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How to hire the right web designer

When you’re looking for the right web designer, the search itself can get a bit overwhelming–there are all those lovely website design portfolios to explore! And it can feel like you’re not able to compare apples to apples because each design team is different. Can the team who designed that snazzy site for a competitor do what you need done? Are they experienced enough in designing websites that get response or are they just good at making things pretty?

Sometimes, it’s easier to talk about how web designers can’t help

Professional website designers usually specialize. That means most of us don’t do business cards or letterhead or logos. That’s because a website requires high-level programming know-how and an understanding of how people interact with digital things versus how people interact with physical marketing materials.

Great website designers also know a lot about SEO (search engine optimization–the way your website is coded has a big role to play in your search engine rankings, believe it or not), and they know a lot about brand identity and how to ensure your website design aligns with your overall brand.

What’s more, there’s a big difference among web designers who work primarily with small businesses and those who are accustomed to working with the big teams and big budgets of big business. Website designers who work primarily with big companies often specialize in a more narrow way (because big companies often have multiple departments responsible for any “web initiatives”) while design companies that work predominantly with smaller companies often have a broader range of skills.

How do you benefit from working with a professional website designer?

That’s a smart question! Designers aren’t cheap, and it’s crucial to know exactly how you expect to benefit from hiring one. Here are some of the ways our clients have benefited from working with us:

 

 

How else will you benefit from working with a professional web design firm?

The online design process is great for kick-starting your creativity. Answering questions about your audience and how you help (and not that “pat” response you usually use–we’ll take you so much deeper than that) can illuminate aspects of your business that you’d been overlooking or weren’t even aware of. By going through the design process, you’ll learn more about who you are and the business you’re leading.

What’s more, as we undertake this process with you, we’ll ensure that clarity you now have translates to your design. This gives your new website a vibrancy it wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s a really magical process to be a part of! (Which is not to say it’s easy, because it’s intensely challenging work for both you and us!)

What’s usually frustrating about working with a designer?

The problem with hiring a website designer is that you aren’t buying a finished product, so you can’t say for certain what you’ll get. It’s sort of like having a baby (without the genetic engineering). You have lots of input, but it might be a struggle for you to talk about what you see in your head in a way that your designer really “gets” and can translate into a great website design. This tends to be the biggest frustration people report when they first start their search for the right website design company.

What’s more, this process is one that absolutely requires you get along with your design team. Sure, most projects go more smoothly when you have a good working relationship with the team members, but when you have a website designed, it’s absolutely crucial. You need to find a company that works at the right pace for you (whether that’s fast or slow) and really resonates with your message. It also helps if you find a designer who genuinely believes you’re great at what you do because that comes through in the design they create and gives you that extra sprinkling of magic in the unveiled design.

So, how do you find the right website designer for you?

Start by spending some time with website design company portfolios–really dig in and look at what they’ve created. Look less at whether you “like” the site and more at whether the site seems resonant with the company/person behind the site. Are the sites in the portfolio professional-looking? Do they have that extra polish? Do they feel compelling? Would you stick around and spend more time on the sites in the website design portfolio?

The answers to questions like these are much more helpful for finding the right company for you–rather than, “Do I *like* all the sites in their portfolio?”

How much does an average website cost?

What does an average car cost? An average pair of shoes? An average dining room table?

There’s really no such thing as an average price for a website design, either. There are a lot of factors–from how complicated the programming needs to be, to how much consulting the website design company does on things like content and online marketing strategy–that add into how long your project takes. What’s more, some people need just a simple website design while others require something with extensive custom illustration and photography.

It’s simply not a one-sized-fits-all proposition.

In general, a small one to five person business (like a solopreneur coach or consultant) usually needs a website design that would cost in the range of $8000-12000. Larger businesses typically benefit from larger websites, with many companies investing upwards of six figures in a single design (and getting great value from that investment). Sites with ecommerce bells and whistles are also much more expensive (because they require a lot more programming) than simple blogsites.

At Thrive Your Tribe, our typical design-only projects are in the low five-figures.

Why this website design company?

A lot of designers have only a background in making things pretty. And that’s great! Making things pretty is absolutely an important part of many design processes.

But, for us, it doesn’t go far enough. We want your website to work. That means:

• Your website helps you meet your business goals.
• Your website works for your users.
• Your website “powers-up” your whole online identity.
• Your website sets you apart from others in your field.
• Your website inspires people to take action.
• Your website brings more people into your community and expands your reach.
• Your website brings you the attention you want (say, media attention).

The way that we do this begins with our Signature brand archetype system. You’ll complete a multiple-choice assessment and in an instant, you’ll know your Signature Spotlight Style–that’s your ideal way of connecting with people online in a way that makes you comfortably visible. (In other words, it’ll get you noticed, for all the right reasons.)

Then, we work together over a carefully choreographed 6-week term to custom create your ideal website design from the ground up. If you need additional elements (like an html email newsletter design, a WordPress or TypePad blog, or copywriting), we’ll build in extra time to address that.

Our process starts by digging in and really understanding who you are and how you work, then, we craft a big picture look at your future website. Once you’ve approved the big picture appearance, we get to work on the details–adding colors and graphic elements, backgrounds, typography and more.

Once the details are just right, our programming team gets to work bringing your site to life. That part of the process takes between 2 and 4 weeks (beyond the 6 for the design process). So, from start to finish, your new website design will usually be done in just about two months.

What’s your first step?

Begin by taking the brand archetype assessment to determine what your brand archetype is. Then, contact us and tell us about your project. We take on fewer than 20 projects per year, so we are very selective.

If you want to know more, or hire us as your website design company, please call (336) 793-4732 or send an e-mail.

You can also read our free blog or check out our website design testimonials from people we’ve worked with.