Finding a good web designer is critical if you want to have a high performing website, but what makes a good web designer.
Web Designer vs Web Developer
It is important to appreciate that these are 2 different skills.
Web Designer by definition is about the aesthetics of your website, how content is accessed, how they relate, and how visitors find the information they are looking for. Many in the industry refer to this as the “Front End” (what the visitor sees).
A Web Developer is about the technology, or the code, that drives your website and how things function. This is sometimes referred to as the “Back End” (or what the visitor does not see).
These skills rarely manifest themselves in a single person, although there is a small minority of individuals that can do both. The percentage of these people is so small, that you are unlikely to be lucky enough to hit the jackpot by just searching on the internet or contracting platforms.
What to look for in a web designer
A good web design makes it easy for your visitors to find the information they are looking for, which means converting visitors to customers. In order to make your website a commercial success, your web designer needs to:
Understand your business
A web designer needs to first understand your business, your product or services you offer, and your operational imperatives. Only by understanding your business and product, can a web designer create the right content map and travel path for your potential clients.
Understand your customers
Only by understanding your business, can a web designer discover how potential customers find you on the internet. A good web designer does not start from aesthetic and then worry about the content and how potential clients can find you.
Failing to discover how people find you on an online search means failing to understand what the potential buyer is looking for on your website. This means failure to create the right content map, path to the product or service your customers look for, which will result in a website that fails to deliver the revenues you are hoping.
Understand Navigation Path
In order to create a website that is easy to navigate, a web designer needs to understand your customer’s behaviour. This will enable them to design an easy path for your visitors to find the information they are looking for and take your desired action.
Design Flair
Whilst it is important to have design flair, it is a wasted talent if it is not driven by the above. Design without purpose is poor design. Your website is not a brochure (click here to read more), so a website based on design flair alone is not going to be successful in generating traffic or revenue.
What to look for in a web developer
A good developer should be able to translate the design into a good quality code, and convert your website’s objectives into actionable codes that generates outcomes from your website visitors. In order to convert a good design into an actionable code your developer needs to:
Understand your processes
Your online transaction must be inline with your internal processes, so that orders or enquiries can be actioned speedily, effectively, and accurately by your internal processes. This means your online processes must gather the right information for your business so that your internal processes can cope with a client’s requests or online orders.
Generate Quality Code
Quality code means the code is bug free, with a low chance of failure, and is simple. Complex codes are prone to bugs and failures so the old saying of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is the golden rule.
Be Flexible
A Developer must be flexible and not set in their ways. There is always more than one way of achieving the same end. Based on myriads of technologies available, you need to be wary of developers that appear to be married to a specific technology. Just because a developer feels more comfortable with one technology, it does not mean that is suitable or affordable for you.
Willing to Document their Code
A Developer should be prepared to document their code, so that your website does not become hostage to them (click here to read more).
This is not necessary if they are using off-the-shelf solutions such as WordPress or Joomla, as long as they are not customising the functionality or the code. However, any functional customisation such as a bespoke plug-in, must be documented even for platforms such as WordPress or Joomla.
If they do not agree to this, then we recommend you walk away.
Summary
Selecting the right web designer and developer is a complex decision, and you should be wary of selecting one just because they have designed nice looking websites for other clients.
A nice looking website is not the same as a commercially high performing website, so you need to make sure they understand your business, your clients, and your objectives, and then select the one that is a best match for you.
Finally, do not work with a designer or developer that is not prepared to document their code and hand it over to you. You will be their hostage for life.