Web Design Questions

If you have started, or are just thinking about starting a business then you will probably have thought about a website as part of your marketing strategy. Finding and hiring the correct web designer can be a confusing task if you don’t really know what you are looking for. As a web design company, we have outlined a few basic questions you should be looking to ask any competent web design company before comencing with a project.


Examples of work
You should begin by asking any prospective designer the following question: “Can I see some examples of your work” preferably ask them to provide an example that has been completed on a similar budget and time frame as your own project, this will give you a good indication as to the quality of work they produce for your price range. It also allows you to ask further questions i.e. “was this example completed within budget and on time?” Seeing and enquiring about a prospective web designer’s portfolio is usually the first and most obvious method to appraise their web designing capability. However don’t forget to ask to see a similar project with a similar budget and scope of work, otherwise they will show you their most expensive and inspiring site, possibly leaving you feeling short changed on completion of your own site. This should provide you with a clear expectation of what you'll get for your money.

It may also be helpful to ask for any testimonials or case studies that have been prepared. You could even go the whole hog and contact one of their previous clients.


Deliverables

What you are looking to ask for here is basically what will be delivered, when I can expect it and what will the TOTAL cost be.

Ideally you want to look for a design company that will turn over the complete design and code upon completion, finish your project on-time and within your budget, however from experience the client will also need to lend a hand here, you should be aiming to have the information your designer requires i.e. web content, when they require it.


Cost
This is an important one. In short the final cost should reflect your requirements. If you want a small brochure site that does nothing more than provide information about your company and services it's likely the cost should be reasonably low. However, if your site needs more functionality you should expect the price to rise.

Remember, you get what you pay for. It is vital to determine whether the project has a fixed price or is billed hourly. It is probably a good idea to negotiate a fixed price deal based on all your requirements and timescales. If you ask for something extra after a price has been agreed, then expect to pay more. In most cases, a fixed price is preferred because it sets your payment expectation and motivates the design team to complete the job quickly.

Content Management

Will you be doing this yourself? Or will this be a job for the design team? If you are doing it yourself make sure you are up to speed on how to do it, the last thing that you want is for your site to be designed and launched and then not know how to manage or update it. Ask the web design company what content management solutions options are available; you may get a better deal if you negotiate this as a package along with the design. If you enquire about this as an after-thought then the company will probably charge you more as they know you need the service.

It’s also worth remembering if you are managing the site to determine if there are any software that you will need to purchase in order to manage the site, this will probably cost more in the long run.
In plain English please!

Ask the web design company to use a language you can understand. The more unscrupulous ones are often overly keen to try and baffle you, usually in an attempt to find your level of knowledge to determine the price they can charge! Ask them to explain some of the technologies that they plan to use. Make sure your web designer can explain their work in a way that you understand.
Any questions

If your chosen web design company is worth their salt then they should have a host of questions to ask you. Possibly the most important question that you can ask a web designer is if they have any questions, if they say no then there is trouble ahead, after all how else are they going to develop an understanding of your requirements?

Asking this question puts the onus on the designer and allows you to see what their project plan is going to be. Hiring a designer that doesn't have a solid grasp on your expectations is a recipe for web design disaster. If they don't know what you want and need then you aren't going to get it.