Do a web search in any major city for “web designer XYZ” (insert your city for XYZ) and you’ll come up with some pretty interesting results. These people are, after all, pros at [...]]]> The business of web designers trying to get their own sites to rank well can be a cut throat competition.

Do a web search in any major city for “web designer XYZ” (insert your city for XYZ) and you’ll come up with some pretty interesting results. These people are, after all, pros at getting their clients’ site to rank well (if the design firm touts itself as an expert in search engine optimization). Get your site on the first page of Google for that search term and you have a much greater chance of snagging a customer.

Web designers in Appleton are no different. Appleton, WI, is a fairly large metro area. If you take into consideration the extended urban communities (Little Chute, Kaukauna, Darboy, Kimberly, Grand Chute, Neenah, Menasha, etc.) it’s probably the 3rd or 4th largest collection of urbanites in Wisconsin. That’s a lot of people, a lot of businesses, and a lot of web design firms.

But, when you step back to consider your particular needs in building a website for your business you’re well advised to use other methods in addition to the Internet to find them. Doing an Internet search may start you on some good leads, but you ultimately have to consider many more criteria.

Some things to consider in choosing a web design person or team is to ask what their specialty is. Ultimately web designers can’t be everything to everyone. There are so many routes to diversify in the field of web design it’s really quite mind boggling. Be wary of any designer that says they’ll take on any job.

Areas of Specialty

Some areas of specialty in web design include Flash animation, video production, e-commerce development, content management systems, content writing, search engine optimization, social media campaign management, Adwords management, and link builders. I’m sure I’m forgetting some… probably many. But, these are the most common.

Currently web designers and Internet users are becoming less enamored of using/seeing Flash animation. Don’t get me wrong, Flash can be an effective tool to catch and keep a visitor’s attention if done in the wright way (which usually means VERY sparingly and subtly). Personally, I don’t do Flash. I’d rather subcontract that out then to take the time to become an expert in that particular software.

Good video production probably has much more power in converting browsers to buyers. Video and film is a powerful media to tap into people’s emotions. But great video takes not only years of being behind a camera and then analyzing hours of “footage” (maybe it should be called “pixelage” now?) to develop an eye for creativity in that media, it also takes some pretty pricey equipment. It’s my opinion that good video is generally a better investment than Flash.

The next biggest area of specialty is search engine optimization. It’s a bandwagon that’s hard to resist jumping in on. And why not? Making yourself an expert in how to get a site to rank well is a good card to play in convincing a potential client.

And the up-and-coming star is social media. Knowing the ever changing social media landscape and how to best use it for marketing purposes is a tough specialty to keep current on. For those designers that naturally gravitate to using social media sites for their own personal lives it may seems like the media is a natural gold mine for customers. The downside of social media is that the crowd can quickly turn on your business for the slightest infraction of on-line social etiquette. It’s an arena that’s not for the faint of heart.

Word of Mouth

Word of mouth referrals are the time tested way, in any field, of securing new relationships with customers and clients. Personally, despite my love on the Internet and computers, I feel it’s THE best way to find your next gig.

Ask your friends and family that have hired a website done how they like it, how they like getting along with the designer or design team, how they feel about the follow up customer service they got. Their feedback to you is one of your best tools for hunting down a good designer.

Check Out Your Competition

Your strategy here? Pull up the websites of your business neighbors. You can usually find a link at the very bottom as to who designed and built the site. Follow that link back to the designer’s own website. Tour around their own site and see what you think.

But first, ask yourself 2 things before you pick up the phone. Do you like their site? And, can you find it on the first or second page of a search for their particular field (eg. “florist appleton”)? Then it’s probably safe to jump in and make a call of inquiry to the designer.

Face to Face

In the end a face to face meeting will give you a fantastic idea if this person is appropriate for the web design project you have in mind.

Do they ask a lot of questions of your business, like where your current clients are coming from and what vision YOU see for your website. Can they really grasp the nature of your business? Can they see that your business is your life blood, your vital source of income and respect the depth of commitment you have to nurturing your baby? Or do they blast you with techno-jargon and their grand idea for a website?

Your gut reaction will probably lead you down the right path in hiring them or not.

Finding the Right Fit

My final advice is to keep in mind that your least expensive proposal for a website should not be your only criteria for selecting a designer. You may end up paying more in the end when your cut-rate designer spends 6, 8, 12 months on a project that could’ve taken a more seasoned pro a week or 2. And all that time you were missing so many potential customer that could have found you through a Web search.

There are many web designers in Appleton to pick from. Take your time, do your research, and then trust your instinct as to who will be the best fit for your project.