We all need web designers at some stage throughout our lives, whether it’s for a from-scratch web build or a redesign of a website as part of a large rebranding project. Web design, as well as graphic design and web development has become a mandatory capability for businesses in all stages of growth.

Web design is not only a crucial skill for modern-day businesses however, it is important from a consumer perspective. 75% of website credibility is due to design. Everything from dwell time and impressions are directly influenced by the web design.

Because of the growth in the demand for quality web design in the last twenty years, this ability has inevitably been a result of its own success insofar as bloat in supply and varying quality out there. It doesn’t matter whether you are seeking web designers for small companies with a few pages or for large websites that have hundreds of pages.

In this guide, we’ll hopefully give you some important and valuable tips to cut out the fat and narrowing in on the type of web designer you require for your website.

What exactly is a Web Design er actually do?

Web designers can translate your vision or ideas into a live, functioning web site. This will include everything from images to layout and images and font, with a set of skills that is in a way those of a typical Freelance web designer. Web designers should also be able to code. While not as skilled as a full-stack developer, they are still capable of creating a website. Though you may have to engage additional experts such as web developers graphic designers, and SEO experts to assist in your web design project, most web design professionals are equipped with the expertise and knowledge to build a great stand-alone website.

Here are some steps to assist you in finding the web designer you’re looking for.

What are the objectives of the website?

You are a new business that wants to increase your visibility online by developing a website that makes use of its blog to bringing customers up to the top of the funnel. Do you have an eCommerce brand looking for a site re-design in order to sell more items with a top-of-the-line design? This is of course what you as a brand webmaster, owner of a site or small business should and will probably know. It’s crucial to go into your search for a web designer by establishing your goals. A well-constructed, informative outline from the beginning will allow you to narrow the options available when searching for a freelancer or web design resource. It’s also a major step toward finding a reputable web designer when they are capable of understanding your requirements and connect with your goals in their initial interpretations. This leads us to:

It’s all about mockups

This can come either after you’ve found some freelance web designers or earlier, depending on whether you have the internal resources for brainstorming to create sketchy sketches or vision boards. However, you need to arrive at a point that you’ve got a rough idea of what colour schemes graphic, icons and images you’d like to see on your site to best reflect your brand.

You can aid in this by taking a look at other websites and comparing them to your own. They can help assist in your brainstorming process and provide a brief for your creative pool to aid you in choosing the most effective web design.

Search for talent

After you have your list of wishes organized, on top of your goals and KPIs (as as well as the budget!) It’s now time to compile a list of design freelance talent. Make a list of mockups and mood boards (if you already have them) and also a list of websites you love.

There are a variety of methods to find a good web designer. You can contact your friends or organizations you’re connected to and see if they would recommend someone they’ve previously worked with who has developed styles that match your industry. You can also look up the web for designers by using a basic Google search. This will likely present with a mixture of results of comprising of web design agencies and freelancers for individual web design and marketplaces for freelancers like PeoplePerHour.

Take a look at the profiles you find. The majority of web design talent will showcase works on their respective sites or profiles, so you’ll be capable of getting an idea of their styles and their design skills to determine if it fits your brand or project vision. It is recommended to shortlist 5 to 6 web designers that you like before you contact. This will give you a good selection of web designers to choose from while you consider their individual availability, pricing timeframes, and other important details.

The decision-making process

After you’ve completed your scoping and a rough idea of availability (let us say that 3-4 of the people you’ve selected are available) Then you are able to begin the formal pitching process. It involves discussing the particulars of pricing as well receiving a mood-board of the potential people you are interested in. You should also be certain of the number of feedback iterations allowed within your price range (2-3 is the industry norm) and the timeline for delivery as well as any window of flexibility or contingency.

After you’ve collected all the relevant details including the mundane ones, from your contacts, you’ll be able to decide the people you would like to partner with based on mood boards or the mock-ups you receive. Talking with the talents and the knowledge that they “get” your brand name and whether you “click” during the initial conversation should give you a solid clue as to which one you should choose.

If you’ve reached this stage you should be in good shape to begin your web design adventure. Best of luck!