5 tips on how to choose a small business web designer
Choosing a small business web designer can feel like a daunting task - where do you even start? How do you find them? What should you consider and how do you know when you’ve found the right fit?
Here I’ve brought together 5 top tips for choosing the right web designer for your small business.
I discuss the importance of a design style to compliment your brand, having aligned business values and crucially, achievable timelines. Helping you to get the perfect match for your small biz.
1. Choose a web designer’s style that compliments your brand vision
Every designer will have their own style, particularly if you are after a custom-made website and not a pre-made template.
So it makes sense when choosing a small business web designer to have a good look at their own website and the websites in their portfolio to see if their style aligns with your vision for your brand.
That’s not to say that we web designers aren’t versatile and can’t adapt to different brand styles - but we all have our own styles, preferences and nuances that run through our designs.
There’s no point choosing a designer who always uses big bold bright colours and large impact text if you are after a more subtle nuanced brand vibe.
2. Check what hosting platforms or web builders they use
You want to be able to update your website yourself and not rely on a web developer every time you want to make a change, or add a page, image or blog post.
After all, we know Google likes websites that are regularly updated with fresh, relevant content, so you don’t want to have to wait around for someone else to update your website for you or have your site collecting digital dust.
Obviously, you may need help with bigger additions like adding an e-commerce store or a membership area, and that’s absolutely fine - but be wary of anyone that’s trying to tie you into a regular maintenance package for small updates like adding text or images unless that is the level of service you want.
Each designer may work solely on one platform like WordPress or Wix, or they may use a range of website builders depending on their client’s needs like using Shopify if they are an e-commerce business.
I, for example, predominantly use Squarespace to build websites for new small businesses, particularly service-based small businesses in the health and wellness space, as it’s super user-friendly for those that don’t regard themselves as being very “tech-savvy”.
If you can’t see it listed on their website services, ask them.
3. Consider how you like to work and how big is your project
It may be tempting to go for a big flashy design agency, but if you are a small business you may prefer to work directly with one person for the whole project, rather than a team of people.
Depending on your technical ability, this approach may feel less intimidating if you have just one point of contact and a single person to ask questions to, and with whom you can build a good relationship.
However, if you’re after lots of specialised elements and swanky features then maybe a team of highly skilled brand and web designers and web developers might be exactly what you need.
It will likely depend on how established your business is and how big your budget is!
4. Find a small business website designer that aligns with your values
You’ll get a better service, experience and a better website if your web designer understands your business goals, your vision for the future of your business and feels aligned with the purpose driving your business.
As I mentioned in my previous point, it’s good to build a relationship with your website designer so they can build a strategy that best serves your business aspirations and gets you the results you want.
That’s not to say that they won’t challenge how that vision is portrayed through your website or get you thinking deeper about your ideal client and how you want them to feel when they come across your business website. This is all part of getting real clarity and designing with an informed strategy and not just making your website look pretty.
My values are an important part of who I am, how I conduct my business and the service I provide my clients. I value quality, honesty, authenticity, sustainability and creativity and I like to work with independent businesses that share those values.
Similarly, my vision is to help empower my clients (such as nutritionists, wellness coaches, and therapists) to build healthier happier communities through hand-crafted branding and purposeful websites that help them connect with more people.
5. When you find a website designer you like, check their availability
Right, it’s time to get your calendar out 📆
Some small business website designers can get booked out months in advance.
Make sure to bear this in mind when plotting out the timeline for your project and when you expect to have your new site live by. Especially if your new or rebranded website is to be released to coincide with your business launch or a specific service or product launch.
Be clear when discussing your project with a web designer if there are any hard deadlines they need to meet and if they have the space in their schedule to achieve it.
Bonus tip - Don’t underestimate how long things can take, such as pulling your website text together or transferring your domain if you are switching providers. It’s always good to factor in some buffer room!
I hope my tips for choosing a small business web designer have been helpful, as it’s definitely worth spending the time to find the right web designer for your business.
It’s not only an investment in your business but in your future too.
If you want to see if we are the right fit to create the perfect online home for your small business, head on over to my portfolio to see what I’ve been crafting.
