How To Find Local Web Designers That Fit Your Budget

Is your website helping to generate the volume of quality leads you need to grow your business? Are visitors logging onto your site and then leaving soon after? Are you consistently getting return visitors to the site?

If you answered “no” to any one of these questions, you may need a new website. If you answered “no” to all of them, you definitely need a new website!

In today’s digital marketing world, your website can contribute to the size of your profit margin and help chart the trajectory of your company’s success. It is also the face of your business, and it can make or break your online reputation before a prospect even gets to experience your products or services.

So, now that you’ve established that you need a new website, how do you go about getting it designed?

Let’s first look at what you need from a new web design.

1) Good Websites Generate Leads and Offer Insights

Lead generation is the first thing a website should do for 99% of small businesses. A well designed website not only attracts customers, but it serves as a way for you to get to know your customers by collecting information such as email addresses or phone numbers to be used at a later date.

Tracking your customers’ journey while on your website through Google analytics, can also offer important insights. Think of it as one of the most basic forms of customer relations. And it’s built right into your new web design.

2) Great Websites Support Sales

Increasing brand recognition and awareness in the market is easier with a well-designed website. The curb appeal of a website is a plus, but what will really make your website integral to your marketing success is incorporating search engine optimization tactics (SEO) into the content.

For your business to be successful, you need to be on the first page of search engines and SEO can do just that. By showing up in key searches for our industry, your website can serve as a platform to feed your sales funnel – in turn making you more money.

3) Amazing Websites Create a Lasting Impact

A neglected or poorly-designed website that isn’t user-friendly can damage your brand perception and drive customers away just as surely as bad customer service.

An attractive, user-friendly web design should connect people to your products and services leading to more visitors, more leads, and in turn more sales.

Now that you know what you need from a new web design, how do you find someone to create it?

How To Find The Right Local Web Designer For Your Brand

When determining if you need a simple website refresh or a fully redesigned site, consider the big picture.

You are investing in a long-term asset for your business that can be timeless with routine maintenance, and generates the quality traffic that results in sales. A well-built website has the potential to make your company a profit that’s multiple times the cost of the original website.

If you’re still concerned about cost, it is smart to pick a local web designer that offers a monthly payment plan that can ease the financial burden of the new website build.

1. Set a Budget for Web Development.

Before looking for web designers in Columbus, first know what you want and how much it costs by conducting market research. We advise that you have a flexible budget but present a fixed amount to the web designers.

Flexibility in your budget may allow for additional features to be built-in to your new web design and support your efforts to promote the new site through digital marketing and advertising.

After talking with several web design agencies, it is now time to evaluate and compare each designer to the next. Compare prices, browse past projects, reflect on conversations and choose the website design company that is the best fit for you and your business.

2. Web Design Companies Should Match Your Company Values.

Before collaborating with any company that offers web design services or digital marketing services, make sure your values align.

It will make the whole web design process easier if you share similar values and aesthetics with your web designer, and there’s a mutual understanding of what your overall business goals are as well as your marketing goals.

3. Look at the Companies’ Past Projects.

Before you settle on a web design agency, you should look at the company’s portfolio. Their portfolio should be accessible on their website, but if not, don’t be afraid to ask your potential agency to provide one for you.

Look through the portfolio and test out the websites. Make sure you like the design agency’s vision and the functionality of the websites they’ve designed. Also, look at reviews the agency has received and collect feedback from past clients to get a feel for what it’s like working with the agency.

The Anatomy Of Your New Website

Once you’ve selected the design company for your new website, have an in-depth conversation about the site’s anatomy and what aspects of its design and functionality must be prioritized.

Content

The content of your website will play a big part in the audience you attract and the experience they’ll have. The kind of audience also informs the kind of design that you will choose for the website. Don’t forget to consider what your target audience wants to see.

Layout

An exceptional web designer will create a layout of your website to get an idea of what you want it to look like. The layout should logically place text and images where they make sense from the POV of the customer.

Always remember that a good layout will create a user friendly experience and will, along with relevant content, encourage clients to return to your website.

Don’t forget about white space. Many people think that every inch of the website has to be occupied, but it’s actually the opposite. White space allows for your eyes to take a break and your brain to digest the information in front of you.

Branding

Fonts and colors go a long way to represent your brand. Your web designer should be able to choose stand-out, legible fonts that complement the theme colors. Poor font and color etiquette can be the downfall of your website. Use of clashing colors or hard to read fonts can make your site less appealing to clients, and ultimately drive them away.

Graphics and Animations

The graphics of a website include the shapes, images, icons, and video clips used to emphasize content. Each graphic and animation must have perfect harmony with your brand culture.

To make your website stand out, use graphics that capture your audience’s attention. Use animations to show your guests why they need your brand or product.

Speed

Research has shown that delays in website load times as slight as 2-3 seconds will cost you much-needed traffic. Customers have very little patience for slow websites. A slow website can reduce the number of users on your website and impact the amount of revenue you bring in through the site.

Responsiveness

Your website has to be accessible on different devices using different operating systems. Ideally, your website should be fast on every screen on every operating system and present a satisfying user experience across platforms and mobile applications.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the key to getting eyeballs on your website by placing it on the first page of Google and other search engines. Your web designer should handle most of this for you, so you should sit back and watch your website climb in online rankings.

So how do you find the right people for the job at a reasonable price? Let’s find out.

Bottom Line

Website design is the new silver bullet in the world of marketing. Designing a website should be meticulously executed to get you an excellent product. The advantages of a well-designed website include better traffic, improved lead generation, and increased sales.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to bring your brand to life with a new website—find local web designers to get the job done right at pocket-friendly prices.