When starting a website, businesspeople, managers and CEOs probably asked themselves some questions like how to hire a designer, a web designer or a programmer, or what they should be concerned with to build their website. By following the steps below, you certainly will minimise many problems. 

Planning

Before hiring someone to build your website, you should know exactly what the plans are for it. Do you want a website for publicising? Will you sell directly through the internet (virtual store)? Will you use the website as an intranet tool for clients, suppliers and contributors? What is the real goal of the website?

Keep in mind that the possibilities on the internet are unlimited, and you can use all these resources to boost your business, but if all of that isn’t planned, the efforts won’t be worth it. 

Also, try first to know who your public are, assembling profiles and detailing as much as you can about which is the type of client you already have or think you’ll have with your new project. Working based on the profiles, certainly you and the team you hire, whether is a digital agency or a freelancer, will have more clarity to build and publicise the website.  

Here’s an example of a profile survey:

• Company’s activity: tyre sale
• Man from 25 to 65 years-old
• Married or in a serious relationship
• Problem: needs to change the car’s tyres 
• Wishes for a purchase that is value for money

There are many ways to survey the public’s profile. The simpler way is to search online what this public is searching. Look for comments on social media, on video websites, on talking-shops online and many other channels. The more professional way would be to hire a company specific for the job, but everything will depend on your investment possibilities. 

It is important that you go on your competitors' website, and also companies from other cities, states and even other countries, to look for inspiration and to be sure of what you don’t wish for your company and public. Write everything down, even what you don’t like. All your notes will be very helpful for the professionals that will work on your web project. 

If you have in mind what you want, it’ll be easier to get a budget from the company or professional that will build your website, virtual store or system. Besides, half of the questions the professionals would ask, or should ask, will be answered. Write your notes with items, drawings, sketches and then assemble a document with comments on each topic, divided by pages. 

For example:

Desired links

1. Home page

• Sliders with quick images and texts about the main services (images with human faces);
• Presentation text (explaining what we do, including Google tags);
• Video to a short company presentation; 
• 3 small boxes with a highlight to the company’s differentials;
• Footer. 

2. The Company

• Company’s presentation text with a picture of the shop’s front

3. Services

• List of services

What I didn’t like

• Some competitors’ websites use many slides in the website’s cover. I wouldn’t like that in mine;
• I observed some websites have a lot of text. I want to be more direct.

For all the topics, keep in mind that you shouldn’t plan something you couldn’t handle later, shc as new’s links that are soon to be out of date, photo galleries and other items that many times are included and then expire. There’s nothing worse on the internet than going on a website and not finding anything. The rule is: if you won’t update it, don’t publish it.  

After planning exactly what you want, remember that this isn’t your thing. It’s important to expose what you’ve planned and wait for the internet professional to make their comments and collaborate with new ideas. Since you’ve done a wide search to select a good service, trust your professionals to reach the best outcome. 

How to look for a web designer or a digital agency?

Trust your direct and reliable connections. Ask your friends that have their own companies and projects who they hired, and if they have good references for professionals and digital agencies (for the internet).  

If you have a good referral, evaluate the company’s portfolio and all the topics mentioned in this article. Even with a good indication, it is important you feel comfortable with the team that will become your partner. 

In case you didn’t get referrals, google for those agencies. Consider hiring companies that are well listed in Google. If the algorithm  selected those companies, it’s because they correspond to the most relevant websites for the keywords you searched. It isn’t just a coincidence that only companies will be in the main list at Google’s first page. Search with keywords like “website design in [insert your city]”, “digital agency in [insert your city]”, “company website design [insert your city]” and other similar combinations. 

Select five companies, at the most, preferably in your city, evaluate their portfolio (quality for graphic projects and design), major clients (credibility), types of services (web range) and make contact. 

To make contact, here’s another hint. Try to reach them through a secondary channel, like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. If the company doesn’t answer in two business days, it’s because there’s no department or person responsible for the customer service the way it should. A good web company will be (or should be) worried about their digital presence, and will always be aware of contacts in all the possible and probable channels. 

Remember that many projects should have present meetings for your requirements acquisition. Only simple publicising websites have closed plans. Major projects should not be budgeted for with a requirement list. In a present meeting, many topics can be removed and others added, by the reduction in the needed investments and project’s quality.  

