How to work with a web designer: 10 practical tips

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CONTENTS
Introduction | Making the most of your investment
Web design company tip 1 | Choose your web design company wisely
Web design company tip 2 | Budget realistically
Web design company tip 3 | View your website from the perspective of your customer
Web design company tip 4 | Choose one decision maker
Web design company tip 5 | Give honest yet diplomatic feedback
Web design company tip 6 | Let your web designer use her expertise on your behalf
Web design company tip 7 | Be timely in all your communications
Web design company tip 8 | Request rush work strategically
Web design company tip 9 | Clarify your assumptions
Web design company tip 10 | Use your new website to its full advantage

Making the most of your investment

We always seek to reduce our small business clients' investment of time and money by gathering information efficiently, requesting items sparingly, offering a speed guarantee at no extra charge, and using "tricks of the trade" to save money, which we pass along to our clients in lower fees... but a custom website design is still an undertaking. How can you make the most of your investment?

Below, you'll find ten practical tips you can use to make the most of your custom web page design... and to make the design process itself as pleasant as possible! (Many of our favorite clients were delighted to find out how fun and rewarding the web design process can be. Read some of these customers' comments here.)

Tip 1: Choose your web design company wisely

Like interior designers or architects, many web designers develop a natural design style. Locating the best possible design match for your customer base will set you up for success in the custom web design process.

If your target market is made up of affluent women of the baby boomer generation, for instance, you'd be wise to stay away from web design companies whose natural design style features images of distressed graffiti overlaid with tiny text and mysterious, unlabeled links. Better to seek a web design firm with a clean, upscale design style featuring clear text and intuitive website navigation.

How can you determine this? Visit the design portfolio page of the web design company you're considering. The samples included on these kinds of pages tend to be work that represents the firm's web design style. (Don't be alarmed if you find some outliers; a good web designer should be able to work outside his or her natural design style if that's what the client's business case calls for, but the majority of the samples should have a cohesive feel.)

If the web design company you're considering doesn't have a portfolio page or a website, it's worrisome. We hate to say it, but we'd recommend crossing them off your list and moving on. (A web design firm without a website of its own or samples of its work available online? There's just something not quite right with that picture.)

Tip 2: Budget realistically

We've all heard the well-worn adage "You get what you pay for." In the emerging "wild west" world of web design, that's both more and less true.

On one hand, simply because you pay thousands of dollars to a web design firm doesn't mean you'll enjoy a high-quality result right for your target market. Sadly, we've been approached by clients who gave other web design firms many thousands of dollars, only to end up with (a) a design that was not at all a fit with their target market, (b) no design at all, and in one case, (c) a single web page featuring their logo and an email link. (Want to avoid this kind of nonsense? We can't blame you! Order our free report, 21 ways to identify a web design company that’ll treat you right. It will help you no matter who you choose.)

On the other hand, if your budget is in the hundreds of dollars for a custom web site design, you're less likely to enjoy profitable results and a pleasurable design experience than otherwise.

For optimal results, it's best to seek a reputable web design firm with experience marketing to your company's target audience, but hundreds of dollars won't usually purchase much from a firm of high caliber in the US. Instead, your options are likely to include taking a chance on an inexperienced and untested web designer (often someone who is moonlighting in addition to a full time job, which takes priority over your website design) or offshoring your web design to internet programmers in a third world country, who have little idea of what it's like to make buying decisions as an American in the market for your company's products or services.

(Not sure what to budget? Visit our web design pricing page to see the latest survey data on what other small businesses pay for a professional custom website design or logo.)

This said, we understand the reality of budgets! If you aren't able to budget as much as you'd like for a top-of-the-line custom website design, allocate what you can and then be clear and specific with the web design firm you hire. Make sure you understand what your money will buy, and don't hand over your entire budget at once. While it's normal to pay a deposit at the beginning of a design project, ask to pay the rest in installments, and make sure they're still fulfilling their end of the agreement before sending each one.

