Your website is your biggest advertising platform online; so it needs to be designed “perfectly” to fit the needs of your customer base. While there are some great, free web design templates out there, if you’re looking to give your business a professional look that truly caters to your audience, it is advisable to hire a professional web designer.

With so many out there, however, it can be difficult knowing which one you should go with.

Below you’ll discover 3 tips for hiring a web design company and what to look out for:

1. Don’t just rely on their visual portfolio:

Of course, checking out a web designer’s visual portfolio is very important. After all, it shows you the kind of quality, features, and design you can expect. However, as with people, you should never go on looks alone. There are numerous questions you should ask before deciding whether a web design company is right for you.

Have they created many sites for similar niches to yours? Do they handle the content or will that be left to you? What if you don’t like the initial design created, will they make changes free of charge? Will your website be optimized for mobile devices? These are just a few samples of the types of questions you should be asking in addition to viewing a portfolio.

2. Make sure you have some idea of what you want:

If you’re wanting an exact quote, you need to be able to give as much information as possible about what you want. How many pages will you need? What kind of style are you hoping for? Making a list of websites you really like will help the designer get an idea of what your site should look like. Not only will this help you get an accurate quote, but it will also ensure you get the right design the first time around.

3. Establish exactly what it is the web designer is offering:

Ok, so it might sound like an obvious question. But what the web designer is offering and what you expect can often be two separate things. For example, does the company provide the hosting too or will they simply provide you with the website? You also need to establish whether they take on the regular maintenance of the site or whether you will need somebody else to do that for you.

Ideally, you should choose a web designer who takes the time to understand your company goals and truly focuses on the needs and wants of your audience. Never choose a designer based on physical design capabilities alone; an EFFECTIVE website is all about making sure it appeals to your market and ultimately converts them into long-term customers or clients.