5 Things to Look for in a Web Designer

Some of you may want to know what prompted us to start Midwest Websites. After all, web design is a competitive field with new designers jumping in for their share of the pie every day. While there is a lot of competition in this market, we’ve heard countless stories from businesses that have run into issues with their websites either under-delivering badly or being left halfway finished before losing communication with the designer building it for them.

In some of the larger companies we’ve worked for, the running joke has been about how website development is the most dangerous job on the planet because of all the “professionals” who simply vanish into thin air with their clients’ money.

We really hate hearing stories like this, especially coming from families who had their own small businesses. We understand the challenge of a budget, and that many businesses don’t have the money for a do-over or get scared off completely by daunting price tags even though they know they need a website to compete in today’s markets.

That’s where we come in. Having seen what is lacking in less reputable companies, we’re going to go over 5 different values that we not only live by for our clients, but also can help you navigate the minefield that is finding a good website designer.

There isn’t a set order here: all 5 of these factors should be given serious attention.

1. Hire a developer, not just a designer

If you aren’t sure of the difference between these two terms, you definitely aren’t alone. A designer is someone who excels at website aesthetics. In other words, they make it look pretty. A developer can do this too, but they are also familiar with how the different parts of your website operate and interact with the others. Put simply, developers know how to make a site work at its best and the best routes for diagnosing and overcoming obstacles.

As you plan your website, you’ll find yourself listing certain elements that it needs to have. Examples of these can include your logo, information about who you are, information about what you do, information about how to contact you, pictures of your past products and projects, testimonials, contact forms, colors, fonts, a storefront, a privacy policy, a blog, etc.

While not all websites will need all of this information, it is the website creator’s job to determine which building blocks are needed, wanted, and accounted for. After that, they’ll arrange them for you in a way that looks good and is easy for your customers to navigate. There might be many ways to get this done or only one or two, and this is where the difference really shows between designers and developers.

Let’s say you’ve decided to hire someone to build a WordPress website as an example. A designer will know of themes and plugins that cover most of what you’re looking for, but they might need to install an uncommon plugin to achieve a result you want. Let’s say this new plugin proceeds to slow down your website’s load time considerably, and they come back to you with the options of a slower site or removing the feature (assuming there are no alternatives available).

A developer has the knowledge to test whether this plugin has a conflict with another plugin, theme, or hosting setting, whether there is information from the plugin developer on how to fix this slowdown issue, or whether the feature can be coded in without the plugin. When they come to you, they’ll be able to give you a much clearer picture of the “why” of a problem, as well as what they’ve done to overcome it or the full array of options you can take to work around it.

The way scenarios like this are handled will make a huge difference in how quickly your site is created, how many of your requested features make it into the final product, and how easily your site can be maintained moving forward. Experienced designers can do a lot if all goes according to plan, but if they don’t know how to work outside the box or with the nuts and bolts of your website, they will be delayed significantly and/or come up short of what they promised you.

It is also worth noting that the better website tools out there (and especially content management systems like WordPress) are often notorious for obstacles, as you frequently have a lot of different third party elements coming together to make up your website. Developers will be able to test what works best for your site at the time, streamline what you need for the site to run smoothly, and advise you if there are any special maintenance needs to take care of your website.

2. Communication is critical

This generally goes without saying, but it can be a little difficult to figure out what exactly this actually means in practical terms. Fortunately, this can be broken down into three parts:

• Listening to your expectations
• Setting goals for your project based on those expectations
• Keeping you in the loop as your project progresses

The first step is the most critical here, as it will help you determine if the designer you hire is capable of doing the project you are asking of them. Look for clarifying questions and/or a recap of what you’ve said to ensure comprehension. Using our web design process as an example, we begin projects by having a phone conversation with you.

During the call, we ask questions to ensure your expectations are fully covered and review the notes taken at the end to ensure we are on the same page with you. Afterward, we’ll put the details into a written contract for you, giving you have a second chance to look things over and alert us to anything that is missing before we proceed.

Setting goals for your project falls to the designer and their team. Capable designers should be able to outline pricing, a reasonable time frame to have the initial proof of your website prepared (ranging between 1-3 weeks), and time for revisions, as needed. In our case, we include these in your contract, outlining the expectations for both sides during each step of the process.

The expectations you will need to complete promptly are usually limited to payments and your review of the website proof once it is ready. Resolving charges and getting revisions to your designer in a timely manner will dramatically cut down on the time needed for getting your website up and running. Communication is a two-way street in the editing process, after all.

Keeping you in the loop during the project’s development can include a couple different elements. Active communication from the designer is good for letting you know if there are unforeseen delays, early completions or scheduling restrictions for editing and/or project discussion. These are unfortunate, but sometimes they do happen. Good designers will prioritize notifying you as these issues come up.

