The more prepared you are about your website project. The better chances you have to find a great website designer near you.
Online quote generators can be a very useful tool to finding a web designer to help build out your new website for your business. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out sites like oneflare.com.au, tasker.com, bark etc. These sites allow you to send some basic information about your project and in return you should get 3 to 5 web designers in Sydney or around Australia, providing you with a quote.
This process sounds fantastic, in theory. However, the problem is if you put limited information into the form you are bound to get poor candidates or desperate designers who will take the job at any price, only to provide a poor outcome which may cost you more in the long run.
So how should you quote or find a web designer to help you with your project. Well for the process to work well you as the business owner really needs to help the designer quote correctly. The best way is to provide as much information as possible about your project upfront when you are engaging with a website designer.
At 40,000 feet (12.19 km) view a designer wants to uncover and discover your business. They will want to know what you do, how do your customers fit into the business and how you see the website working with your customers. They will also want to know what type of customer you have is it a B2B (Business to Business) or B2C (Business to Consumer).
The next thing a designer will want to know is what the objective of your website is it one of the following or a combination.
- Information only
- Sell Products or Services online
- Collect leads and enquiries
- Take online bookings
- Promote a business or other service
Now a lazy or poor designer will skip over this process and may start by showing designs and templates, which won’t actually fit you business outcomes. They might look pretty, but the website will not work. The goal of a good website is to help your customer and you have the solution to help them.
A good designer will listen and ask questions about your business, they will be probing and trying to find out as much information about your customers. They will also be helping to understand what your business, service or products do for your customers. All this information will help shape and guide the flow and content into your website.
“If you are not clear on your business and what you do in a short sentence, how the hell is the customer going to know what you do”
James Hayward //
Now I know, I can hear your mind ticking! How much should my website cost or how much should I be budgeting for the project. My answer is you can spend a $100 on website or you can spend $100,000 on a website. Something you might want to consider is how much is this website worth to my business. You may need to be ready for a designer who will price the project based on the value of your site. Majority of designers will quote based on a fixed cost or hourly rate. You should have a budget in mind and be ready to share this your designer during the discovery stage before they quote.
You want all the bells and whistles, but only have a ham sandwich budget. Don’t worry a good designer will be able to comprise, and find an affordable website design that can match your budget. Example they might be able to set you up with your website they do the home page for you and you complete the rest with some guidance from the designer, or they might be able to design a single page website which aligns with the key objectives of your website.
Now if you would like us to send you some resources to help prepare for finding a web designer to help with your project. Grab a copy of our free workbook designed to help you find the right website designer near you.
So finally how should you approach and complete the online quote generator. Well, be honest, be open in the information you share. If you don’t have a budget say so, don’t always approach with the lowest cost for budget. Finally, provide as much information as possible in your forms.
Final hot tip, find out who they have worked for on past projects and call them up, or shoot them an email
Feel free to copy and paste and adapt the following if emailing for reference from a web developer.
Hi XX XXX
I'm reaching out to you to as I believe “so and So” designed your website. We would be interested to know if you were happy with the process and the outcomes of your website, as we are considering them for a website project.
Please feel free to reply or call us on xxx xxx xxx for a quick chat. If you don't have time simply reply Keep clear” (Horrible) or “I want to marry my kids with there's” (Amazing)
Regards
YYY
Best of luck on your quest for finding a great website designer, and if you need one we are only click away for a non-sales chat about your project.
