The next step in how to hire a web designer is to actually start your search. There are four ways to do this:
Look at websites you like
Some websites list the designer at the bottom of every page, so if you see a website you like, you might be able to figure out who designed it by scrolling down.
Search on Google
Any worthwhile web designer will have a website or at least a professional portfolio on a site like DesignHill. These portfolios will show up when you search for relevant terms like “UI web designer” or “WordPress web designer.” You can also add your industry to find designers who have made websites similar to what you want.
Note that the first page of Google results will often be cluttered with freelance marketplaces; to find individual freelance web designers, you’ll want to look at the second page.
Look at freelancer marketplaces
These are websites where freelancers can publish their portfolios and sell their services. Many of these sites also let users review freelancers, so you can see for yourself if a freelancer works well. You can check out our collection of tips for Fiverr buyers to learn more about how these sites work (the focus is on Fiverr, but most of the tips apply to all freelance marketplaces).
Ask for referrals
Ask other entrepreneurs in your industry who had their websites designed. The best way to do this is to ask friends directly because they’ll be more likely to give you detailed information about what working with their designer was like, but you can also ask on social media.
? I recommend using two or more of these options to gather 10-15 potential designers. For now, just skim their profiles to determine if they’re the right type of designer and if their pricing fits within your budget. The next two steps in this process will help you narrow that down to the one person best-suited for the job.
3. Examine portfolios closely
Next, it’s time to take a closer look at the portfolios of your potential web designers.
There are several things to consider as you scroll through each of the sites:
- Services. Most designers sell one-time website building packages. Some may also offer ongoing website maintenance services, which can be a great investment if you don’t have the time or the skills to maintain your site yourself.
- Skills. A good web designer will be comfortable with three aspects of design: graphic design to create appealing visuals, HTML to create the structure of web pages, and CSS to give web pages a stylized look.
- Design. The portfolio itself is a demonstration of the designer’s work. If the site they’ve built to represent themselves is poorly organized, uses an unpleasant color combination, or isn’t mobile friendly, the websites they make for clients probably aren’t much better.
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This article was written by Dianna Gunn and originally published on CodeinWP.