Web designers are the architects of a website. They set the aesthetic and the layout of the website.
In simpler words, web designers are the creative minds behind any great website that you see. They mold the website in such a way that we not only get to see vibrant pages with the coolest designs but also make them user-friendly to ensure a great user experience. They have to be able to communicate a maximum amount of information in the most succinct and compact way.
Like everyone else, every web designer is unique. It is up to you to find the one who understands your aesthetics and has enough experience in the business to help you in your business. Every web designer has their strengths and weaknesses. Your digital presence should make an impact on your visitors, so choosing someone who is a good fit with you is the way to go with the rapid growth in online businesses, the demand for great web design has also rocketed.
Before we move on to learn about the qualities you need to look for in your website designer, we need to respect and understand their work and how hard it is. Their work may seem simple, but it is important to realize that their work is not easy at all. They are entrusted with the responsibility of meeting client expectations, keeping the website looking aesthetically pleasing, ensuring the website is easy to configure, and making sure that it is easy to navigate. They are also responsible for making sure that no links, paragraphs, or visuals are out of place. It takes a lot of patience to keep each image and piece of writing in place, ensuring every font size fits on the page and matches the aesthetic of the website. All this is vital for you, as a business owner, who relies on attracting traffic to your site; because if even one element is out of place, you run the risk of losing a potential sale.
Your designer understands only too well that the first impression is the lasting one. This is why it is important to find the right web designer for you and make sure that they are the right fit for you. Now that we understand their importance, let’s focus on the 7 qualities that you need to look for in a great web designer.
1. Must Prioritize UX (User Experience)
Providing a good user experience is the most important aspect of any online website. UX refers to the kind of experience that a visitor to your website has.. To enhance your understanding of the term, you need to ask yourself questions like: “Is my website easy to use?”, “Will my visitors be able to navigate their way through the website easily?”, “Is the text easy to read?”, “Would the design of my website appeal to my target audience?”, etc. You need to view your website from the users’ perspective, and take all these factors into account to find out whether your website is user-friendly or not. When you are able to view things from your audience’s point of view, you will be able to brief the web designer who takes the time to learn about your target audience and is flexible enough to curate designs that would appeal to them. Your designer will have to ensure that your website is usable and accessible for everyone and that it gives them what they want in terms of information, quality, and experience. Your designer will need to ensure that your client easily finds the information that they are looking for in a relevant section. This is why you need to opt for a designer who prioritizes great user experience.
2. Responsive Design
Your web designer should be able to create a responsive design. Responsive design refers to a design style and functionality that is responsive to the device it is being viewed on, be it a PC, tablet, iPad or phone. The design created has to be flexible enough to keep your brand image as it changes size and layout on different devices, as well as being easy to navigate and experience. Visitors to your website will be using all sorts of different devices – not only a PC or laptop. So a good designer will bear all these elements in mind when creating your site. You must ensure that your web designer can produce a responsive design that is easily adjustable and accommodates CSS media.. This will enable them to create designs that would automatically accommodate the users’ devices. For instance, if a user tries to access your website with the help of a VPN, then your website must not block their access. In contrast, they should accommodate the users’ preferences and remove the requirement for a separate design or development phase.
3. Experience In Your Industry
Going for a designer who has some experience in your field will save you a lot of headaches. Narrowing down your search to web designers in your field will help you find the one who can help you create a great website. It is important to find a designer who specializes in your field because they will know what features are required on your website. They may even be able to help you and suggest ideas to make your website even better and enhance its usability for the customers. If your potential designer has some experience with a business similar to yours, it makes them a great candidate. If you do not know of any web designers who have worked in the same field as yours, or if you don’t have the liberty to choose your designer, then you may have to opt for someone new to your field. This could make the design process long and you may have to suggest a lot of changes and stick with them throughout. You may even have to do some editing and planning to make the procedure smoother. This is why it will be easier to work with someone who has worked with businesses similar to yours. But, if you are patient and know someone who is a quick learner and is interested in designing your website, then you must go for it!
4. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
If you’re aiming to make your presence known and stand out in an extremely saturated market online, then you need to become well versed in how SEO works. This is the one thing that separates the outstanding sites from the basic ones, and it is imperative that you hire someone that has proper experience and knowledge in the matter. This is an ongoing task that requires efficiency and constant research and analysis. Your web designer must have a basic understanding of SEO. This will enable them to increase the visibility of your website. Did you know that a web page’s ranking depends on many factors including the content of your site, spam score, loading speed, and whether it is smartphone-friendly? When designers pay attention to these elements, they can produce a site which when it comes under the radar of search engines could increase your chances of getting your website on the front page. As important as it is to create a website that is aesthetic to look at, it is also important to make sure that the website is reachable. The person or agency offering you web design services must have some know-how of SEO.. This is the way you will ensure your website reaches the right audience, and this is only attainable through the appropriate use of website SEO. There are many ways that your designer can optimize your website but some of them include optimizing the page titles and meta tags as well as the alt tags on every image. Keeping the HTML code clutter-free and using cascading style sheets for the layout of the website. It would also help you immensely if your web design makes it easier for your audience to share your content. This will generate organic traffic to your website and hence, improve your ranking on the search engine.
4. Creativity
This one is obvious. Creativity is not just limited to aesthetics but also ranges from how one manages to solve the difficulties they face in their work. Your web designer needs to be creative in order to offer their clients a unique and aesthetically pleasing design that not only looks good but is also intelligent, easy to use, and accessible. The web designer will need to build a website from nothing or enhance a former design. Your designer must be creative as they will be faced with challenges that will only be met if they are creative enough to build something new and bold.. Many designers end up creating a lot of similar-looking designs. You do not want that to happen. Your website will only stand a chance in the cut-throat business if it is unique and does not resemble the hundred other sites on the internet. Moreover, your web designer will also be faced with many issues in the developmental phase of the website. A creative individual will not only be fun to work with, but they will also make your experience worthwhile.
5. Communicative
Having a communicative designer is super important. When designing a website, your designer will have to be more open and communicate with you to ensure that you are both on the same page. Whether they are working alone or with a team, the interaction between everyone involved is essential. This also increases the chances of creating an amazing website. If your web designer does not communicate with you then this leaves you exposed to a plethora of problems. They may end up creating a design that is not appealing or missing some essential features that are important for your business. The key to creating an awesome website is communication. No matter how much of an expert your web designer is, they will need to communicate with you to create a website that caters to your needs and the needs of your audience. Lack of communication can waste a lot of time and effort of your designer, and if you are paying them by the hour then the whole process may end up costing you a lot of money. No communication can frustrate everyone involved in the process, this is why it is crucial to hire someone with great communication skills.
6. Problem solver
Hiring a team player who is also a problem solver can do wonders for you. A web designer who has a great attitude and can solve any problem with a positive attitude can make the laborious web designing process much easier. Not every problem will have a clear-cut solution. A web designer with critical thinking skills will quickly be able to identify any issue and offer a solution for it. They will be able to analyze problems and know how to solve them using their experience and if they are unable to do it themselves, they will have resources at hand to use to solve problems.
Finding the perfect web designer may not always be easy. However, if you keep all of these qualities in mind then you will be able to find a web designer who is the best fit for you. They should be a communicative problem solver who can create wonderful designs in addition to creating easy-to-use, user-friendly websites. They should ideally have some experience with a business in the same industry sector as yours. This will make the process easier for everyone and they may even be able to offer insight. A great web designer will know how to create a responsive web design, have some knowledge of SEO, and know what kind of website your target audience will like. They will also have to be extremely creative as it will help them create beautiful and intelligent designs. Smart designs are important for making the website more usable and accessible. Hiring the greatest web designer may not be easy, but it will be worth it!