6 Really Good Reasons to Hire a Really Good Website Designer

So you’re reasonably internet savvy, right? You’re a pretty smart guy/girl? You’ve heard building websites is super straightforward (you’re sure you heard someone say, “Ag, anyone can do it”). Okay cool. Go for it. Maybe you will get it right, maybe it will look like your kid got hold of some images and some some web code and had a little party.

I’m not going to tell you that you can’t do it, I’m going to ask you, why you would want to? Sure, if there is an inner web designer yelping to be let loose somewhere deep down inside of you, by all means – take the opportunity and give it a go. But if you a worried about laying out cash, or getting your fingers burned by some con-artist, or you’re thinking “how am I going to even start to explain my business and what I need to someone else?”…

then let me give you some really good reasons to hire a professional, experienced website designer…

So you have a sore tooth. It’s killing you. But you’ve just moved here and you don’t have a dentist in the area. You’ve seen some movies where dentists pull teeth, right? It seems like a pretty straightforward situation – grip and pull, right? Exactly. Not so much. So why would you try and do something yourself, like build a website, when there are people out there who know what they are doing and can do it quicker, better and less painfully?

You know, I am sure, how valuable experience is. Each little mistake you made in getting to where you are now, taught you a lesson in what not to do. Same goes for a website designer. By hiring a really good website designer, you don’t need to make painful mistakes for yourself. You can learn from someone else’s. Whether it’s about choosing the right hosting company, ensuring cross-browser compatibility, best practice in terms of layout and user experience, or making sure Google likes your site, an experienced (and quality) web designer will have paid their school fees and will know what works best. And they will ensure that all of these best practices and all of that experience is brought through in the website they design for your business.

Your budget is a bit tight, you need a website and you see an ad saying “We will build you a website for R1999.99!” – perfect, right? What could be better? It’s the answer to all of your online prayers! So you cough up the cash. And then one of three things happen. Outcome #1 – you get to see your brand new website and it looks like someone went back in time and designed you something that would have been cutting edge…in 1993. Outcome #2 – after four months of requesting to see what has been done, you eventually start getting out of office replies to your emails and their phone number has been disconnected. Outcome #3 – you basically paid R1999.99 as a booking fee. Now it’s R2500.00 for this and R1500.00 for that, and you land up paying more than you would have if you had gone to a big agency. Who did the website for Coca Cola. Or that government website a couple of years ago. You know what I mean.

Doing it right the first time, as with so many things in life, will pay in the long run. I’m not saying you should go and find the biggest agency or most expensive web designer out there and by doing that you will ensure a good outcome – do your homework. What I am saying though, is these guys that offer super discounted websites or offers that seem to be too good to be true, will more than likely land up wasting your time and money. And at the end of the day, you will still need a great website, which you still won’t have, and you will still need to find someone to build it for you.

I’m going to go back to the whole “I’m sure I could just build it myself” saga now. I’m sure you could. But are you going to learn in two months what an experienced web designer has learnt in five years? Whether you own the business, run the marketing department or are an in-house graphic designer for the company, your time equals money, and if you are going to try and do two jobs at once, just where are you going to find the time? And find enough time to do it properly? And find the time to still ensure your primary role is still taken care of? Is the smart move here not to rather keep doing the fantastic job that you are currently doing, and find someone equally fantastic at what they do to build you a super awesome website?

On top of this, what generally lands up happening is that you block off a week to get going on your new venture of learning website design. Great! Then you land up having to go to a conference you didn’t know you had, and then there is a crisis in your Durban branch and you need to fly down and sort it out, and then your marketing guy is off sick for a week so you need to step in and then your biggest client needs a little attention because he’s being a bit grumpy and before you know it, its six months down the line and you still don’t have a website, still don’t know how to build one, and now need to start doing research on finding a good web designer. You could have had your site up and running four months ago!

Dude, you need to look good on the inter webs, like, yesterday. Finding a really good website designer will ensure that your project is taken seriously and that you will be up and running in the quickest possible amount of time, while still ensuring a quality website. I have heard of so many people moaning about slow turnaround times with both sub-par designers, as well as large agencies where you are just another number to them.

Finding someone who is professional, knows what they’re doing and can prioritise both their workload as well as read the urgency of each of their clients will go a long way in ensuring your business is looking good online quickly and effectively. And don’t be scared to ask for client testimonials and references – this will help you make your decision. Any designer worth their salt will be more than happy to share these details with you – if they’re good, their past and present clients will have no trouble telling you they’re good.

Let’s be honest, you don’t want a website that looks like everyone else’s. And a website that works for one company, won’t necessarily work for your company. And what if you want your logo over there, not over here? And what if you really like something you saw on a website once, but like this other thing you saw on this other website? Customisation is really important when it comes to both visual appeal as well as user experience. Cookie-cutter websites are, without beating around the bush, boring. Hiring a really great website designer will ensure that you get what you want, and also, that you get what will work best for who you are trying to communicate with.

Your website should be an ever-evolving entity. One of the biggest mistakes people make when building websites is thinking that they are going to finish the project and that will be that and they won’t have to look at it again for years. Not so. What about that new promotion you are running? Or the new staff member who just started with you? Or that new product you just launched and are super excited about? Your clients and potential clients should know about it too, and what better platform to share the news with them than your website?

Hiring a great web designer will ensure a long-term, trusting relationship that will allow you to contact him/her whenever you feel that there is something new to add to your website, and will not (should not) cost you an arm and a leg to implement. Having had a bad experience with a website designer will make you hesitant to contact them in the future, which will only be to the detriment of your website and your business, so make sure you choose someone awesome from the beginning – it will make your life easier for years to come.