Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Web Designer
It's never a good idea to go into any project blind -- this is especially true when it comes to creating your company's new website or having the existing one re-done.
Not all web designers are alike and, as some of you have no doubt unfortunately already figured out, many web designers aren't worth the chair they sit in. Whether you've chosen Garraty Group for your upcoming web design project or you've decided to go with a different web design firm, you should always get satisfactory answers to the following questions before moving forward.
1. Tell me about your contract.
If you get a blank stare or a long pause after asking this question or, worse, they flat out tell you that they don't have a contract, run for the hills.
You'd be shocked to know just how many "web designers" out there not only operate without a contact, but also prefer that it be that way. I've never understood how people could do business like that -- how can a company pay piles of money in exchange for the creation of what should be an extremely valuable asset without a single signature and on a single piece of paper? How can those company managers sleep soundly at night not knowing whether a website is actually being made, or whether their money is currently on its way to Vegas, never to be heard from again?
Having an appropriate web design contract created by an attorney is both painless and inexpensive and there are even free templates floating around the internet that, with a little bit of tweaking and general business acumen, can be almost as good.
Given that, for a web designer not to have a standard contract for you to sign suggests at best inexperience and laziness and at worst something just shy of criminal intent.
Always, always, always ask about the contract first. Any questions you ask before that are just a waste of your time.
2. Can you work within my budget?
Every week we get at least one lead that thinks our prices are absurd. I use the word "absurd" because I want to distinguish this case from people who are merely surprised at what a good, quality website costs. When we field a call from a prospective client, one of the first things that we always ask is what their budget is. It's not because we're greedy and it's not because all we think about is money -- we're actually trying to prevent wasting that prospect's time should their budget be unrealistic. Let me explain.
A perfect example is a call I fielded last Monday from "Steve" (let's just call him Steve). Steve owns what appears to be a fairly successful used-car dealership. Steve also talks extremely fast.
Before I could get a word in, Steve spent fifteen minutes detailing the success of his dealership and how he wanted to "take it to the next level" with a website. To be specific, Steve wanted the ability to list and sell his inventory online, have a "build your dream car" function that would cross-reference with his inventory and find the closest match, live-chat with prospective customers, and... well, I could go on, but you get the idea.
Steve then asked me how much I thought that would cost him. I explained to him that what he had described was, at a minimum, a $6,000 project (and that's on the low end), but that I could get him a more accurate price once I'd had time to draw up a formal proposal. I reminded him that what he was asking for was by no means a "simple" website, and would take several weeks and hundreds of man-hours to create.
That's when everything went down hill. Fast. Steve seemed almost insulted that we'd charge him that much -- he explained that he had been prepared to pay "$800 to the right designer, but that's tops" and that we were "clearly not meant for this project". Steve and I at least agreed on that last part. That's not to say that Steve won't find someone to do that job for $800 -- he probably will -- but the old adage "you get what you pay for" is never more true than in the web design world.
I wanted to tell Steve that plenty (if not all) of our competitors would have started at $10,000 and gone up from there. To that effect, I almost wanted to tell Steve that I'd love to buy that like-new 2010 Tahoe sitting on his front lot, and that I'd be prepared to pay $4,000 for it to the right dealer, but I feel that both points would probably have escaped him. I digress.
The point of this story is to help all of you understand how vitally important it is to discuss your budget up front -- if Steve had done that, or at least given me a chance to ask, we could have saved both of us a ton of wasted time!
3. What's your availability?
At some times of the year we're so busy that it feels like we don't even have time to eat lunch, much less take on another project. At other times we're not so busy and can take on multiple new projects at once.
When choosing your web designer, don't assume that they'll be able to instantly spend 40 hours a week working on your project. Always ask your designer what the prospective start date will be and how long they think it will take to complete the project. If they can't meet the timeline you need, then keep looking.
4. Who will I actually be working with?
I like the way we handle clients here -- whoever takes the call is labeled the "account manager" for that client. All communication to and from the client goes through them. Doing things that way makes it easier for us to track performance and it makes us much more easily accountable to the client.
Not every web design firm works this way, though. Sometimes you'll need to address billing questions to one person, have design meetings with another, and then check project progress with a third. It's always better for you to know up front all the different people you're going to need to have contact information for through the course of the project and under what circumstances you should contact each person. If possible, ask or even demand that all of your communications go through one person -- trust us, it will make your life a lot easier.
5. Are you and I going to be able to get along?
I recently turned a prospective client down for the sole reason that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was no way the two of us would get along long-term.
Everybody is different and, no matter how hard we try, none of us are able to get along with everyone -- you'll find that to be the case with web designers as well. Maybe it's the way they talk. Maybe they're less intelligent than you are, or maybe they're more intelligent than you are. Whatever it is, if it irks you now, it's going to be a million times worse by the time the project is finally over.