Tip 3: View your web page design from the perspective of your customer

Always remember that the purpose of your website is to attract your target customer and convince her to take the next step to doing business with you, whether that's contacting you, requesting a free report, or ordering a product online.

Your target customer may not have the same tastes as you do; you may prefer forest greens and mahogany browns in ornate patterns while your target market prefers a clean, spacious design set against a clear white backdrop. If that's the case, save the ornate patterns for the interior of your home where you'll enjoy it; for your company website, choose the clean, spacious design set against the clear white backdrop. Your customers will reward you.

How can you determine what appeals to your target customers online? Ask them! Form an informal focus group of willing customers and show them a variety of websites, asking what they like and dislike about each one. (You might be surprised; many will consider it an honor to take part in helping craft a company's image, though you should be careful not to take advantage of their time.) Carefully listen and take notes without leading them in one direction or another. Better yet, arrange for someone outside your company to do the asking; customers are likely to be more honest with their responses if they're freed from the responsibility of pleasing you. If anything, while talking with you, customers are likely to be too nice.

If you can afford it, thank the members of your focus group with a gift card, cash card, or significant discount on their next order from your firm. It's a classy touch they'll appreciate, and they may well tell their friends about you, garnering you positive publicity.

Even if you're only able to gather two or three members to form your focus group, that's better than none. Do your best and sleep well each night.

Tip 4: Choose one decision maker

It has been said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. Believe us, we've seen it, and we're here to tell you the same principle applies in web design! Having multiple people giving contradictory direction to your web designer can drive up your costs faster than you think, too. Your web designer may have supplied a quote that anticipated one or two revisions, yet encounter several people coming to her requesting changes over time. If your contract specifies you'll pay extra for extra revisions, that's a lot of extra money.

Save yourself unnecessary time, money, and grief: designate a single person to take charge of the web design, and stand behind her decisions. (If you can't avoid the existence of a committee, designate one person from the committee to distill the entire committee's feedback into a single non-contradictory directive, and deliver all requested changes at one time, so you'll only be charged for one revision.)

For instance, if your director of marketing requests a dark green background on the website and your director of sales wants a white background, the designated contact should not ask the web designer to design a website with a dark green AND white background; you'll end up with stripes or something worse, and neither director will be satisfied. Instead, the designated contact should sit down and hash out a compromise with the two directors, and deliver a single directive to the web designer. (Better yet, the designated contact should talk with your focus group and do what they prefer, first explaining the reasoning to the two directors—see tip #3.)

Tip 5: Give honest yet diplomatic feedback

It's possible to be too nice. Diplomacy is appreciated by nearly everyone, but it's hard for a web designer to please you if she doesn't know what you or your target market likes. Communicate kindly but clearly, being as specific as possible. Good web designers would rather hear that a particular aspect of their design is not working for you than see you smile and say it's fine to avoid hurting their feelings. The best web designers want you to be delighted, not just marginally satisfied.

Tip 6: Let your web designer use her expertise on your behalf

In Tip #5, we advised you to be as specific as possible in your feedback... but now we must add a caveat. If you've chosen well, your web design company is not only competent at what they do, they're experts in marketing to your target audience, something they live, work and breathe full time. Even though you're likely to know more about your firm than anyone else, it’s less probable that you’re a genuine expert at marketing, design, or programming… and if you micromanage the web design process, you're likely to subtract some or all the value your web designers could bring to your company—the very expertise and value for which you're paying them.

Our recommendation, then, is to be as specific as you can within limits. It would be entirely appropriate to say something like, "My focus group of customers have said they're attracted to the nostalgic aspects of our product; would it be possible for our website to have more of a nostalgic feeling?" It would be less wise to say something like, "I don't like yellow; please change all instances of yellow to royal blue, center that text, and change the font to Arial." The former gives your web designers a specific direction to go; the latter ties their hands.

