6 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Working with a Web Designer
For a small business owner (like you!) trying to navigate the world of building a website, there's a lot of advice out there. Most designers will — naturally — recommend that you work with them to build your site. After all, it's their livelihood; why wouldn't they recommend their own services? But I say this as a web designer: the truth is that not everyone needs to hire out the work of building their site. It's right for some people and not for others — and that need can change over time as well. Here are a few considerations if you’re thinking to yourself should I really hire a web designer?
1. Do I have the budget to work with a designer?
Obviously, when you're working with a designer, they will need to be paid for their work. Do you have the right budget to work with the designer? A website — especially a professional designed website — is not a simple expense, so think about this carefully. It's an investment in your business, in yourself, in your future. Designers bring value to your business through their work. Do you have the ability to pay for quality work?
2. Do I have the time to do it myself?
Working with a designer still does take some time and effort, so be prepared for that. You usually need to be able to provide content and be available during the design period to give feedback. But it's significantly less than if you did it yourself, so time is definitely a deciding factor in making your decision.
Just for comparison…
A non-exhaustive list of what you need to do to get your DIY website up and running: create SEO-friendly content, curate images, choose template, pick colors and fonts, add styling choices, strategize website structure based on your content, create pages, put content into layout, fiddle with layout and spacing, optimize images, add images, add SEO descriptions for each page, activate cookie banner, link social accounts... and on it goes. It's doable, but it is a lot of work!
vs.
A general list of what you need to do to get your website up and running with a designer: fill out design questionnaire, attend strategy meeting, prepare content (with or without guidance), give feedback (usually two times), pay designer fee, launch site.
3. Which is my priority: time/effort or money?
According to the previous questions, the math is simple: DIY if you have the time but not the budget, hire a designer if you have the budget but not the time. What if you have both? Think about your priorities as a business owner. Time and money are both finite resources that, as small business owners, we have to decide where and when to spend. Is your investment better saved and your time spent on DIYing the site? Or could you take the time you would spend on DIYing and use it for some other purpose — a project, rest time? Think about your current priorities and decide where you want to allocate your resources.
4. Do I want/need the benefits of working with a designer?
I could go on for a while about the benefits of working with a designer, but to run through some of the key benefits quickly:
Support and guidance through the process — your designer is there to answer questions and walk you through all the steps
More custom, professional end result — they know the platform, what it can do, and how to create a design befitting your business and branding
Project management — a designer should allocate tasks and set the deadlines they need to complete the project
Save time (see above!) — which you could be using to rest or work on your business
5. can they work with the style I want?
Do you like their design style? Will your branding and business ethos mesh well with their design approach? Are their websites modern and minimal, bright and flashy, contemporary and bold, warm and grounded, elegant and pretty? Or is their style adaptable and flexible depending on the project & each website unique to each business?
6. What is their process?
Take a look at the website of the designer you’re interested in working with and see if they outline their process; if not, get in touch and ask them for more details, or schedule a consultation with them. It’s important to know how you both expect to work with one another. Do you want to have complete creative control? Do you want someone else to completely take it out of your hands? Or do you want to work with someone collaboratively? Think about these questions and then compare to the process that’s been outlined by the designer to see if your expectations and goals align.
Like the sound of working with a designer? Check out my services!
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