Whether it's the designer that doesn't get along with you or you who doesn't get along with the designer, this sort of relationship makes for a hellish few weeks or months and usually has negative effects on the quality and outcome of the project. So, better to figure out up-front whether you and your chosen designer are going to be able to get along -- if not, it's definitely in your best interest to go find someone else.
6. What are your project deliverables?
Always decide everything that you know you want and need ahead of time, and make sure your potential website designer can deliver it. For your own protection, do a little research on the elements of a successful website (Google Analytics integration, an XML sitemap, a properly configured robots.txt file, etc.) and be sure to tell your chosen developer that you expect those things as part of the project.
Some "web designers" are freelance. Some are graphic designers that have taught themselves how to load a standard WordPress template onto a server. Whatever the case may be, don't automatically assume that your web designer will deliver everything you're expecting -- always educate yourself, and always ask.
7. What is the full scope of the services that you offer?
This is a big one, because similar to project deliverables, designer capabilities are as diverse as clients' needs. If you need copywriting assistance, organic SEO, or even assistance with public relations, you typically won't get this from a "web design guy" or "graphic designer". You'll need a fully-functional firm (like us!) for that.
Most small businesses need a full service design house or an experienced internet marketing firm. They lack in house marketing resources and need someone to provide a complete website development project with the option for post-launch support. Know your own needs and make sure you pick a firm that meets those needs in both the short-term and long-term.
8. Do you want / can you support a long-term relationship?
Some web designers expect to be paid to create the website and then move on to the next project, allowing you to do exactly what you want -- much in the same way you would pay a trim-carpenter to create built-in cabinets for you and then fill and maintain the cabinets yourself.
Other web designers appreciate having a long-term relationship with their clients -- such a relationship can be both mutually beneficial and more secure. Whichever relationship you want, be sure to discuss it and your expectations for it up-front with your web designer so that there aren't any nasty surprises to be found later on.
9. Do you adhere to web design "best practices" / so-called "white hat" techniques?
Yes, there is absolutely a right way and a wrong way to create a website, and creating one in the wrong way can be detrimental if not disastrous to your company.
You'd be surprised (honestly) how many "web designers" out there throw a slap-dash website together that, while perhaps looking good, is absolutely abhorrently coded and implemented. If you ask your web designer only one question, ask them this one -- recovering from a poorly constructed and implemented website is extremely difficult and wildly expensive.
10. What am I going to be expected to bring to this project?
You should never go into a web design project expecting to say "go" to your web designer and then back away and wait for the project to be done.
No matter whom you choose to create your website, they will require varying degrees of input and content from you. It's extremely important to learn what those expectations are up-front and whether you're comfortable with them or not.
Not all web designers are alike and, as some of you have no doubt unfortunately already figured out, many web designers aren't worth the chair they sit in. Whether you've chosen Garraty Group for your upcoming web design project or you've decided to go with a different web design firm, you should always get satisfactory answers to the following questions before moving forward.
1. Tell me about your contract.
If you get a blank stare or a long pause after asking this question or, worse, they flat out tell you that they don't have a contract, run for the hills.
You'd be shocked to know just how many "web designers" out there not only operate without a contact, but also prefer that it be that way. I've never understood how people could do business like that -- how can a company pay piles of money in exchange for the creation of what should be an extremely valuable asset without a single signature and on a single piece of paper? How can those company managers sleep soundly at night not knowing whether a website is actually being made, or whether their money is currently on its way to Vegas, never to be heard from again?
Having an appropriate web design contract created by an attorney is both painless and inexpensive and there are even free templates floating around the internet that, with a little bit of tweaking and general business acumen, can be almost as good.
Given that, for a web designer not to have a standard contract for you to sign suggests at best inexperience and laziness and at worst something just shy of criminal intent.
Always, always, always ask about the contract first. Any questions you ask before that are just a waste of your time.
2. Can you work within my budget?
Every week we get at least one lead that thinks our prices are absurd. I use the word "absurd" because I want to distinguish this case from people who are merely surprised at what a good, quality website costs. When we field a call from a prospective client, one of the first things that we always ask is what their budget is. It's not because we're greedy and it's not because all we think about is money -- we're actually trying to prevent wasting that prospect's time should their budget be unrealistic. Let me explain.
A perfect example is a call I fielded last Monday from "Steve" (let's just call him Steve). Steve owns what appears to be a fairly successful used-car dealership. Steve also talks extremely fast.
Before I could get a word in, Steve spent fifteen minutes detailing the success of his dealership and how he wanted to "take it to the next level" with a website. To be specific, Steve wanted the ability to list and sell his inventory online, have a "build your dream car" function that would cross-reference with his inventory and find the closest match, live-chat with prospective customers, and... well, I could go on, but you get the idea.
Steve then asked me how much I thought that would cost him. I explained to him that what he had described was, at a minimum, a $6,000 project (and that's on the low end), but that I could get him a more accurate price once I'd had time to draw up a formal proposal. I reminded him that what he was asking for was by no means a "simple" website, and would take several weeks and hundreds of man-hours to create.
