If you're responsible for finding a website designer for your next project, you've come to the right place.

This article is designed to help marketing managers, business owners, and website administrators learn more about the process of hiring a web designer. We'll cover what to look for in a designer, how to identify your needs, and how to find the right person for the job.

As a website developer, I often see other designers making the same mistakes over and over. This can be really frustrating, especially when it leads to subpar work for the client.

In this article, I'll walk you through six of the most common mistakes I see designers making, so that you can avoid them in your own work.

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a laptop and ipad display of an eyelash salon website designed by clickfaktory web design in lexington kentucky

website design mistake #1

paying too little

When you're thinking about how to use your money, it's important to consider opportunity cost. This refers to the idea that there are many different things you could do with your money, and you need to choose the option that will give you the most net profit overall.

For example, you could get a Square Space website, a do-it-myself website, or hire someone overseas to build your website. All of these options have different costs and benefits, so you need to choose the one that will give you the best return on investment.

what is opportunity cost?

There are many different factors to consider when deciding how to allocate your resources, including money, time, and effort.

One important factor to consider is opportunity cost.

According to Warren Buffet, the opportunity cost is the only thing that matters to him when evaluating whether or not one stock is worth buying.

hand drawing of warren buffet with stock market tickers in the background

Opportunity cost is the potential gain that you miss out on when you choose one option over another.

For example, if you decide to buy a Square Space website instead of hiring a professional website builder, you may save money in the short run but lose out on potential profit in the long run.

Therefore, it's important to weigh all of your options carefully before making a decision.

what is the value of my time?

Let's look at home furnishing company Ikea for a moment. Ikea is a great example of how businesses can save money by passing on work to their customers.

For example, you have to go pick up the furniture from the warehouse and then deliver it to your house. And then you have to put it together.

These are all things that other furniture manufacturers would have employees do.

a picture of a young couple in their mid 20s assembling ikea furniture

But when you're assembling Ikea furniture, you're not a professional furniture builder. The quality and output is not going to be as good.

The same goes for website design.

Most people are not professional digital marketers or designers. They don't understand user personas or how to get traffic. This is why it's important to hire professionals for these tasks.

So, not only are you using up all of your valuable time to build a new website, but you’re also not getting the level of quality you’d get had you hired a professional web designer.

website design mistake #2

paying too much

There's a common misconception that you need to spend a lot of money to get a good website. In reality, all websites are made from the same basic building blocks: CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.

It doesn't matter whether you're looking at Apple.com or a $50 template site - they're both just collections of CSS and HTML with some JavaScript thrown in for good measure. So don't overspend on your website - just focus on making it look good and function well.

web designers near me

There's a common misconception that you need to work with a big agency in order to get a high-quality website.

However, this simply isn't true. You can get the same level of quality from a local web designer, without having to pay for unnecessary extras.

A lot of people think that the reason to work with a large agency is that they'll do a better job. But in reality, you're just paying for their overhead costs - like their fancy office space and ping pong tables.

The truth is, you can get the same level of quality and service from a local web designer, without having to pay for all the bells and whistles.

get a free

website quote

Find out why so many businesses
trust us with their new websites!

a laptop and ipad display of the clickfaktory web design website based in lexington kentucky

get a free

website quote

Find out why so many businesses trust us with their new websites!

One thing I strongly suggest when choosing a website provider is it's important to focus on the quality of their work and their portfolio.

There's no need to overthink it or get wrapped up in expert opinion; at the end of the day, you should trust your own judgment. Studies have shown that even expert sommeliers can't taste the difference between high quality wine and regular wine.

a picture of a man in a suit holding and examining a glass of red wine in a liquor store

It's been proven time and time again that average people can outperform so-called experts.

Take, for instance, the case of world-class violinists being unable to tell the difference between a Stradivarius violin worth millions of dollars and a modern-day violin.

Or Warren Buffett's bet that a regular index fund would outperform hedge fund managers over a 10 year period.

The bottom line is that you shouldn't let yourself be swayed by someone's claim to expertise - more often than not, it doesn't hold up.

