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When you first get started in business you do not necessarily need a sophisticated website. Initially, you have to invest your time, money and energy into growing your core business. It is the only way to tell whether it is viable or not. But, the moment you know it is and that you are going to grow that business you need to go out there and start building your online presence.
In theory, you could build your own website. But, in reality, hiring someone like the Fastfwd digital marketing agency Birmingham is a more sensible option.
The vast majority of business owners simply do not have the necessary expertise to be able to put together a good-looking website that works and ranks well. Those entrepreneurs who try to do this, typically, spend weeks on the project. Only to end up producing a site that is mediocre, at best.
Worse than that, often, their core business suffers. Time spent working on your website could usually be better used elsewhere in the business. For example, marketing and serving customers.
For this reason, hiring a web designer makes a lot of sense for the majority of entrepreneurs. But, you need to be careful about who you hire and how you brief them. Here are a few tips to help you to make the right decisions when hiring a web designer.
Look for an experienced team
It is very important to hire an experienced team of designers. The money you are spending on your website needs to be viewed as an investment. So, take your time, do some research and focus in on the agencies in your area that are well established and have a good reputation.
Look at their past work
A good design team will be proud of their work. They will want to show it off. If they do not maintain a portfolio of previous projects, you need to be suspicious and dig a little deeper.
Are you on the same wavelength?
Producing a website is a collaborative task. You will be quite deeply involved in the process. The team will have ideas, but they will bounce these off you and take your suggestions on board. The design process is very much a two-way thing.
So, the channels of communication have to be open and information needs to be able to flow freely. They have to be able to understand and interpret what you are telling them. Plus, perhaps, more importantly, you need to be able to understand your design team.
You really do not want to be working with a firm that ignores your emails and ducks your calls. Or, just talk over you. If you do not feel you have gelled at the initial stage, it is usually best to move on and find someone else.
Choose a firm that offers website development services too
In time, your firm will flourish and grow. No doubt, when that happens, the services and products you offer will change. Your branding will evolve too. When all of those things happen you will want to be able to change and update your website. Ideally, you want your site designers to be able to handle the adaption process. So, whenever possible, hire a company that has website development capabilities as well as design skills.