Here’s where to find web designers in your city at the best price possible.

Use this guide to hire a freelance web designer the way you would hire any other professional… with confidence!

The answer to this question will determine what kind of design you need on your website or how many people need to work on it. For instance, if you’re an e-commerce site you will want to make sure your web designer can craft a user-friendly experience for your customers.

Since the best web designers are well versed in WordPress and Magento this shouldn’t be hard to do. If you own a restaurant or small business owners, look for a simple elegant design that highlights the products you’re offering and makes it easy for your customers to find what they’re looking for (and ideally to buy them).

If you decide to design your website yourself it’s important to remember that there is more than just aesthetics involved with building a successful website. The design phase should only take up about 20% of the time spent on website builder so try not to overcomplicate things by picking a design that is beyond your budget and needs.

Research and ask around for recommendations

It sounds simple and it is one of the most effective ways to find a good web designer. Since you know what your business needs, ask friends, family, or employees who they used in the past.

If possible use social media to see what other people in your industry recommend. Don’t forget about online reviews either because they can be very helpful in finding out if someone is legit or not.

Your budget will affect everything from the design phase all the way up to hosting and maintenance of your site so pick wisely! A professional web developer shouldn’t cost more than $100 per month but if you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind doing some of the small details yourself you could save a lot of money just by doing most of the work yourself.

Don’t forget to check out our article on how to save money when hiring web designers for more tips! Also, keep in mind that if you’re spending $100 or less per month you might not be able to get everything you want at once so it’s important to plan ahead and let your designer know what your business goals are so they can help you figure out the best way forward.

You should always take a look at their past work before making any decisions. Their portfolio will give you an idea of what kind of person they are and what kind of aesthetic sense they have which is vital for creating a website that will reflect well on your company.

There are thousands of people active in the industry so finding someone good should be easy but unfortunately there are many who know just enough about website design to be dangerous.

Here’s how you can avoid them:

•     Look at their portfolio and work history: Best web designers aren’t like computer programmers or graphic artists so it’s important that they’ve been working for someone else rather than trying to do everything themselves. If they have a past employer take a look at what kind of things their clients were paying them for because this will give you an idea of whether or not they’re up to snuff when it comes to creating a unique, functional site that looks great too.
•     Ask them about their process: Web design covers to lots of questions which means it’s up to your website designer to give you answers. If they don’t know what HTML5 is, if they’re not familiar with analytics, or if they think that social media has nothing to do with SEO then you might want to reconsider hiring them. Plus, if their process isn’t documented or published chances are they aren’t keeping an eye on the latest trends and tricks so finding someone who stays abreast of new developments is important too.
•     Request a quote: It’s always best to make sure things are in writing so ask for a detailed proposal before hiring anyone. You should be able to get at least three proposals from different freelance web designers so feel free to compare prices and work samples. Keep in mind that you might have a bad designer on one end of the spectrum and an overpriced one on the other so find a good balance between price and quality.
•     Ask about their experience: Every industry has its own set of rules that need to be followed when it comes to design which means your web designer should be familiar with what’s trending and what’s not. If they don’t know how important domain authority is or why Facebook likes are important then chances are they aren’t up to date with the latest strategies for attracting customers through social media channels.
•     Check out their privacy policy: Most people skip this part but it’s as easy as clicking a link to find out if your web designer is trustworthy. If they don’t have one it’s most likely because they are not familiar with the latest privacy laws which means you shouldn’t trust them to begin with!
•     Thank them for their time: Once you’ve found someone who meets all of your qualifications takes some time to let them know that you appreciate their work and then sign off on the proposal before they start working on any major details. Even if you decide not to hire them for any reason try to leave on good terms so they’ll be more willing to refer other potential clients in the future.
•     Put everything in writing: The best way to avoid problems later down the road is by putting everything in writing so you can prove that they did their job to your satisfaction. Make sure the contract includes a detailed schedule of deliverables and milestones along with compensation terms and deadlines for approving all final drafts before starting work.

Is it necessary for them to be trained? If you hire someone who’s experienced in web design services. University training will go a long way but the Internet is full of free tutorials that can teach anyone how to do their job. However, you should look for graduates because they are more likely to have taken courses involving search engine optimization, conversion rate optimization, and social media marketing which is what your business needs most so look for relevant certifications as well.

• Will they need any special software? Knowledge of Adobe CS5 is essential if they are designing screens or doing print work so knowing Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, etc. is important too. If you’re hiring someone who specializes in front-end web development you’ll want to find someone who knows their code so make sure they understand HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3, etc. If you’re looking for people with experience in content management systems like WordPress then it’s even more important because this means they will also be able to set up and maintain your blog.
•     How much time do they spend on design? You might think that choosing the right color scheme is the most important part of designing a website but there are multiple factors that go into creating an effective site including wireframing, information architecture, prototyping web pages, search engine optimization, copywriting, and editing finished work just to name a few! The best way to find out if your web designer can handle so many responsibilities is by asking them to break down a design project into phases and detail how they plan on accomplishing each step.
•     How will you stay updated on their progress? You should never sit around and wait for your web designer to finish their work because the only person who benefits from this arrangement is your competitor! Instead, ask them if it’s possible to preview each phase of their progress as they go along so you can make sure they’re sticking to the exact requirements before signing off on anything. This means giving feedback about what looks good and providing constructive criticism about what still needs work but remember that everything should be done in stages so they won’t be overwhelmed by any one part of the process and avoid working with people who complain or stop responding to your messages.
•     Will they provide you with a portfolio? If an artist can’t prove that they’re good at their trade then what makes you think you should trust them with yours? You might not know exactly what kind of talent is involved in web design project but anyone who claims to be an expert should have plenty of case studies to show how they’ve helped other businesses succeed online so make sure whatever website(s) they show are up to the same professional standards as the work product you’ve outlined in your requirements.
•     Do their rates include all taxes & fees? It’s easy to lose track of how much money either party owes when there are so many expenses involved in running a business but it’s important to remember that there are laws regulating how much tax your best web designer can charge so it would be a good idea to know if they plan on including this amount in the quote and asking for all of the documents you need to do your own taxes before signing anything.

While this list doesn’t cover everything you’ll want to consider when looking to hire web designers, these pointers should help you start your search with confidence knowing that the person you bring onboard will complement your business perfectly!