04 Oct Navigating The Toronto Website Design Industry
You’ve decided you want a website! Congrats. That’s a huge step in building your business or personal brand. Now, how the heck do you actually make one of these things? Chances are, you’ll want to leave it with the pros and hire an expert. But how do you even do that?!
Navigating the Toronto website design industry can be tough. There are so many options, prices, big words, and people fighting for your business – it can be overwhelming. Luckily, if you know what you want and what to ask for, chances are you can find someone awesome to fit your budget and build you an amazing website. Let us help guide you on your journey of finding a website designer.
Know What You Want To Accomplish
You need to decide what you want your website for. Is it a personal portfolio? A landing page? An e-commerce store? A website with a call to action, blog, customer testimonials, support page, etc? Step one is deciding what you want to accomplish with your website, and then you can find someone who can make that happen for you.
This step is important, because different web designers specialize in different areas. Some web designers can help you create a layout that can boost sales, while others can beautifully display images and blogs for you. Take a peek at your competitors, read your business plan, think about your target market and goals, and then pick some websites you think you want to mimic.
Decide Your Budget, And Then Price Shop
Web design can be as cheap or as expensive as you want, depending on what you’re looking for. Remember that, like anything, cheaper is not always better. Good designers come at a cost, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be frugal. There are tons of students or new designers looking to build their portfolio. If you have a product or service you can offer, ask them about a trade.
Get a few quotes and see what people are offering. This will allow you to know if you can really get what you want, or if you have to cut back on a few features.
Ask To See A Portfolio
You have done your research and you’ve narrowed down your search to a few designers. Now, it’s time to see the goods! Ask designers to see their portfolio and really look at the work they’ve created. Is it mobile friendly? Do all the sites look the same? Have they done anything like what you’re looking to do?
Make sure the designer’s taste and style matches what you want your site to look like. Some designers specialize in specific styles – it’s okay to say “not for me, thanks”. Especially in the Toronto design industry, there are people out there who specialize in anything! Be picky and find the perfect person.
Template Or Custom Design? Get The Specifics
Some designers use templates and WordPress to design your website, while others get in there and customize things with CMS, HTML, and all that fancy stuff that makes your eyes go cross-eyed. Do some research on what you want and what will make you happy with.
Note that template design is much cheaper than custom, so ask if they use a template. If they say yes, check and make sure their price matches. There’s no need to pay premium prices for these. Ask what they do for search engine optimization, social media integration, and absolutely make sure your site will be mobile responsive once it’s done.
Make Sure They Jive With Your Personal Style
You’re going to be relying on your designer to build your website that will end up being the face of your company. Make sure the person you go with is easy to communicate with, is open to suggestions and collaboration, and takes constructive feedback well. Do a mini interview and don’t hire someone if you get a negative vibe from them.
Ask how this process works. How many rounds of changes come with the fee? Do you get a brainstorming session? What’s included in the costs? Ask to talk to references. No references on hand? Huge red flag!
Conclusion
Getting a website designed is a huge deal, and your designer is going to be the heart of making your goals a reality. Take your time when finding the right person and don’t rush the process. The Toronto website design industry has a ton of talented people who will be happy to work for you.