This is the first in a 5-part Series on Things to Consider Before Hiring a Web Designer. You can catch the whole series in episodes 106 – 110.
For those of you that don’t know, in addition to this podcast, I not only teach WordPress through my 5 Day Website Challenge, but I also do one-on-one client work, and what pains me the most is when someone comes to me desperate because they’ve had a bad experience with another web designer.
Here’s the thing: a web design project is a big project!
In fact, I liken it to building a house, which is a project my husband and I are in the very beginning stages of undertaking. There are so many things to consider, and there’s so much we don’t know that we don’t know.
It’s important to take your time, do your research and take the time to do it RIGHT, no matter how quickly you want to launch that product or course!!
So today, we’re going to talk about picking the right PERSON to be your web designer.
So here’s the thing – just because someone can code or knows WordPress doesn’t mean they know how to run a web design project.
Think of it like this – someone could know all the technical parts of building a house, like pouring a foundation, putting up walls, and whatever (see I have no idea what I’m talking about there) but that doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to manage the order in which things need to be done and scheduling the subcontractors and ordering the materials and getting the permits – or even how to effectively communicate with their clients.
The same goes for your web design project.
There are people out there that are awesomely talented coders but when it comes to managing a web design project as a whole, they just don’t have the skillset.
And if you don’t have the skillset to manage the project either, that’s where things can go awry.
I think about it like this – a big part of my husband’s job is construction project management. If he’s renovating an office space, he knows the order that things need to be done, all the permits that need to be in place, all the contractors that need to be involved and what needs to happen when to finish on time.
He’s not going to actually DO the work, but he can manage all the moving pieces.
So maybe that’s you – maybe you know exactly everything you need for your website and you know the order in which things need to happen and you can pull all the people together to make it happen, but you’re not going to DO the actual work.
Great, you can hire the coder and assign her piece to her. You can hire the graphic designer and assign her piece to her. And hire the copywriter and so on and keep everyone on task and keep the project moving forward, and you’ll probably save a little bit of money doing it, but you’ll be putting a lot more of your time into it.
But if you’re not an experienced project manager – and let’s face it, your zone of genius likely lies elsewhere, well, that’s where things can go awry.
The decisions that need to be made to build a website can be overwhelming and exhausting. A website project is much, much more than a logo and a layout. If you don’t have the experience, important to partner with someone who can walk you through the process and help you make the best decisions for you and your business.
If you're ready to partner with someone who can help you, then I invite you to attend my free webinar where I'll walk you through exactly how my team partners with you to build your online home.
And if you’re a web designer and you’re listening to this – pay attention!! If you’re struggling with moving client projects forward, this could be part of the reason why!
When you are working with a talented yet inexperienced web designer and you don’t know what you don’t know, and they don’t have a framework in place for managing the whole of the project – it’s a disaster waiting to happen on both sides.
So here’s what to look out for:
1. Know Thyself. Do you want to run the project? Do you have the time to run the project? Then by all means, hire that insanely talented developer that needs someone to tell them what to do!
If you are looking for someone to guide you and partner with you throughout the whole process and educate you all along the way, and help you see opportunities that you may not have otherwise seen, then you’re going to want to go with a more seasoned developer with a proven track record for managing client projects.
So how can you tell the difference?
Here are some questions you can ask – or at least make sure get answered – during your consultation:
- Tell me about your project management process. Now, I’m not talking about asking them if they use Scrum or Agile or Waterfall project management methodologies – your eyes will glaze over if you get on that subject. But you want to know what to expect and if they have a plan and a process.
- How do you schedule your projects. How many meetings can I expect to have with you?
- By when do I need to have my content to you to meet my deadlines. When will you deliver revisions and the final product?
2. Know what you’re hiring them to do.
Are you hiring them to hold your hand and guide you through the process? Or are you in the driver’s seat directing them? Either way is TOTALLY fine, it all depends on what you need and expect – and I find that when those expectations are mismatched, that’s when things can go a little awry.
And if you’re a web designer, it’s SO important for you to decide how you want to serve clients. And for you, either way is fine – it’s just important that you’re communicating that in your marketing so that you get the right kinds of clients.
Because the last thing both you as the client and you as the web designer want to have happen is you as the client get labeled DIFFICULT, and you as the web designer gets labeled as being unprofessional and inept.
Neither of those things is true – you just weren’t a good match for each other because you didn’t know what you didn’t know.
So, if you’re thinking about hiring a web designer for your side hustle, and you want to make sure you’re educated and empowered and making the right decision for YOU and your business, I’m hosting a webinar called What to Know Before Hiring a Web Designer. You can get on the list to know when the next available dates are at www.wp-bff.com/whattoknow
And if you’re listening and you’re a web designer or are considering started a freelance web design business, I’ve got something for you too. I hosting another webinar “How to Start a Freelance Web Design Business” and you can get on the list to be notified when it’s happening again at www.wp-bff.com/wda
Today’s pep talk is brought to you by Bluehost. Go to www.shannonmattern.com/bluehost and get 36 months of web hosting for just $2.95 a month. That’s less than one trip to Starbucks a month – and if you’re anything like me, you’re at Starbucks more than that!
Then you can sign up for my Free 5 Day Website Challenge at www.shannonmattern.com/5day and I’ll show you step by step how to get started building your new website for your side hustle.
