How to Choose an eCommerce Website Designer

At this point, you have already realised the value of website design to businesses. But how exactly do you choose an excellent eCommerce website designer that can bring your vision to life? While there are tons of options in the market, all of these choices typically make the actual decision-making even more difficult. 

Rather than sorting through all the choices available, the secret to making a wise decision is to understand what exactly your business needs. Forget about the “best one.” Instead, find the “right one” for your business. To do this, start by writing your goals, needs and requirements. Then based on these lists, choose a web designer through the process of elimination. 

Remember, your website is the extension of your business. As such, it needs to have both the function and aesthetic value that will give a unique character to your brand. Working with a team who understands your vision, offers feedback and suggestions when needed and is able to meet deadlines while sticking to a budget, is necessary. 

In this article, we’ll talk about the list of things you need to consider when choosing a web design partner. 

• Define your budget.

Keep in mind that your website is not a cost, it’s an investment. So if you’re looking for the “cheapest” option, perhaps opting for a custom website design is not the right thing for you to do. 

To help you decide how much you need to spend on website design, you need to identify the purpose that your website will serve. Do you plan to use your website simply to improve your online presence or could it be an excellent source of revenue? The answer to this can help you determine whether or not you should spend an ample amount of resources on web design. 

• Do your homework.

Conducting research doesn’t only mean looking for eCommerce website designers you might like. Answering the following questions, for instance, is also necessary:

• How extensive is your project?
• How many pages will your website need?
• Are you looking for any special features?
• Are you looking for someone who can help you with SEO?
• Do you plan to have a mobile-friendly website?
• What type of designer do you want? Do you prefer to work with a freelance web designer or with a full-service agency?

Once you find the answer to these questions, it’s time to look for an eCommerce website designer who acknowledges these concerns and can actually cater to your needs. 

• Choose the kind of eCommerce website designer you want to hire.

There are two most common web design providers in the market: freelance web designers and full-service agencies,

Freelance designers

Working with freelancers is typically cheaper compared to hiring a full-service agency. Since they don’t deal with many overhead costs such as employee salary, office rent and maintenance, they often charge less and they offer flexible pricing. 

However, there’s one common problem most businesses face when hiring freelancers: slow turn-around time. Most often, freelancers juggle multiple projects at once. As such, they aren’t always available whenever you need them.

Full-service agencies. 

Hiring a full-service agency can cost you higher compared to hiring a freelancer as they have multiple team members working on a web design project. But on a positive note, working with a full-service agency gives you an assurance that you’re in good hands. This is because most reliable digital marketing agencies have diverse expertise. They have their own web designers, copywriters and developers all in one place.