(If you feel the web design firm is doing such poor work that you're forced to micromanage the design process, it may be time to ask to be assigned to a different web designer or move to a different design company. Examine your own expectations and communications first, though, as it's easy to react personally to something as subjective as design. Try to make decisions about your company website as you would any other business matter; better yet, consider asking for the opinion of an objective colleague and carefully listen before taking action. You'll rest easier knowing you made a well-considered decision.)

Tip 7: Be timely in all your communications

As with any service business, web design companies carefully plan their workload to ensure they can deliver the best service to each client. If your web designer's schedule is fully loaded, she may have even turned down new work in order to have the necessary time to commit to you. If she later requests an important item from you but you aren't able to provide it for several weeks, as you can imagine, it could throw a major wrench into both of your schedules.

What's the remedy? Emergencies can happen, causing delays on your end; if this occurs, let your web designer know right away and do your best to get the needed item to her the moment things calm down. Keep her posted along the way if you can, and if at all possible allow her a grace period after you provide the item—this will allow her to rearrange her schedule to fit your project back in. (If she is able to quickly fit you back into her schedule, don't take it for granted; she may have made heroic efforts to do so, so be sure to offer your genuine thanks!)

Most of all, don't make delays a habit; reserve delays for genuine emergencies. Your website is key to your business and will serve you best if you make it a priority. Remember, if you can stick it out during the design process, your website will be working for you 24 hours a day, all year, without further effort on your part!

Tip 8: Request rush work strategically

We live in a fast-paced society, and most people experience pressure on many sides—we understand! But you're still likely to experience better luck and more well-executed results if you reserve your rush requests for genuine emergencies.

The best strategy is to discuss deadlines with your web designer at the beginning of the project, allotting the time she recommends for each stage of the project so as not to rush a website or logo with which you'll be living for years to come. If due to circumstances beyond your control you need your project completed yesterday, be prepared to possibly pay a rush fee, as your web designer may need to ask her other clients for permission to delay their projects while she handles yours.

Tip 9: Clarify your assumptions

In the world of web design, what looks simple to you could indeed be easy... or it could require many hours of work. Before you request a change, even a seemingly simple one, protect yourself by asking your web designer how much time it will take and how much it will cost. If you're paying a web design company by the hour, this is even more important. Even if they don't volunteer the information, ask. You'll be glad you did!

Tip 10: Use your new website to its full advantage

Imagine you've invested thousands of dollars and many hours of your time in a stunning custom website design or redesign. It's a thing of beauty, incorporating more marketing strategy and design theory than you knew existed. You sigh happily, lean back, and go about your life.

That's one way of approaching it, and certainly it's lovely to see any design client sighing with contentment! It would be even better, though, if you were to actively promote your website, getting it in front of even more admiring eyes... the eyes of those who will turn into new customers for you, or recommend others to you.

How to do it? Here's a quick list of ideas:

~ Include your web address on your business cards, letterhead, and envelopes
~ Include your web address below your name at the bottom of every email you send
~ Include your web address in any marketing materials you create, including ads
~ Optimize your website so people searching for your service can quickly find you
~ Consider running ads on Google for certain keywords
~ Send out an email to those you know, letting them know about the new website
~ If you blog, add it to your blog template, then post an interesting item about your new site
~ If you have a physical location, display a large sign showing your web address
~ About to be interviewed? Ask the media personality to say or show your web address
~ Write a testimonial for a firm and ask them to include your web address by your name
~ Write an article and ask the publisher to include your web address in your author bio
~ Speak to a group and include your web address on your slides and printouts
~ Include your web address even on mundane items like receipts or clothing tags

We'd love to hear from you. You're also very welcome to explore our website to find out more. We've suggested some links below, or follow any of the links on this page.

What would you like to know?

• If affluent women are your target market, visit our marketing to women page
• If you’re a woman entrepreneur, visit our page for women business owners
• If you‘re interested in a custom web design or redesign, visit our web design page
• If you’d like to find out more about us or our pricing, start with our about Aio Design page
• If you’re looking for information to help you, see our helpful articles page or order our free report
• If you're looking for practical ways to improve your existing website, order our website analysis