How to Select a Top Rated Web Designer Near You

So you have finally decided that it’s time to get a website for your business. Or maybe, you’re looking to redesign your existing website. Either way, one thing is certain: you’re going to need a top-rated web designer near you.

You might be wondering why you should hire a web designer when there are tools like WordPress that make it easy to design a website yourself. The most important reason is that your website is the best marketing tool you have for your business. Therefore, you should entrust the design to a professional.

Beyond that, there are a few more reasons why you should hire a web designer. In this post, we’ll talk about those reasons as well as share tips that will help you find a top rated website designer.

Why should I hire a web designer?

First things first: let’s talk about why you should hire a web designer. Here are five reasons why hiring a designer is a smart choice for your website.

I don’t have time to build a website

Let’s face it — as a business owner you have a lot on your plate. Your time is limited and the last thing you need is yet another task on your to do list. Hiring a designer saves you time which you can spend focusing on other areas of your business, such as working on client projects, marketing your business, or working on partnerships.

I don’t have experience building a website

Most business owners don’t have experience in building a website. Even if you’ve gone the Do It Yourself route for your first website, it’s not enough to make you proficient in website building. And that’s perfectly fine — after all, if everyone was great at everything, we wouldn’t need professionals and experts in their respective fields.

Top rated web designers have years of experience under their belt. They also have experience in what features are common for your specific industry as well as knowledge in different platforms and technologies to actually build the site.

I don’t know how to drive results with my website

You’re probably great at what you do which is why you know what kind of results your website should bring. But that doesn’t mean you know how to design a website in a way that gets you those results.

A top rated web designer, on the other hand, has plenty of experience building websites and knows what features need to be included on every page of your website to bring you the best results. Not to mention, they also know how to lay out the website to make it easier to use for your end users.

I don’t know which platform/tools to use

Regardless of what industry your business is in, you know which tools are the best for the job and you probably have another list of best alternatives. What you might not know is which platform or tools you should use to build a website.

Any web designer worth their salt will know exactly which platform is best suited for your website, based on your website goals and features you want to include.

I want a website that stands out from competition

Lastly, if you’re like most business owners, you want a website that stands out from the competition. After all, you don’t want someone confusing you for your competitor.

However, many business owners fall into the trap of looking at their competitor’s websites for inspiration and then wanting the exact same look. A good designer will be able to find out what it is that you like about these websites and translate that into a unique website that reflects your business’ brand.

How do I select a top rated website designer?

Now that we’ve covered why you should hire a designer, let’s talk about how to select one. Here are eight tips to help you find a top rated website designer.

Set goals for project

Before you select a web designer, you need to set goals for your project. In other words, you should know what you want your website to help you achieve. In addition to that, your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

That means aside from knowing what your website should do for your business, you also need to know how you’re going to measure those goals, whether they’re relevant, how long it will take you to reach those goals, and whether or not that’s realistic.

For example, you might want to double the number of donations in one month but that might not be attainable in a short period of time.

Set budget

The next thing you want to do is set a budget for your website design. Good web design is not cheap and the more complex your website is, the more expensive the final cost will be.

When setting your budget, consider whether it’s realistic and if it aligns with your website goals. If your budget is somewhat limited, consider scaling back on the number of features and focus on getting your website up and running first. Remember that you can always add more features later on.

read reviews when considering top rated web designers

Read reviews online

Once you know your budget and you’ve decided on your goals, it’s time to start the search for a web designer. You’ll want to read reviews online to get a good sense of how happy their customers are.

While most web designers will have testimonials on their website, remember that they won’t always paint the full picture. It’s a good idea to also check third-party websites such as Google My Business and Facebook reviews to see if anything negative pops up.

Review portfolio

You’ll also want to review their portfolio. This will give you a glimpse into their design style as well as show you what kind of websites they typically design. It’s always better if the designer has experience with your industry as this means they’ll know what’s necessary to include on your website.

What kind of support do they provide?

Once your website is done, what happens then? Look for information on what kind of support they provide. The last thing you want is for your web designer to leave you hanging if you run into an issue with your website.

Some web designers might offer additional, ongoing support. Others might offer an hourly rate on an as needed basis.

find out what additional services your web designer offers

Learn about additional services

There’s a lot that goes on into making a successful website that gets you results. Maintenance is one of them, marketing and driving traffic to your website is another. Let’s not forget search engine optimization, branding, paid advertising, and website copywriting.

It’s a good idea to see if the web designer you’re considering offers additional services such as graphic design, branding, social media or content marketing, SEO, maintenance, and other marketing services.

ask questions when interviewing a top rated web designer

Ask questions about their process

Once you know what services they offer and you have seen their reviews and examples of their work, it’s time to ask them about their web design process. Keep in mind that you’ll be involved in this process as well so it’s a good idea to set expectations right from the beginning.

You’ll want to pay attention to which parts of the process require your involvement, how many revisions they offer, how much time you have for feedback, how long the entire process is, and how they prefer to communicate with their clients.

Have several interactions with them

Don’t be afraid to jump on a discovery call with the designer before hiring them. This gives you plenty of opportunity to get to know them better as well as to ask any questions you might have.

A top-rated web designer won’t mind jumping on a video or a phone call and give you answers as well as explain the entire process in detail to you.

Find Top Rated Web Designer Near You

Finding a top rated web designer is not impossible and can save you a lot of time when it comes to your website design. Not to mention, working with a web designer ensures that your website drives results and stands out from the competition. If you’re ready to get started, contact us for a free estimate and let’s discuss bringing your website vision to life.

We focus on beautiful web design that delivers results for your organization. Our specialty is creating customized WordPress websites.

About Us

Johnny Flash Productions

Johnny Flash Productions is a creative agency based outside of Washington D.C. that focuses on digital strategy, web design and development, graphic design and event production that helps businesses get better results from their marketing.