You’re ready to create a website to share your fantastic products or services with the world… But, how?

As if being a business owner wasn’t complicated enough, now you also need to figure out web design and SEO optimization? If you don’t already have a background as a web designer, it may be wise to hire one. 

Someone may recommend their cousin’s best friend’s stepsister who is just starting her business, too. Although she may be a great web designer, you want to make sure whoever creates your website is up to date with the latest SEO and design developments.

These three essential questions will help you determine who will be an effective – or ineffective – web designer to hire for your business.

3 Questions You Should Ask When Hiring a Website Designer

1. Will the Website be Responsive to and Optimized for Mobile Devices? 

Did you know roughly 60% of users will interact with the mobile version of your website? This number can increase up to 80% in certain industries. With a majority of your audience encountering your website on a smartphone or tablet, it’s important to give them the same excellent experience as those using a traditional computer or desktop device. Otherwise, they will likely become frustrated by long load times, awkward page arrangements, and oddly sized text. 

Similarly, Google utilizes a “mobile first “ policy when evaluating your site’s SEO health. That means if your website is not optimized for mobile, your ratings will likely go down – no matter how captivating your content is or how flawlessly the desktop version flows. 

While you may visualize a stunning new website displayed on a gorgeous iMac desktop, Google prioritizes the appearance and functionality of your site on a mobile device. So be sure to make this your main priority and design for desktop second.

2. What is Your Primary Goal and Strategy for Each Web Page?

As a business owner, you’re familiar with having goals and utilizing strategies for your business. Make sure that your web designer is also creating your website with the same mindset. 

Each page must be strategically designed to guide the reader where you want them to go. All of the images, text, and buttons should work seamlessly together to create a clear path for your customer.

Otherwise, your customers will likely become distracted or disengaged – which is the opposite of your desired outcome!

Instead, ensure that your web designer creates an easily navigable path that leads your customers to each Call to Action (CTA) at just the right point in their customer journey. 

Strategically placing CTAs on your webpage can greatly impact conversion rates either positively or negatively depending on the effectiveness of your design

3. What Measures Will You Put in Place to Improve Page Load Speed? 

This one is extremely important. Even web designers with the best intentions and beautiful designs may not account for page load speed. 

Here’s the bummer: if your page takes more than 4 seconds to load on a mobile device, Google simply will not index your content. In simpler terms, it will present your content favorably in the search results. The algorithm knows that no one will twiddle their thumbs while a page loads; in fact, they’ll probably use their thumbs to click away instead. Google anticipates this, so they reward sites with faster page load speeds. 

Hire a Website Designer in Fort Collins, CO

If searching for a web designer feels overwhelming, look no further. 

Amanda Doherty Press is located in northern Colorado, but we serve clients across the country creating tailor-made websites with built-in SEO and mobile optimization.

Click to learn more about our website design process or book a free website audit and consultation today to get started. 

Still on the fence of what a professional website designer can offer your business? Click to explore our portfolio of website and branding projects to see how we serve clients like you to launch or scale their businesses.