Are you thinking of starting a website for your business or your side hustle? but you don't know where to start or the right questions to ask your website designer.
So what should you look for when hiring a website designer? While this will vary based on your individual needs, there are six criteria or questions that I consider fairly universal to the process of selecting a website designer. This may not be all-inclusive, but it is a great starting point for locating and interviewing consultants or design firms.

1. What CMS packaged do you use?
Is it open source or proprietary? If you don’t know the definitions of those two terms, research them and you’ll thank me later. Open source means the website design software is widely available, while proprietary means it is solely used by the website designer. Proprietary would also mean the website designer probably wrote it himself and the website itself is HTML based. What does this mean to you? Open source means you are free to update and select website designers at your leisure. Proprietary means you are tied to your website designer for life. The only CMS I use it WordPress because I feel clients should be able to come and go as they please and not based on my needs or wants.

2.As a web designer, how knowledgeable are you with organic search engine optimization?
If you think you can worry about SEO after design, think again. Strong search engine optimization begins with website design and the architecture of your website or blog. Rush ahead with design without thinking about SEO and you’ll regret it long-term. I won’t even start designing a new WordPress website without first having a full understanding of a client’s marketing needs and SEO objectives.

3. Do you use social media and do you feel it is important?
Don’t skip this question, because social media is not going away anytime soon. It is growing at amazing rates of user adoption. Facebook, Twitter, and locally focused forums like nairaland are taking over the internet and they are powerhouses of traffic and engagement. A new website should embrace social media and encourage engagement. Your new website designer should be active on social media, If they aren’t, then you ask yourself why and if they can serve your needs.

4. Can you provide Samples of Previous work?
I’m happy to provide prospective clients with samples of my work. Not every website designer can or will do this for prospects. This is especially true if they are just starting in website design. If the potential website designer was referred to you by a trusted adviser, you don’t need additional references. If you randomly found the designer via the internet, you should validate their abilities by looking at there previous work. In doing so, please be respectful to your potential designer and their clients.

5. Can you work within my budget? This is a big one. there are different websites for different purposes and at different prices. In life, you get what you pay for and website designers fit within this theory. Reduced budget means reduced deliverable or reduced abilities. You cannot expect the best of the best on a shoestring budget, so be realistic and find someone who meets your financial constraints. and At the same time deliver a very good website that meets your needs.


6. Do you want or can you support long-term relationships and website support?[/b]
I firmly believe long-term relationships are a privilege and not a right. Not every graphic designer or website consultant wants or can support long-term clients. If you need support after launch, make sure you’ve asked your future website designer if they can or want to manage you as a client moving forward.
Web designers come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and flavors and we are not a one size fits all type of offering. Don’t assume a potential web designer is good or bad until you can compare his or her skill set to your unique needs. What may be a poor designer for you, maybe an exceptional designer for someone else?

As I said, this list of qualification questions is my list and what I think are the most important questions you need to ask your future website designer. Your list may differ and you may even add another six questions or criteria onto mine. But that’s okay because you are thinking about what is important to you and you are providing yourself with selection criteria that will help you narrow your search field. You now have a list of questions that will help you pick a website designer that is a good fit for you and your website project. In the end, that’s what matters most.
and if you need a professional website for your business, do not hesitate to get in touch.
thanks.