That's when everything went down hill. Fast. Steve seemed almost insulted that we'd charge him that much -- he explained that he had been prepared to pay "$800 to the right designer, but that's tops" and that we were "clearly not meant for this project". Steve and I at least agreed on that last part. That's not to say that Steve won't find someone to do that job for $800 -- he probably will -- but the old adage "you get what you pay for" is never more true than in the web design world.
I wanted to tell Steve that plenty (if not all) of our competitors would have started at $10,000 and gone up from there. To that effect, I almost wanted to tell Steve that I'd love to buy that like-new 2010 Tahoe sitting on his front lot, and that I'd be prepared to pay $4,000 for it to the right dealer, but I feel that both points would probably have escaped him. I digress.
The point of this story is to help all of you understand how vitally important it is to discuss your budget up front -- if Steve had done that, or at least given me a chance to ask, we could have saved both of us a ton of wasted time!
3. What's your availability?
At some times of the year we're so busy that it feels like we don't even have time to eat lunch, much less take on another project. At other times we're not so busy and can take on multiple new projects at once.
When choosing your web designer, don't assume that they'll be able to instantly spend 40 hours a week working on your project. Always ask your designer what the prospective start date will be and how long they think it will take to complete the project. If they can't meet the timeline you need, then keep looking.
4. Who will I actually be working with?
I like the way we handle clients here -- whoever takes the call is labeled the "account manager" for that client. All communication to and from the client goes through them. Doing things that way makes it easier for us to track performance and it makes us much more easily accountable to the client.
Not every web design firm works this way, though. Sometimes you'll need to address billing questions to one person, have design meetings with another, and then check project progress with a third. It's always better for you to know up front all the different people you're going to need to have contact information for through the course of the project and under what circumstances you should contact each person. If possible, ask or even demand that all of your communications go through one person -- trust us, it will make your life a lot easier.
5. Are you and I going to be able to get along?
I recently turned a prospective client down for the sole reason that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was no way the two of us would get along long-term.
Everybody is different and, no matter how hard we try, none of us are able to get along with everyone -- you'll find that to be the case with web designers as well. Maybe it's the way they talk. Maybe they're less intelligent than you are, or maybe they're more intelligent than you are. Whatever it is, if it irks you now, it's going to be a million times worse by the time the project is finally over.
Whether it's the designer that doesn't get along with you or you who doesn't get along with the designer, this sort of relationship makes for a hellish few weeks or months and usually has negative effects on the quality and outcome of the project. So, better to figure out up-front whether you and your chosen designer are going to be able to get along -- if not, it's definitely in your best interest to go find someone else.
6. What are your project deliverables?
Always decide everything that you know you want and need ahead of time, and make sure your potential website designer can deliver it. For your own protection, do a little research on the elements of a successful website (Google Analytics integration, an XML sitemap, a properly configured robots.txt file, etc.) and be sure to tell your chosen developer that you expect those things as part of the project.
Some "web designers" are freelance. Some are graphic designers that have taught themselves how to load a standard WordPress template onto a server. Whatever the case may be, don't automatically assume that your web designer will deliver everything you're expecting -- always educate yourself, and always ask.
7. What is the full scope of the services that you offer?
This is a big one, because similar to project deliverables, designer capabilities are as diverse as clients' needs. If you need copywriting assistance, organic SEO, or even assistance with public relations, you typically won't get this from a "web design guy" or "graphic designer". You'll need a fully-functional firm (like us!) for that.
Most small businesses need a full service design house or an experienced internet marketing firm. They lack in house marketing resources and need someone to provide a complete website development project with the option for post-launch support. Know your own needs and make sure you pick a firm that meets those needs in both the short-term and long-term.
8. Do you want / can you support a long-term relationship?
Some web designers expect to be paid to create the website and then move on to the next project, allowing you to do exactly what you want -- much in the same way you would pay a trim-carpenter to create built-in cabinets for you and then fill and maintain the cabinets yourself.
Other web designers appreciate having a long-term relationship with their clients -- such a relationship can be both mutually beneficial and more secure. Whichever relationship you want, be sure to discuss it and your expectations for it up-front with your web designer so that there aren't any nasty surprises to be found later on.
9. Do you adhere to web design "best practices" / so-called "white hat" techniques?
Yes, there is absolutely a right way and a wrong way to create a website, and creating one in the wrong way can be detrimental if not disastrous to your company.
You'd be surprised (honestly) how many "web designers" out there throw a slap-dash website together that, while perhaps looking good, is absolutely abhorrently coded and implemented. If you ask your web designer only one question, ask them this one -- recovering from a poorly constructed and implemented website is extremely difficult and wildly expensive.
10. What am I going to be expected to bring to this project?
You should never go into a web design project expecting to say "go" to your web designer and then back away and wait for the project to be done.
No matter whom you choose to create your website, they will require varying degrees of input and content from you. It's extremely important to learn what those expectations are up-front and whether you're comfortable with them or not.
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