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Preparing to hire a designer: What you need to know

We often talk with small business owners when they are looking for bids and beginning the process of developing their web site.  A lot companies are new to the process, or haven't worked on their existing web site in years.  Before you hire a designer, consider the following:

• Decide on a budget.  Instead of considering an arbitrary amount, or what you think it should cost, talk to colleagues at companies who's web sites you like, and get a sense of their budget.  As with most products and services, cost is generally proportional to quality.
• Think about the structure of your site.  What should the pages be called? How should the content be organized? Ideally, it is best to have a site map created that shows how you think the content should be structured.  For larger companies, it is appropriate and helpful to develop an RFP (Request for Proposal).
• Consider your audience.  Who do you want to attract to your site?  What do you want them to do when they get there?
• Ask direct questions.  Since there is no widely accepted industry certification or standard for web design, it is critical that you assess the background, skills, and competence of your web designer.

Questions about a designer's background:

• What size projects have you worked on, and what was your role in each?
• Does your work adhere to Web Standards?
• Do you belong to any community or professional organizations?

Questions about a designer's approach:

• What type of Content Management System do you use to build web sites?
• What type of software, platforms, and systems do you use?
• How does your work support Search Engine Optimization (SEO), usability, and accessibility?
• When my site is complete, what type of system is in place for me to edit it?
• If I need to expand my site significantly next month or next year, how would you handle this?

Of course, you may not be familiar with some of the terms above.  In that case, your prospective designer should be able to explain succinctly the importance of each, and outline his or her approach.

Clients often ask to see work that we've done for the same industry.  While it's nice for a restaurant owner to see work done for other restaurants, the importance of this is often overstated.  Good design and content transcends industries.  If you like a designer's work in general, they will likely be able to adapt their skills to the specifics of your project.

Some things to avoid (the don'ts)

Clients sometimes purchase unnecessary services, web assets, and software ahead of their project plans. This is not a good use of funds. 

• Don't request a large number of bids. If you request six, eight, or ten bids from designers, you'll be overwhelmed with information, and it will be hard to compare one designer's approach to another's.  First, assess the competence of potential designers, and then request three or four bids for comparison.
• Don't sign up for web hosting before finding a designer.  A good designer will advise you a web host that meets the technical requirements of your project.  Paying for hosting ahead of time can lead to wasted time and dollars—your chosen host may not have the right platform or technology to support your site.  The platform should conform to your project's requirements, not the reverse.
• Don't purchase HTML templates, Flash files, video, or other assets for your site. This is akin to buying the wood for a deck before having a blueprint for building it.  You may purchase something that is not suitable to your project, or it may take hours for your designer to modify it to meet your specific needs.
• Don't purchase software for your PC in anticipation of using it to build your site.  Again, the requirements of your project should dictate software and platforms.  Until you know what they will be, avoid spending funds on what you think you may need.