When designing your company’s website, it’s normal to wonder if investing so much money in it is a smart decision. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as an inexpensive web developer, but making the wrong choice can cost your company a lot of money and time.  

These are the top things to consider when deciding if your company needs a professional web developer.

What You Get From Website Templates

Many companies turn immediately to web design templates instead of hiring professionals.  These templates allow you to pick a layout from a limited number of options and build onto it with whatever words or images you want.  Many even offer a shop interface where you can allow customers to buy directly from your company’s site.

Unfortunately, these are supremely limited in what you can do with them and what type of layout is achievable.  If you’re picky about how your company looks, and you don’t want it to look like thousands of other blogs or businesses on the internet, stay off of website design templates.

How To Find A Pro Web Developer

Pro web developers can be found all over the internet. So whether you post your job listings on sites like Upwork or Guru, or you post on sites like Twitter that you’re seeking a pro: there are tons of web developers always looking for new projects to take on.

Ensure that you filter through these to find only designers who have an education in web design, have worked in this field for a while, and have references. Of course, anyone can fake a resume, so be sure that you’re doing your research and talking to people who matter.

What Their Prices May Look Like

When you’re seeking out designers, ask for quotes from them.  This means you need to provide a clear description of the type of work you want and how quickly a turnaround you need it.  Designers will come back to you with how much they’re willing to do the work for and how quickly they can turn it around for you.

Going through your applicants, keep a budget in mind.  You should pay a professional what they’re worth, but don’t bankrupt your company on website design services.

Why You Should Request A Portfolio

Requesting a portfolio is vital to know what you’re getting out of this.  This is best done when you can ask for both active websites and mock-up ones that they’ve made. 

Interact with the dynamic websites, look for any flaws that stand out, and consider if they’re a great match for you or not.

In The End, What Are They Offering You?

While looking at possible designers, and considering your options, think about what they’ll offer you when the work is done and if the websites they’re designing are a good match for you.

It’ll take time to find a perfect game, and it’s okay to try and barter with them and find a better price or shrink your project to some degree if you find an awesome designer that’s just barely outside of your budget.