So you have decided you need either a new website or a website redesign. You have decided on Wix for the following reasons
Reliable hosting and security
Ease of Use
Industry leading SEO to make sure you are found on Google and other search platforms
Unlimited storage for your images
Professional business solutions like eCommerce, Restaurant ordering & reservations, Online booking systems, and more.
Mobile management via the Wix app so you can see when someone visits your site, chat with customers from your phone, and more.
Easy to use CRM & Marketing tools to help you manage your customers.
Excellent support. Wix is there for any and all of your questions.
But how to decide on who best to employ to design your Wix website. Here are my top tips that will guide you on your way.
Checkout their website
Take a good look around their web design website. Do you like what you see. Is it easy to navigate?. Are you impressed? If not or even worse they don't have a website, run away now!
Visit their Portfolio
You will usually find the web design agency/web designer has a link on their site dedicated to previous work. If they don't have one why not, this could be a red flag?
Another thing to check is how recent are the designs. Do they seem to relate to sites built several years ago or more recent. You can check this by looking at the date of copyright of a site. Normally the date is the date of design.
Reviews and Customer Service
Checkout their reviews not just ones they added to their site but independently verified reviews. One of the best places to do this is google. Type a search term like 'web design', 'web design Cardiff', 'Web Design Newport'.
Google should return a result and if you scroll down you will see a list of local web designers or web design agencies and their google reviews will be displayed.
Have a good read through them. What are people saying about a particular web design business. If it's good and resonates with you then add them to your short list.
Hire a Professional Wix Partner
You are doing great you have identified some possible web designers you want to work with. They have some good reviews and you like their site and their portfolio. Where else can you search to help build confidence in this web design business.
A great place to look for quality Wix web designers is Wix marketplace. Here you will find a list of web designers in your area.
You can either explore Wix web designers and their services in your area here or start the process, answer some questions and get matched with up to 6 Wix Partners.
Here at Bamboo Web Design we are a trusted Wix Partner. Check out our listing to use as a comparison with others.
Contact/Rapport
So you have your shortlist of web designers and now its time to contact. This process should be straight forward, you should be able to
Call them
Contact via a website
Book a consultation
This should be an easy process and fill you with confidence. Hopefully they offer a free consultation service. If they do then this is your opportunity to explain your needs and what you are hoping to achieve.
One important aspect of this process is building rapport. This is an important relationship so you should get on with your web designer/agency from the start.
Good signals to watch for when employing a web designer:
Friendly
Do what they say
Clear and don't use jargon
Do they offer a number of solutions
Are they helpful and not pushy sales people
Will the person you are dealing with now be the same as the person you will work with and design your site
Do they seem knowledgeable and and are up to date on the latest digital technologies
If after speaking to your short listed web designer you feel you could work with them then this is a good sign.
Other flags to watch for:
Do they deliver on promises e.g. call back when agreed, send out quotes and proposals
They Offer the Services you Need
You may want a new website and need additional services such as
Logo Design - you have a professional logo to project your brand and build trust with potential customers
Branding - building on a logo building typography and graphics help to build your brand
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) - you have a new website but how will you get organic search traffic to your site
Listings Management - raise your websites domain authority and build trust and reputation with customers
Maintenances Plans - will you manage the site yourself or will you require support
Website development - you may need advanced functionality for your website.
It can be a good idea to work with a web design that can support all your needs. It limits the points of contact and can make a website project run smoothly and on time. That said it should not be a deal breaker.
Quote/Proposal/Pricing
In order to make an informed choice on employing a web designer you should request a written quotation/proposal. This should be received in a timely manner. If the quote is complex and requires complex functionality then research may be required. If there are delays in getting information to you, you should be kept updated so you know what is happening.
Prices will vary, cheapest is not always best. Prices will depend on experience and skills. On face value a quote may appear to be cheaper than another but are you clear on what is included. The cheaper quote may not include certain key aspects, such as SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), Designing for different screen sizes.
If you are not sure what is included then its always best to ask/check and try to compare like for like.
Deadlines
Do you have a deadline and how important is this to you. Make sure you include this information in your consultation process. Will the web designer be able to meet this. Again checking back reviews can be a useful guide to service levels.
How Do They work
This is a good question to ask if your web designer has not confirmed their process.
Some web designers will provide a concept. Then once you sign off. They will produce your website and normally agree a number of revisions. Usually this is 3 - 5 but check with your designer as processes do vary.
Here at Bamboo Web Design once a quote has been accepted, we agree a payment schedule e.g. 50% to start and the balance on completion when you are happy.
We have a number of services but our basic bespoke web design package is designed as we go.
We try to get all content up front where possible and design each page and segment as we go. This way you can see how the design is developing and feedback on what you like and what you feel needs to change. In this way we keep you up to date and your site design is kept on track.
The main point here is to work with a web design agency/web designer that works best for you.
If you would like to talk to us about the design and/or redesign of your website then why not book a FREE consultation here.
Bamboo Web Design Services