Acknowledgement of communications is also crucial for both sides. If you contact a company like ours, they should get back to you via call or e-mail within one business day and vice-versa. While this is a reasonable standard, it constantly amazes us how few “professionals” in our field actually manage to do this.

3. Details matter

A little care goes a long way with a website, so you want your designer to be someone who is very detail-oriented. This does not strictly apply to the details you give to them either – it also applies to the overall design of the website you and your customers won’t see behind the scenes.

Examples of this include minimizing the number of plugins that are installed on a WordPress site, building in onsite search engine optimization (SEO), using reputable plugins and themes, selecting an appropriate hosting environment, and helping you choose a good domain name.

Good decisions in these and other areas of your online presence can give you a big leg up. Conversely, bad ones will sink you before you start – whether or not you can notice any of them by looking at the site.

Some, like us, will even take this concept a step further and provide you with the next steps to consider for your online presence beyond your current project. If your designer is dedicating extra time to do this for you, they’re probably a keeper.

4. Security matters

The Internet simply isn’t the same as it was 20 years ago. Gone are the days where basic HTML sites were the coolest on the block and automated scripts were limited to Excel spreadsheets and databases.

Any hosting platform that allows you to access your content via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and SSH (Secure Shell) needs to consider some form of protection against hackers, malicious scripts, and bots. Many people ask why this is, as they are under the impression this should be handled by their hosting provider, but the truth is that most of the time it’s not.

The short version of why this is boils down to the fact that hosting servers are effectively computers. Most people expect their computer to be able to do certain things, such as save new files, copy files to other locations, or go in and make changes to the files directly.

All of these are features your server needs to be configured to allow, and all of these functions play important roles in doing things such as making website changes, downloading backups, or uploading new documents. If that paragraph lost you with technical jargon, you need a specialist to make sure your website really is secure.

You need to understand the online threats

Malicious scripts and bots are active bits of hacker software that comb the Internet, looking for any vulnerabilities in your website’s code that can be exploited. Once they’re in, they’ll proceed to do whatever they were programmed for. This can result in stolen data, traffic being forced from your website to a different website, messages written across the top of your webpages, and damage or deletion of your website’s content.

Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to prevent this. For the long version, you’ll want to read up on the importance of website security.

The first is to set up a malware scanner. Reliable scanners check your site over each day and help clear out malicious content that has gotten in. These are typically automated (not unlike your computer’s virus scanner), though some providers will also provide manual review by a security team in case something fools the scanner.

Nothing’s foolproof, and the more eyes you can put on a problem, the better.

If you are looking for more proactive protection, you can pair this with a firewall, which is designed to keep malicious content from ever reaching your server. We offer both of these options for websites, and you can learn how to protect yours here.

The second is to routinely take backups of your website. How often you do this will depend upon how often you make changes to your website and whether your hosting provider allows access to your files and/or database. If you do have access, you should always keep a current copy on your local and/or external hard drive in the event something damages your website in a way that cannot be readily fixed.

At minimum, we recommend taking a manual backup each month.

The third is to utilize what is called an SSL certificate. Websites with an SSL certificate have “https” in their address bar instead of “http,” and are commonly seen on websites that deal with commerce or sensitive financial information.

SSL certificates are designed to encrypt information submitted through a website so a hacker or bot cannot lift it as plain text when information is submitted. This can include contact forms, credit cards, login information, and search bars, among other types of forms that require you to type in information and submit it.

Your benefits don’t stop there though – the relationship of SSLs with Chrome has been a major talking point over the last year. Not sure of which SSL you need? We’ve taken some time to outline the difference between standard SSLs and premium SSLs as well. Once you decide, you will find the standard or premium SSLs for your website(s) in our store.

If you aren’t hosting through us, feel free to swing by our blog for an installation guide as well!

Now that all the shameless plugs are out of the way, any designer you hire should be familiar with what these security measures are and be able to advise you on which you should consider for your website. Most deciding factors will depend upon how the site is being built and what type of hosting it rests on, but it’s a safe bet that you should be employing the majority of these security precautions for any business website.

5. Make sure you own the finished result

There is a lot of writing, editing, and coordination that goes into a website, but after you’ve reached the finish line and are ready to go live on the Internet, the last thing you want to hear is “By the way, we own this content. You can’t make any changes or use it anywhere else without our consent.”

A good website is fluid and receptive to change – to the point where it earns you search engine rankings with providers like Google if you regularly keep it up to date. I can’t begin to stress the number of hours that have gone into the one you’re reading now to get us to where we are.

While we believe that no designer or developer should hold your content hostage, many companies simply don’t share our views on the importance of intellectual or digital property. As a result, checking their stance on this matter is one of the first things you should do before signing a contract or agreeing to anything.

Professional online success is just one call away!

Now that you know what to look for in a web designer, it is time to take the next step! To see how we stack up, check out our design package, give us a call at 319-229-5225, or email [email protected]. Our team takes pride in showing that our actions back up our words from start to finish – let us help make your organization the next story of success.