Pros + Cons of Hiring a Website Designer

Working with a website designer can offer significant benefits, but it also comes with some potential drawbacks. Here are the pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to hire a website designer for your website.

Pros of Working with a Website Designer

Professional Expertise

High-Quality Design: Designers have the skills and experience to create a visually appealing, professional, and unique website tailored to your brand.

Customization: They can provide custom design elements and features that are specific to your needs and preferences.

User Experience: Designers understand best practices for user experience (UX) and can ensure your website is intuitive, easy to navigate, and engaging for visitors.

Time Savings

Efficiency: Hiring a designer saves you time, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business while they handle the website creation.

Quick Turnaround: Experienced designers can often complete the project faster than you could on your own, especially if you lack design experience.

Technical Knowledge

Complex Features: Designers can implement more complex features and integrations that might be difficult to achieve on your own.

Responsive Design: They ensure your website is fully responsive, looking great on all devices and screen sizes.

SEO and Performance

Optimization: A good designer will optimize your website for search engines, speed, and performance, helping to improve your visibility and user experience.

Best Practices: They are up-to-date with the latest web design trends and best practices, ensuring your site is modern and effective.

Ongoing Support

Maintenance: Many designers offer ongoing support and maintenance packages, so you have professional help available for updates and troubleshooting.

Training: They can provide training on how to use and manage your website, empowering you to make updates as needed.

Cons of Working with a Website Designer

Cost

Expense: Hiring a professional designer can be expensive, especially for custom designs and complex features.

Budget Constraints: If you are on a tight budget, the cost of hiring a designer might be prohibitive. But you may find there are website designers who offer lower-cost options like one-page websites, customized website templates or design days – alternatives to a fully customized, mulit-page website build.

Dependence

Reliance on Designer: You may become reliant on the designer for updates and changes, which could be an issue if they are not readily available. You can solve this problem by designing your website on a platform you feel most comfortable learning, so you can independently make updates.

Ongoing Costs: Ongoing maintenance and updates by the designer can add to your costs – choose a platform that requires less manual maintenance.

Communication

Miscommunication: There is a potential for miscommunication or misunderstanding of your vision, leading to a final product that may not fully meet your expectations.

Time-Consuming Revisions: Going back and forth on revisions can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating. If you are prone to requesting a lot of revisions, you may be subject to additional costs. Refer to your contract for clarity about how much time is allowed for revisions before additional costs are added.

Finding the Right Designer

Research Needed: Finding a skilled and reliable designer requires research and due diligence to ensure they have the right expertise and style for your project.

Quality Variation: Not all designers have the same level of skill or experience, and the quality of work can vary significantly.

Loss of Control

Creative Control: You might have less creative control over the project compared to building the site yourself, which could lead to a website that doesn’t fully align with your vision.

Dependency: Dependence on the designer for future updates can limit your ability to make quick changes independently.

When to Hire a Website Designer

Custom Needs: If you require a highly customized website with specific features and a unique design.

Expertise: If you don’t have the necessary skills, knowledge or patience required to configure the technology or create a strategic and effective design

Lack of Time: If you don’t have the time to create a professional-looking website or troubleshoot the inevitable challenges on your own.

Budget Availability: If you have the budget to invest in professional design services.

Focus on Business: If you want to focus on your core business activities and leave the web design to an expert.

Strategy: You may opt to hire a website designer to help you develop a website strategy and wireframe, while you take on the buildout yourself.

When to Consider DIY or a Website Builder

Budget Constraints: If you have a limited budget and need a cost-effective solution.
Simple Requirements: If you need a straightforward website with standard features that can be easily achieved with a website builder.
Control: If you prefer to have full control over the design and content of your website.
Learning Opportunity: If you are interested in learning web design and development skills.

How to hire the right designer

Ultimately, the decision to work with a website designer depends on your specific needs, budget, and preferences. Weighing the pros and cons can help you make an informed choice that aligns with your business goals and resources. Here’s a simple process for finding the right designer for your project.

