Designing a website for your company can be an extremely exciting and daunting experience. Your website sets the identity of your business. It is absolutely crucial that your website captivates your prospective clients and you have mere seconds to get or lose a client based on your website’s first impression. Hence, everything has to be perfect. If you are hiring a professional web designing service, you would definitely want the best results from them. But did you know that there are some ways in which you can help your designer deliver more efficiently?
Designers say that their performance can be negatively impacted if they find it difficult to work with their clients. If you are not a considerate and cooperative client, not only will your web designer feel demoralized, but it might also lead to a delay in your own project.
Here are a few things you need to keep in mind which will go a long way in getting a flawless website created.
Allocate adequate time
It is commonly seen that clients who are in the process of setting up a new business spend so much time on other things that are to be done that they end up leaving the website design for the last moment. This creates an unnecessary rush for both the client and the designer. Designing a website from scratch is a lot of work hence you cannot rush through it. Moreover, there are many choices, changes and fine-tuning that may need to be taken care of, therefore it is extremely unwise to leave this to the last minute. Your website is your online identity and hence everything has to be just right. You cannot rush through something that crucial. The right website can do wonders for your business but a badly made website can completely ruin all the effort you put into your business.
Sit with your designer
Give some time to your web designer as and when it is required. They are striving to achieve your vision for your website and for that you need to give your designer some time and guide you through the process, whenever necessary. It ensures that both the client and the designer are on the same page. You will be surprised how much it improves communication which will lead to better and faster development of your website. It will also help you stay updated on the progress. You can see your website, gradually developing right in front of your eyes. Not only is it the most satisfying experience, but it also helps the designer deliver better results as they can run by you the changes and update accordingly.
Have a clear vision
You need to understand that your designer wouldn’t comprehend what exactly you want unless you clearly explain your vision. It is a big problem that web designers face when clients want their website designed in a certain way but they cannot describe or explain anything at all. You cannot give a blank page to a web designer with no instructions and expect a website built to perfection, exactly the way you want it. Don’t throw in vague terms like ‘cool’, ‘stylish’, ‘pretty’ etc as these can mean different things to different people. Give them some basic idea about the designs, colour schemes and other particular details you want. It is recommended that you do a bit of study yourself before sitting for a meeting with your designer. Not only is it easier for your designer, but it also helps you get the best result with the least effort. If necessary demonstrate with examples from other websites but be as clear as possible for them to deliver your vision.
Be flexible
It is good to have a clear idea regarding what you want but it is also important to be flexible. Sometimes a client goes to a designer with a particular vision which sounds good in theory but might be disastrous when put to practice on a website. Again, there are times when a client’s idea is good enough but the designer has a better plan. A good designer has more experience and better ideas about creating websites, so don’t be rigid if your designer suggests a different plan. Designs change with time and it is not possible for clients to always know what is more preferred by the public at that point in time. A few years ago, the concept of white space was not very popular. Websites crammed as much content, design and animation as possible into a webpage which looks very cluttered. Designers often face the issue of clients demanding a certain design which was popular sometime back but is considered extremely sloppy and over the top today. If your designer insists that a certain style makes it less user-friendly, always listen because the person is talking from experience. Don’t let a personal preference come in the way of your website’s performance.
Invest in Maintenance
If you think that you will create your website one time and it will constantly keep drawing visitors, you are greatly mistaken. Unless you keep your website regularly updated, your SEO will drop and you will lose visitors. Even giants like Amazon, Google etc. constantly upgrade their websites to enhance their looks or user-friendliness. It is recommended that you get into a contract with your web designer for regular maintenance of your website. This will ensure a steady flow of visitors which will help you improve your business. Effective updates are crucial if you want your website to draw more people. A good web designer knows what increases a page’s rating and hence can help improve your website to improve business.