About the company to be hired

Require a budget based on your planning and be sure to visit the company. This way you’ll be able to realise if what the company shows online is real or not. Besides, as mentioned, the empathy with the professional, the company and the layouts created is crucial to your project’s success. 

In this moment is nice to ask what’s the website’s designing methodology (HTML5, CSS3, PHP etc), what’s the planning for your project, the update system (CMS), if there is any workflow for the production (methodology), besides the deadlines, forms of payment etc. Good companies have well experimented methods so that no topic is forgotten during the process.

In the EDEngland.co.uk, our team have the experience of working with websites and systems designing since 1997 in Brazil. Today, we have a briefing document with 14 pages very well detailed. This way, we have a checklist for the whole production. Details not predicted in some projects can be written down and all the team have access to the document during production. It is a sole documentation about the project and can be consulted even after the project is done. Ask what is the working methodology before hiring. 

Asking advanced questions could be an excellent idea. Search about the themes mentioned below, have a notion about them and ask the professional if these concepts will be used in the project, in case the hiring is done. Ask about usability, information architecture, ergonomy and digital marketing. 

Speaking of digital marketing, we suggest you give preference to companies that can provide you a full service, with digital planning, website designing, social media channels and management, content creating, as well as sponsored links campaign and other  publicising solutions. It’s not enough anymore to just build a website and publish it online. Now it’s required to be publicised, and a lot. 

The current internet situation can be compared to a city in wide urban expansion. When it was still a small city,  you could just open a shop downtown and have a return (internet in the 90’s). With the city’s growth, it’s expensive to own a shop downtown and, even if you do, you have to promote it, because there’s many other shops to compete (internet’s current situation, mostly in capitals). 

After analysing each topic in the budget and choosing the company, require to have access to the contract’s prospectus, ask your questions and sign the contract, which certainly should predict all the contracted items and all the conduct of both parts, so there will be any problems. Always ask and don’t be in doubt. Keep in mind that your project can experience some adaptations. Also, there’s always limiters, such as e-mail quotas and archive storage in your website hosting, maximum support time by contract and others. 

Finally, let the company give its best. Always remember: not everything you think it’s good for you will be good for your public, therefore, for your business. Let the company that will design the website make suggestions and then you analyse each topic. Great and new ideas will come from the first briefing meeting and, if you have good professionals by your side, you certainly will see your business in a way you have never seen. 

Credibility, commitment and partnership (company or agency X freelancers)

You need someone to design your website, but also you’ll need to make adjustments, updates, maintenance, support and you can’t be without help. In this case, it is vital you don’t think only in the short term and look for a team you’ll have empathy for. You don’t need just a supplier, but a partner. Keep that in mind!

Credibility and commitment are crucial in any areas on the market, but in those that involve new technologies and innovation, it’s traditional that adventurous professionals want to dive in areas they don’t have not even a clue, let alone education for it. Your greatest insurance will be, besides a good work for hire contract, the company’s stability, which should have at least three people to attend to you. 

There are a lot of good freelancers, but most of the good internet services are provided by companies with big teams, to provide you a quality service. We suggest you look for a digital agency, a company that can offer to your project a team with professionals from many areas, such as Design, Programming (I.T.), Communication (Journalism, Advertising etc), among others. 

If you hire a company, every time you need the professional that designed your website and they are not present, the secretary or other colleague can take your message and, even if the professional can’t attend to you, someone will resolve your problem. 

The website is done, what now?

Most entrepreneurs think that once the website is done, everything else is resolved, but that’s just the first step. Now it is time to work to enable your company in the digital world, publicising the website as a main channel for the clients. 

Although you’re worried about your website first, we suggest you have already planned the publicising even before finishing production. Depending on the project, the investments on publicising are hugely bigger than the investments on creation, maintenance and infrastructure. 

In case you have any doubts, send us a message through our social media channels (Instagram, Facebook or Twitter). 

Want to create your website, a system or improve your online presence? Rely on EDEngland.co.uk!

EDEngland.co.uk has been working since 1997 in Brazil, producing innovation and technology and Digital Marketing campaigns.

Whether to strengthen your brand, attract new customers or build a stronger relationship with your clients, count on us. Get in touch via the website or by our WhatsApp +55 (48) 99916-7906.