Let’s be honest, we all want the same results. A well designed, professional look and feel, in double quick time and at a reasonable cost.
But how do you find that elusive web professional? Recommendations from friends or colleagues is the way most people prefer. The specter of poor results, a bad worker or paying too much money means we will go for the safe option every time. But what if you can’t get any recommendations?
The following process will help you turn a new agency or freelancer into the amazing find you tell everyone about.
Scope the work – the secret to getting the results you want from any employee are the 3 P’s:
Planning
Preparation
Precision
Before taking any action think carefully about exactly what you want to achieve. You need to be crystal clear on this. It’s no good saying ‘I’m not sure. I’ll know when I see it.’ You can overcome this, we are happy to walk our clients through the process to save us all time in the long run.
Do you want both design and coding done? They are separate skills, luckily we cater for both.
Do you want search engine optimised design? They are also separate skills, we employ a dedicated SEO professional to make sure people can find your new content!
Is it a website or a blog? If it’s a website, you will need a CMS (Content Management System), unless you want to pay the designer every time you want to change anything on your website. With a CMS, you are in control.
If the design is for a blog, which platform do you want to use? We recommend WordPress.
Do you know what content you will add to your site? The content is more important than the design, so the content should come first. Know what will be on the site before you design it. We can even help with this as an extra service.
Will you need hosting or do you already have your own web host? We supply hosting as this guarantees up-time and functionality.
Do you have a domain name or do you want the designer to find one? A search on godaddy will tell you if your name idea is available. If you get the designer to register the domain name, make sure it’s registered in your name, not his.
Choose your marketplace – there are different ways of employing a designer, You could use a design agency, a freelance designer or a design contest.
Working with a design agency can seem daunting
Won’t it be expensive? Could they confuse you with technical jargon? What if there are hidden costs? Most agencies cultivate an informal, transparent atmosphere that is centered around getting the best results for their clients in the quickest time possible, so as to minimise the cost, TKStarley are no exception.
We aim to act as an extension of your business by not only guiding and tailoring your project but looking at how it can impact on your existing operations. This enables us to suggest and implement improvements using the latest technologies to directly boost your profits.
When to use a freelance designer
Employing a freelancer to complete your project is the cheapest option and you can get outstanding results. However, there are pitfalls for the unwary. Often a freelancer working solo might not be able to implement everything you want. A freelancer will almost certainly be working on multiple projects and be unable to dedicate sufficient time to your project if you have a tight deadline.
If it is a small, basic website you are after with limited SEO and little integration across platforms then this might be your best bet.
Design contests
Design contests are a relatively new way of getting freelancers, or web design firms, to compete for your business. 99designs runs contests and it’s easy. You compile your design brief, review and provide feedback, then pick a winner. After you describe your requirements, dozens of designers submit design concepts and you only pay for the web page design you like the best.
You also choose the price, which starts at $495. If you really are not sure what you want, a design contest will give you plenty of ideas.
I will cover Preparation and Precision in my next Blog posts, so come back soon!
If you would like to talk further about your web design projects you can call us on 08000 88 60 75 or mail us.