Why Hire a Web Designer?

Have you ever visited a website that left you frustrated and clicking away within seconds? If you’ve answered yes, the reason is often the lack of a professional web design.

Since graduating High School, I have enjoyed building websites as a hobby. As time passed, some of the sites I had built for some of my friends became outdated, and a few of them needed a complete re-design.

A couple of months ago, one of those friends reached out to me and asked if he should hire a web designer or if he could just do it himself.

In this article, I will give you my professional and personal opinions on this topic. We will go over why I would recommend my friend hire a web designer and why I would not and why.

Why do people not want to hire a Web Designer?

In this day and age, technology has advanced so rapidly that people have a lot of options available with some of them offering you a simple and easy way to create a website without having to code anything and for very little money.

Website Builders

Services like WIX, Squarespace, Shopify, GoDaddy; etc, will go above and beyond to offer very lucrative services such as; pre-built website templates, customizable editors, built-in email marketing, SEO, and client management tools.

So it is no wonder anyone trying to start their business, update their outdated online store, or simply have an online presence would not consider website builders as a viable alternative.

Price

This is the number one reason why people shy away from hiring a Web Designer. Depending on the project, it is estimated that web design can cost between $1000.00 — 100,000.00.

Trust

Hiring someone to help you build your vision and your digital storefront is not an easy task for many. Just like with website builders, there are a lot of freelancers and agencies alike ready to take on your business.

Therefore, it is a really daunting task for many to hire someone for a job that means so much to you and your livelihood.

With that said, if I was going to hire a Web Designer, this is what I would look for before I even contacted them:

• A strong portfolio of previous work
• Experience in your industry
• Clear communication and understanding of your goals
• Ongoing support and maintenance options
• Knowledge of current web standards and trends

Why would anyone hire a Web Designer?

Think of your website as your business’s digital storefront. Just as you wouldn’t want a physical store with broken windows and confusing signage, your website needs to make a memorable first impression. In today’s digital age, your website is often the first point of contact between your business and potential customers.

When my friend asked me if he should hire someone or do it himself, here is what I told him:

Is your business growing?

If the website you are trying to build is going to require updates, changes, re-branding, new pages; etc. It is in my experience a better option to have a Web Designer available and this is why:

• Web Designers avoid making common mistakes that can save you a lot of time on trial-and-error activities
• Technical expertise in modern web development
• A faster turnaround
• Responsible for ensuring your website continues to function and performs well
• Leverage of website templates, frameworks, and other tools to help streamline the process

Do you want to care for your website?

This is in fact a loaded question that anyone would of course want to say YES. How hard can it be? Just check things are still working and move on.

Here are some tasks required to maintain your site:

• Software Updates
  • Plugins
  • Themes
• Content Updates
• User Experience and Mobile Responsiveness testing
• Website uptime
• Data backup (if not offered by your hosting service)
• Security Scans
• Website Analytics
• Forms, Comments, Registration Functionality
• Performance Tests
• Checks for broken links
• Content audit
• Plugin audit

None of these tasks are hard to do, but they can be very time-consuming even if you limit how often they get done. This process is simple, but unfortunately it can be costly sometimes when an update goes wrong and you don’t know what do to.

Your Skill Level

The skill level required to create a website from scratch is big in comparison to just using a website builder that essentially does a lot of the work for you. However, website builders are generally loaded with extra software, tools, and unnecessary code that simply slows down your website, and the more you add overtime, the worse it can get.

A good Web Designer knows how important it is to build a high-quality performant site. From the sizing of your images, plugins used, responsive design across all platforms and mobile devices. They know how to create a clean, fast, and maintainable website.

The Long-Term Benefits

Investing in a web designer pays off in multiple ways:

• Higher conversion rates and sales for a better return on investment (ROI)
• Increased credibility and trust with potential customers
• Reduced need for frequent updates and fixes
• Better performance in search engine rankings
• Avoid expensive mistakes and wasted resources

Who should not hire a Web Designer?

This is entirely up to you; but here are some considerations to keep in mind.

Budget

Most start-up businesses or freelancers are not in a position to invest in a Web Designer or their ongoing services in order to get their business going.

Website builders can offer you a lot of comfort and in many ways, a lot of value for the right price.

Research is the one thing I suggest you do before you embark on any website builder services. They all offer a lot of services that sound great; just make sure to read the fine lines so that you have no future surprises.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

If SEO is not on your radar and you don’t need nor want your content to show in search engines like Google or Bing, then it is a no-brainer.

If you are unsure about what SEO is or what it can do for your business, read more on our SEO service page.

Time and Technical Skills

When time is of the essence and you have the technical skills to build a website, this is a very suitable option if your goal is to get something out fast.

As a web designer myself, and something I have done for a while now, I cannot express enough how satisfying it is to do something for yourself; but just to be clear, fast does not equal quality. Embarking in this journey takes a lot of time, patience, and a lot of trial and error. If this sounds like something you want to do, there is no harm in trying.

The Bottom Line

In today’s digital marketplace, your website isn’t just a digital business card – it’s a crucial tool for business growth. Professional web designers bring the expertise, experience, and insight needed to create a website that not only looks great but also performs well and helps achieve your business goals.

Remember: Your website is an investment in your business’s future. While professional web design may seem like a significant expense upfront, the long-term benefits of having a well-designed, effective website far outweigh the initial cost.

In case you were wondering what my friend decided to do, he hired me to help him re-design his website. He also wanted to learn how to do the website maintenance himself as he did not want to find himself in a position where even small updates would sometimes break core functionality on the main page.

Ready to take your online presence to the next level? Consider partnering with a web designer or a web care specialist like myself who can help transform your digital presence and help your small business thrive in the online world.