How to find the Best Website Designer for Your Small Business
“How can I find the best website designer for my small business?”
When we start our small business, one thing is clearly indispensable:
- a professional website that reflects our brand and effectively converts visitors into paying customers. Depending on the industry, the success of our business stands or falls with a functioning website that is user-friendly, SEO-optimized, and guides customers specifically to where we want them to be.
All these aspects and many more are taken into account by a good website designer.
But where do we actually find the most suitable website designer for us and how do we choose the best one?
In this blog article, you will learn all about the most important features and characteristics that make a successful and good website designer and get guidance on how to make the right decision.
Answer these 6 questions before you start looking for a website designer:
What is the goal for your small business website?
Do you perhaps make beautiful products and now want to sell them online? Or maybe you are already a sought-after coach or content creator on social media and now you'd like to finally officially showcase what you offer on a website and give your followers a chance to get to know you better? Or are you a local cafe that wants to be found via Google and give your customers the option to make online reservations on your website.
Depending on what you are about, be clear about what your goal is, because what your website needs to be able to do depends on it.
Which features does your small business website need?
Do you want your website to have specific functions and be able to perform specific tasks? Do you want it to sell products, process payments or enable bookings? This is really important to know, because depending on what features you need, you might need a website developer rather than a website designer.
What aesthetics do you want on your small business website?
Do you want your website to be particularly creative or even include animation? Do you want it to be simple and easy to navigate, or do you want it to have special elements that are not available everywhere?
If you are not quite sure yet, it can be helpful to browse on the Internet and look at some websites to understand if there are certain styles you'd like to have on your own website. If you have already hired a brand designer to create your logo and color palette for you, you may already have some clues about the overall style of your brand that should be reflected on your website.
Which website builder do you want to use for your small business website?
Are you open to anything or maybe you already have a website on Squarespace and want to have your website redesigned on the same platform?
Most website designers specialize in different platforms such as WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Showit or Shopify. All of these platforms have their advantages and disadvantages. Depending on what's important to you, you should do your research first and then look for a web designer who specializes in the platform you want.
Wix, for example, is limited to basic website features, while Squarespace allows for custom CSS coding and thus additional design aspects. Both platforms integrate easily with other tools like Forms and Calendly.
If you just want to start a blog, then Wordpress might be the best option for you. Shopify and Squarespace are great for product-based and e-commerce businesses such as online shops. As you can see - it really depends. So get clear on what you need first and then chose a platform. A website designer will either show on their website which platforms they work with or latest tell you in the discovery call.
In case you should lean towards Squarespace as your website design platform, I highly recommend you choose a Squarespace website designer who's expanded their knowledge of CSS coding to get the most out of the platform for you and make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices.
👉 If you want to learn more about why ✨Squarespace✨ is my preferred website design platform, read this article
What’s the size of your small business?
Depending on the size of your business, it makes sense to work with either an agency, a studio or a freelancer.
Large companies usually prefer a full-service agency - with an account manager, UX designer, SEO strategist, developer, etc. They get the full package with everything they need at the appropriate cost. Most of the time, a client is assigned an account manager, who then just takes care of talking to the client and passing on the client's feedback to the experts, such as the website designer. This means that in most cases the client doesn't have direct contact with the designer, which can lead to misunderstandings.
Studios tend to be much smaller and are well suited to medium-sized businesses, while entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and new self-employed people prefer to work 1:1 with a one-person company and thus with a single designer.
This has the advantage that you and your web designer communicate directly, the processes are faster and you save money and time.
The beauty of working 1:1 with a web designer as a small business owner is that freelancers or individual web designers understand how your heart is set on your business, as they're their own business.
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What other services would you like to outsource to your web designer?
A successful website consists of many parts. Branding, website copy, SEO, professional photos - there are many components with different areas of expertise that a web designer may or may not cover.
Some web designers offer additional services, such as:
website copywriting
marketing services
photography
email marketing
SEO services
Depending on whether you prefer to write the texts for your website yourself or hire a professional to do it for you, you can choose a website designer who already offers this service.
Once you have gained full clarity on what you are looking for, use these 6 resources to find the best website designer for you
Let's say you're just starting out and you're looking for someone you trust to build you a nice but simple website. Here's what you can do:
ask our friend Google
The most obvious one - ask Google. You can search for “small business website designer” or if you are in a specific industry, you can even look for anyone who is specialised in that particular field.
If it's important to you that your website designer is near you, Google is your friend. In fact, Google Maps is especially helpful for that. Just type the keyword "website designer" into Google Maps and the wonderful tool will show you who offers this service in your area.
website design References
If you know other self-employed people and find their websites very appealing, ask them who created it and if they've the contact information for you.
Tip: Most of the time, at the bottom of the footer of websites (if you scroll all the way down), you'll find a signature of the website designer with a link you can click on and will be guided to the designer’s website.
use Instagram for your search
If there's nothing there yet, you can type in "website designer" or "web designer" under "search" on Instagram. Then you'll see different profiles of accounts where you can just look at the profiles to see if you like their work and if you like the people. Instagram is great for this because you can check out videos, stories, and reels ahead of time to see if you like your potential website designer's personality or not. Because the last thing we want is an awkward interview with someone we don't like at all.
check out Facebook groups
Another way to find great website designers that fit your profile is through Facebook groups. Find a Facebook group that's similar to your business profile and join it. For example, if you're a women's fitness instructor, you'll find many groups for women entrepreneurs to join. If you want designers to contact you, you can simply post in one of these groups that you're looking for someone, and you'll receive numerous messages from people who want to help you.
Explore Pinterest
Did you know that Pinterest is a search engine? That means you can also use this awesome tool to find your dream website designer. Just type the keyword "website designer" into the search bar and you'll find not only accounts, but also examples of their work that you can check out. When you click on the pins, they usually take you directly to the designer's website, where you can schedule a consultation or submit a request.
Freelancing platforms
Although I'm personally not a big fan of these platforms as they seem to promote cheap labor, they're certainly a way to find someone for your design projects. Once you've tried all of the above platforms and exhausted your options, you can try one of the two big platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.
Both platforms have a wide selection of freelancers that you can hire at reasonable rates. Fiverr has several options for entrepreneurs looking for creative professionals like graphic or web designers. Upwork, on the other hand, offers a wider selection of talent such as project managers, copywriters, and email marketing experts.
Assuming you've now located and collected a handful of website designers, how do you choose the best one? 👉 Check out this article
If you think you have found one you might be interested to work with, check out our portfolio.
Meet your designer for small business websites
Hi there and welcome my Blog!
I’m Brand Strategist & Squarespace Website Designer and support you in building an emotional connection to your ideal clients through your Branding and Website
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