So trust your own judgement and go with what feels right to you.

website design mistake #3

hiring a "designer" as your website builder

What do I mean by that? When I use the term "designer," I'm referring to someone who is primarily an artist or someone who focuses on graphic design. A lot of people who call themselves "designers" are only concerned about how a website looks. They care about if it's unique or if it follows the latest trends. But they don't really understand the primary purpose of a website.

what's the purpose of a website?

It's not to look beautiful or follow the latest design trends.

And it's not to improve user experience or win awards.

So what is it?

The primary purpose of a website is to generate leads and sales.

That's it. Everything else is secondary.

If you're hiring a designer to build your website, make sure they understand that. Lead and sales generation should be the primary focus, everything else is secondary.

a graphic of a red magnet against a pink background attracting stick figure people up from the ground

As for a commercial enterprise, the purpose of a website is to generate revenue.

The only metric that matters is whether or not the site is generating more money. Design should be approached from a marketing plus design perspective.

A website should provide the user with what they are looking for and guide them to the next step.

website design mistake #4

not getting a CMS

A CMS, or Content Management System, is a type of software that helps you manage and update your website. There are many different CMSs available, such as Wordpress and Squarespace. Keep in mind that not all CMSs are alike, even within the same platform (for example, Wordpress has different versions with different capabilities).

One thing we offer our clients that they may not expect is an easy-to-use backend for their website.

Most people only think about the front-end when they're buying a website - its appearance.

a picture of a man in jeans leaning over the engine of a red sports car with its hood up

However, the backend, which is what lies under the hood, is equally important in terms of ease of use and frustration levels when trying to edit and update the site.

A good backend will save you hours of time and frustration.

local website design mistake #5

not doing your due diligence

When you're looking for a web designer, it's always a good idea to check out their online reviews. See what people are saying about them on Google, Facebook and LinkedIn. This will give you a good idea of their reputation and whether or not they're a company you want to work with.

When you're looking for a web designer, there are a few things you can do to check them out and see if they're a good fit for you.

First, take a look at their reviews on Google Reviews, Facebook and LinkedIn. See what other people are saying about their work.

Also, make sure to take a look at their previous work and see if you like it. The most important thing is that you're happy with their work.

get a free

website quote

Find out why so many businesses
trust us with their new websites!

get a free

website quote

Find out why so many businesses trust us with their new websites!

a laptop and ipad display of an eyelash salon website designed by clickfaktory web design in lexington kentucky

When evaluating website design firms, it's important to consider how their work will look on mobile devices.

Many designers only showcase their best work on their portfolios, so if you want to see all of a firm's work, try searching for their website signature at the bottom of each page. For example, ours says "Lexington KY Web Design by Clickfaktory".

web site design mistake #6

they don't practice what they preach

When you're looking for a web designer, it's always a good idea to check out their online reviews. See what people are saying about them on Google, Facebook and LinkedIn. This will give you a good idea of their reputation and whether or not they're a company you want to work with.

As a general rule, you shouldn't trust anyone who doesn't practice what they preach. For example, you wouldn't want to hire an overweight personal trainer or a skinny chef.

The same goes for designers with ugly websites or SEO specialists who don't rank well on Google. If someone claims they can get you traffic through Google or Pay Per Click or Social Media, but they're using cold outreach methods like emailing or word of mouth, it's a good sign that they're not really experts in their field.

ready to hire someone to make a website?

ready to hire someone to make a website?

At this point, you’re probably thinking "I need someone to build my website for me.” So I’d like to make you an offer you can’t refuse.

We'll schedule an in-depth phone consultation with you so we can get to know each very well before we even talk about or sign contracts. On this phone call, there's nothing to sign, and no credit card information is taken. So, if that sounds like something that might be of interest to you, click the link below.

get a free

website quote

Find out why so many businesses
trust us with their new websites!

a laptop and ipad display of the clickfaktory web design website based in lexington kentucky

get a free

website quote

Find out why so many businesses trust us with their new websites!

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