Give regular feedbacks
Your regular input will help your designer know what you want and how to modify the website to suit your needs better. Without your input, it is impossible for a web designer to comprehend your needs. Don’t forget to appreciate whenever you can. This will boost your designer’s morale and in turn, will improve client-designer relationships. If you do not like anything, opt for constructive criticism and maybe suggest your ideas, instead of simply rejecting the design without any explanation. Be patient and polite because it is not easy to envision bringing someone else’s idea into effect and your web designer is trying very hard to make it flawless.
Pay on time
Your designer has bills to pay as well so do not delay the payments. You are starting a business to make money and similarly, your designer is also working on your website as a means to earn a living. The biggest problem that most web designers face is clients who do not pay on time. This not only demotivates designers but can also lead to a serious financial crisis. If you want your designer to always be there for all your design needs, make sure to pay on time.
Don't expect it free or super cheap
Always remember that nothing in this world comes for free. If someone offers to make your website for free or at a radically low price, do not fall for the trap because the quality of the work might be severely compromised. You might end up with botched work which will eventually cost you more to fix. Your designer is doing a very complex job to create the perfect website from the scratch. Therefore, when you are hiring the service of a professional designer, please do not haggle irrationally. If you are looking for a quality website, be prepared to shell out money. Don't ask a professional designer to do it for exposure because exposure doesn't pay their bills.
Do not rush
If you want a good website, you have to be patient. Designing a website is time-consuming work so make sure you give your web designer enough time. Don’t set unrealistic deadlines so that you don’t have to keep rushing your web designer constantly. There are a number 0f aspects which require more time than the others so you cannot expect an equal amount of time for every single progress. It is fine to stay updated on the progress from time to time but do not pester them if you do not see development at the pace you expected. Web designers have their own structured plan and they stick to it, therefore, even if you do not see visible progress, rest assured that your designer is working on the small, apparently invisible little things which are crucial to making your website presentable.
Don't keep changing your mind
It is extremely annoying when clients keep changing their minds too often. It is very difficult to keep track of these changes, which in turn, can lead to mistakes. Designing a website takes some time and effort and if you keep asking your designer to constantly change things which had already been designed according to what you wanted back then, it will inevitably strain your relationship with the designer. Instead, talk in great detail during the planning phase to form a consolidated idea and stick to it as much as possible. This will ensure that your designer will be able to deliver a better quality of work, without losing focus on the constant changes.
Don't contact outside working hours
Just because you entered into a contract with your designer doesn't mean that they have to be available and accountable to you for every hour of the day. It is always better to ask for their working hours and try to keep your queries limited to that time only. If your designer doesn't give you a designated time of working hours, ask for the most convenient time to contact them. It is a basic courtesy to not call at odd hours or during holidays. It is also recommended that you try to stick to written communication as much as possible unless it is absolutely necessary to talk.
Do not copy
It is a good idea to study and compare a few well-made websites. Take your notes, and jot down the ideas that you like but do not blindly emulate. A good website is always a great place to take inspiration from but does not ask your designer to make your website look or work exactly like another website. Besides copyright issues, there might be some better ideas that will make your website look and perform better. Moreover, what looks good on someone's website might not look good on yours. Therefore, give your designer the scope to infuse some originality and better designs.
Don't expect your website to go viral immediately
Clients often make the mistake of assuming that their website will go viral immediately after it has been created but that is now how it works. It takes some time and quite a bit of effort to increase the ratings gradually. Getting a website to reach a certain level of popularity needs a lot of work, in the form of constant updates and a number of other SEO-building steps. Moreover, websites need to be constantly updated with better content and advanced designs which will gradually draw more users. Give it some time and your website will show the results.
A good client brings out the best in a web designer. Giving a shape to someone’s idea is an incredibly complex work which requires ample effort and patience from both parties. Remember that your web designer is working hard to make your dreams come true. If you cooperate and appreciate the work it will also help a designer deliver better.
Hexadesigns is a Kolkata-based web design company. We design and develop websites, custom software, e-commerce, and mobile apps and do search engine optimization. This is our own blog where we provide potential tips for the common people just from our experience.
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