Define Requirements: Outline goals, scope, budget, and timeline.

Research Designers: Use referrals, online platforms, and portfolios to find potential candidates.

Evaluate and Shortlist: Review portfolios, check references, and conduct interviews.

Request Proposals: Ask for detailed proposals from shortlisted designers.

Make a Decision: Choose the best fit based on proposals, experience, and communication.

Draft Contract: Create and sign a clear contract outlining all project details.

Collaborate: Hold a kickoff meeting, establish communication plans, and provide regular feedback.

Launch and Support: Ensure proper training and discuss ongoing support options.

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"I'm deft at branding and writing copy for our clients, but when I got tangled in my own words for a new event we were offering, I came to Cynthia. In a day, she asked good questions, absorbed my many ideas and drafts, and returned to me an elegant wireframe and fresh copy. With that, I had the clarity to crystallize and refine our messaging and move forward. If you seek a clear-minded, multi-talented brand wing-woman, I recommend Cynthia Berg."

Jeffrey Davis, author and founder at Tracking Wonder Consultancy
“There is so much psychology embedded in advertising or social media, and Cynthia seems to understand that and how to use it in building a website and other outreach platforms. Booking time with Cynthia is time and money well spent. She can easily communicate ideas that can immediately be implemented, and just make sense.”

Michelle Horan | Co-founder of Good To Go Cups
"Cynthia was wildly helpful in understanding how to communicate with our audience! As a non profit in a niche space sometimes it is hard to see the big picture of where your marketing materials and brand fit into your work. Websites are important and having someone provide an outside perspective is very helpful! While lots of people could do that Cynthia provides really great insight and has a very unique skillset to help people and organizations trying to make change."

Ashlyn Branscum | Development & Communications Manager a The Sobering Center
Cynthia had a deep understanding of our website's function, our users, and how to enhance it further. Her expert eye and ability to communicate these tips in a simple and concise manner are so helpful to someone without a design background. I appreciated receiving a summary of our discussion and action steps we could take. Cynthia has so much knowledge! She has a calm and composed delivery style and fosters rapid rapport and trust. She's an invaluable resource for any entrepreneur, business, or organization looking to shift to the next level.

Carolyn Wieland | Communications Assistant
"Cynthia's incredible superpower is one of asking the perfect question, but then unlike most people, she listens deeply to the answer. This allows her to truly see and hear her clients, making possible the absolute magic she creates just by reflecting back who they are in her work. Cynthia designed a website for me that was dynamic, clean, simple, but powerful and something I could have never done on my own."

Laura Elmore LeBlanc | LMSW-AP. Executive Leader, Consultant, Coach + Changemaker
"I am totally impressed with our work so far. You have been so helpful and supportive of our individual issues. I learned many things about websites of which I was unaware. I was impressed with the supportive, accommodating and patient manner in which different aspects were explained. Coming from a place just above the bottom of the knowledge base, I felt like I attained a great amount of insight into what changes we could make and why."

Sandra Burwell | Coordinator of Loose Parts Laboratory at Reggio-Inspired Network of Minnesota
“A question she posed sits on a sticky note in my office “How do I want to be spending my time” guides and directs me. Coupled with her very intentional approach to asking deep questions that encourage rich conversation about brand and marketing, Cynthia brings something more to the table than any other brand or marketing consultant that I’ve ever met.”

Steve Harper | Chief Rippler, Serial Entrepreneur, Author, Coach and Keynote Speaker
"It's hard to believe all we accomplished in a relatively short time! The guidance I received was huge in terms of impact and value. It's not often I get advice that is so right on. Cynthia is top notch. She is super knowledgeable and able to distill her expertise into practical and impactful takeaways. She helped me focus on the key opportunities and make real change. On top of that, she is an absolute pleasure to work with.”

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