to you.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) defines standards and best practices for web design and development and you should make it a point to ask your web guy whether they will be designing your website with standards compliant code. This just means adhering to the W3C standard.

If they say that they intend designing the layout of your web page using tables, insist that they don’t. For two reasons:

  1. Using tables for layout is not standards compliant and could adversely impact page loading times. (not good) The more code in your page the larger the file and the larger the file the longer it takes to download.
  2. Updating and maintaining web pages will be much harder, and could take longer, which may translates more being more expensive.

When you think of your website project try thinking ahead and plan for the long term. You want a site that is extendible and can be managed more easily. Best practices are not called such for no reason. I stress this point because it’s an important one.

A portfolio will give you a glimpse of what the designer / developer is capable of will allow you to see the design style. Any web designer with sense won’t include customers in their portfolio who were not happy. It’s bad for business. Searching for a good designer in reputable online listings is a good place to find a web designer or any other service for that matter where the company or individual will be rated by the public.

It is of greater importance to that firm that they perform well since their rating is available for the public to see. An example of such listings would be Yahoo’s Local Search listings, or online Yellow pages. A good source for finding a good web designer is to speak to people who you know who have had first hand experience and who built their web sites. If people have been given good service they usually don’t have any problem recommending their designer to you.

It is ok to ask for a mock up site. Usually designers will tend to make 2 mock ups for you to compare and sometimes they may even show you an array of various web styles and templates prior to commencing. This is a way of narrowing down the style, how many columns, colors and themes he will need to design for.

The web developer needs to advise you on every aspect of the design process. He should educate you and explain in very plain terms the reasons for doing things. Don’t just take his word for it. Ask why. He needs to give attention to what content you intend putting on your site also, because SEO is all about content, keywords and relevance. Obviously the content decided on is ultimately the client’s decision, but a responsible designer should inform you of how you could optimize your content. It is important to note that some web designers usually are not experts at SEO and there are specific SEO companies or individuals that do just that, however it is best if they work hand in hand with the designer of your website. If you do find a web designer that can do a good job of SEO then you stand a better chance of your web site being easier to market and rank.

So here are a few points I believe would make an overall good choice in a web designer/developer.

  1. Expresses the importance in planning your site for user friendliness
  2. Understands good web design that is standards compliant
  3. Can think through the eyes of the potential visitor of the clients site
  4. Uses colors well and researches the target audience.
  5. Educates the client and explains web terminology in layman’s terms.
  6. Plans a site from SEO perspective, with attention to file structure and naming schemes.
  7. If doing any programming, all the above applies and also strong focus on usability of the application. Easy user interface, secure and full featured to name a few..

These points are by no means the hard and fast rule, its just a guide. However, I believe most importantly above all, you should get good service. Good quality service is the best marketing tool for any business and you should expect it.

Related posts

Pitching Your Web Design Solution

The web design industry is one of the most competitive and securing sales for new web design solutions is not easy. But do not despair. First, there is plenty of demand for web design work. With the advent of Web 2.0 and now Web 3.0, the market is almost boiling over. Everybody wants to get their ideas online, everybody wants to sell online and everybody is looking for a web site. If you have a good web design portfolio, a decent customer base and a competitive pricing structure you have a decent chance of getting your fair share of the web design market. Assuming you got all the right ingredients, all you need is a good pitch or a method of presenting your assets to potential web design clients.

The best pitch starts with understanding your web design client’s needs. So start by asking a few questions and then listen and listen again. Your first task before even thinking about the web design is to get a good knowledge of what your client’s business is about, where his leads are coming from and what his expectations and objectives are. Asking the correct questions and listening to your client will earn you respect from the outset. Hardcore salesman suffering from verbal diarrhoea works less and less today. People are sick of cold calling and salesmen pushing products and services down our throats. We have all succumbed to a salesman and vowed never to be caught again. So listen, ask a few questions, understand, analyse before you start putting your web design stuff across.

Once you have a basic understanding of the client’s needs you may start explaining what you do and how your experience, web design skills can help you deliver a web design solution that will meet your client’s need. Remember to answer a need in whatever you say. Avoid too much small talk about your personal experiences that have nothing to do with the client’s needs, let alone web design. Socialising is good but at the end of the day, if it’s a first time client, stick to the purpose of your meeting and talk about the web design solution.

Once you have built your credentials about your web design services briefly, ask a few more questions, break the monologue, involve the client, hear his point of view, give him or her a chance to speak. Get a feel for what the web design client likes about your web design services, your web design portfolio and any web site in particular that your client likes. Make a good note of this. Do not write too much to the extent of losing eye contact or the attention of your client. Do not rush either, unless the client needs to get off in a hurry.

By now you should have a fair idea about your client’s business, his or her objectives, the web designs they like, the colours they prefer, what they like and dislike about some web designs. Make a note again. You are now ready to make your pitch and propose a web design solution that you think will work in the circumstances. Use your knowledge, your past web design experience of what works best and what does not. Refer to your web design portfolio.

If you know what you are talking about, your web design competences and customer relations skills will come across loud and clear and your web design client will be impressed. The next thing your client will want to know is pricing information and delivery. If you are sure about the costs involved and you are able to quote for the web design project then and there, do it. Beat the iron whilst it’s hot. At least you have a chance to gauge the client’s reaction to your price then and there and you can always negotiate the web design project instantly. If you can close the deal, so much the better, do it and get a cheque if you can. However, if web design the project is complex and tricky, you may need to go away and work out a price. Do this as soon as you can. Some people are genuinely very keen during a meeting but soon the zeal cools down and they change their minds.

Be sure you tell the client about any reservations you have or any special web design terms and conditions from the outset. The terms of payment are as important as the price. Putting these tricky issues across from the outset is much easier during a face to face meeting rather than later on when they might come as surprises. Be honest, say what you have to say and warn the client. He or she will thank and trust you for it.

It is generally rare to lose a web design deal if you have travelled to the client, explained what you do and negotiated the price. Most clients are glad you visited them and made your web design pitch. Of course you might lose a few despite the best pitch in the world but do not despair. Hard work, honesty and competence always pays overall.

Related posts

Understand the Importance of Interactive designer in Websites

Professional websites for the company based in Los Angeles affect much more than the creation of websites looking impressive. No matter how nice a website looks or how much content contains wonderful it will be an error when users do not like. This simple fact is why so many interaction design your website questions.

In terms of web design, interactive designer London is a specialty, an experience that focuses the user sites. One of the best things about hiring a professional from Los Angeles design company website is at the center, which will be on identifying and understanding your target audience. Attend a clear understanding of the population and use of your Web site allows a designer to optimize your site with these users in mind.

Increasing sales is the point of an entire website for the company and almost any interactive designer of your site should focus on this goal. But all websites too often focus exclusively on the needs of companies regardless of the needs of customers who depend on selling