How to Find a Good Web Designer or Web Developer

How to find a good Web designer or Web developer

Finding a good Web designer or Web developer can be very difficult. This article will discuss and explain how to find a good Web designer or Web developer and what qualities and signs to look for in your candidates.

Here are some of the qualities you will want to look for when shopping for your Web designer or Web developer (in order of importance), the three R’s are reliable, responsive, responsible.

1. Reliable

Reliability is absolutely the #1 most important quality you need to look for in your Web designer or Web developer! All else fall behind this one quality. If you are running a business, above all else, you need someone who is reliable. Having an unreliable Web designer or unreliable Web developer is not only stressful but can also cost your business!

How can you tell if your Web designer or Web developer is reliable? Here are some signs to look for before you hire them:

  • The Web designer or Web developer keeps their word on their appointments (e.g. They say they’ll call you by Wednesday and they do.)
  • The Web designer or Web developer delivers on time (e.g. They promise to send you some information by Friday and they do.)
  • The Web designer or Web developer promises to do something, remembers it and does it.

Basically, you want someone who carries through with what they say. Carrying through on the small things are often (though not always) an indicator that they will carry though on the bigger things.

2. Responsive (Communication)

Communication is going to be a very big and very important part of you client-Web designer or client-Web developer relationship. The first sign and most important sign you need to look for is their responsiveness. How long do they take to return your phone call or reply to your e-mails? Do they avoid your calls or e-mails when there is an issue or problem?

Keep in mind, this isn’t a race so you’re not looking to time him or her to see how many minutes it will take for them to respond. You want to see if they’re avoiding you if you ask questions after several times. Do they take a long time to reply or do they do they reply in a reasonable amount of time? When it comes to response-time, one business day is considered acceptable for e-mails responses and one business day or less is considered acceptable for voice-mail messages.

Also, you should be using the proper channel of communication the right way when communicating or corresponding for business. For example:

  • If something is urgent, making a phone call is better than sending an e-mail.
  • If there are lots of notes or details to write down, send an e-mail containing the notes and details then follow up with a phone call to discuss the matter or to confirm the e-mail was received.

There are some things regarding scheduling that you should keep in mind regarding your Web designer or Web developers:

  • Your Web designer or Web developer will probably work normal business/office hours, something like 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from Monday through Friday, in their local time zone.
  • Your Web designer or Web developer will likely not be working or be reachable during weekends and major holidays.
  • They may not always be able to pick up your calls and answer correspondences immediately because they will have other clients and other business matters they also need to attend to. This doesn’t mean that they don’t care about you or your project, they just need to get other things done so business can move along and so that they can help you with your project as well.

The points above just serve as a reminder that while Web design or Web development are not what is commonly regarded as “traditional professions”, your Web design or Web development company operates just as any other traditional business and your Web designer or Web developer works just like any other professional or individual from a different line-of-business. So if your ability to reach your Web designer or Web developer during mid-night is important then speak with them in advance so you both can make the proper arrangements.

The bad signs that you want to look out for are:

  • Taking days to respond to simple messages
  • Avoiding you when there is a problem, issue, or a difficult situation
  • Being forgetful (e.g. Having to send a follow-up e-mail to remind them about the previous e-mail or unresolved matters)
  • Being non-responsive (e.g. Having to call to follow-up and ask them if they received your previous voice-mail message)
  • Making frequent excuses for not responding or getting something done

3. Responsible

Doing the things mentioned above contribute to a “responsible” Web designer or a “responsible” Web developer. There are also some additional positive qualities you can look:

  • They are organized (to avoid being forgetful and to minimize mistakes)
  • They are careful and detail-oriented (more than they are concerned with rushing or finishing fast)
  • They take their time (they prioritize quality over speed) – from experience, the faster someone rushes through a project, the more mistakes there are

At NetServices, we are very careful about the Web designers and Web developers we hire. When it comes to people, we know that character is more important than capability. It is easy to find people are capable and having the skills. However, the more difficult part is finding eligible candidates with good character. So in your search, makes sure you look for the three R’s; reliable, responsive, responsible. If you see bad signs that are often repeated, it is best to stop making excuses for the other party and to move on to finding someone else.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *