Why leaving your website to a web designer is a GOOD idea...

by Kera McHugh

Are you a web designer? If you're not, that is the NUMBER ONE reason why leaving your website to a designer is a GOOD idea.

But why? Your business card and website are your MOST important promotional tools --put some time and money into them. It's the repeat visit (or pickup of the card) that gets the sale…

Ok... so you've heard that story. But who knows your business like you do? How can you possibly trust anyone else to present YOU the way you think YOU can? This is the next GOOD REASON to hire a designer.

A good designer will have some marketing background and work with you to create visuals and copy to represent and sell YOU. Before anything happens, a designer should ask you questions (some that you may never have considered) about your business, your market, your current activities... so they can get a feel for what you're about.

Now... are you seeing the wisdom in hiring a professional. After all... do you tell your potential clients that you are the professional they need? Of course you do. Why would a conference planner do all the speaking himself? Why would a CEO think she could train her entire staff in the latest computer software? Why would a lawyer type his own transcripts? They simply wouldn't.

So why would you build your own website? You have better things to do...

Is your business important to you? Do you want it to expand? You started because you were good at something... or you had knowledge that people wanted you to share. If it wasn't webdesign, that's ANOTHER reason to leave your website to a designer.

You need to focus on your business... on attracting clients, delivering products and services, expanding your reputation. Can you do that while you're struggling with html codes that just don't make sense? NO.

A designer won't tell you how to run your business, they won't give you a topic for a new workshop... they'll build your website (and if you're lucky, your other promotional materials) so that it complements the work you're doing and INCREASES the results of your efforts.

A good designer doesn't necessarily have to cost you an arm and a leg, but you generally get what you pay for. Having a clear idea of what you want you can cut down design time significantly. Find a designer who works on a project fee basis - and usually you'll get more than you pay for. They'll work with you to clarify the purpose and function of your site, and bring you ideas for look and feel that will already have your preferences AND your market taken into account.

What's a ballpark for a good BASIC, custom designed site that will serve you well? $800 - 2000 US, depending on number of pages, interactivity and custom graphic work. Add realtime ecommerce and backend databases, etc, and plan on a minimum of $5000. Some designers have cheaper prebuilt templates -if you're on a tight budget that can be a good way to begin… but PLAN to spend more later.

Some things to consider when thinking about your website:

• - it's not going to happen overnight. And if it does... don't say we didn't warn you.<G>
• - good design - like fine wine - takes time.
• - good design is evolutionary too... find a designer you like, because you should be together for a while. You MUST keep your site up to date and fresh.

Does that get the point across?? Webdesign is not quick. You may think that throwing together a FrontPage™ template site in a couple hours will do the trick, but it won't.

Even if you get a site you LOVE in a few hours... it's no good if people don't know about it...and we'll get to that NEXT TIME.

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Things to look for when hiring a designer:

- project fee flexibility
- marketing experience
- good writing skills
- versatility in their portfolio
- a portfolio, period... it doesn't have to be big, or even paid/published work, it just has to be THEIR work.
- referrals
- questions (if they ask good questions, you're on the right track)
- network - if they have others they collaborate with, you'll probably get better results...
- WEB DESIGN EXPERIENCE
- PRINT DESIGN EXPERIENCE
(We emphasize those because they are very different media, and not all designers cross over)

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by Kera McHugh, designer
somethingelse web+graphics