Thanks to the internet, plumbers can now reach more people than ever. Gaining customers is crucial to business, and few tools achieve this goal better than a well-designed website. This can make the difference between customers choosing you or seeking an alternative. If a company’s website appears outdated or difficult to use, people start looking elsewhere. This is where hiring a web designer enters the picture.
You need to consider many factors when choosing the right website design for plumbers, and we’re here to help. Let’s review the six questions to ask so you can make an informed decision when interviewing freelance designers.
1. What Is Your Design Process?
Plumbers typically follow best practices or standard operating procedures (SOPs) to maintain quality and consistency between jobs. They gain this through learning and experience. It’s the same with web designers and design processes.
Web designers with experience often have documented design processes so they can best lead clients through development. This means they can stay on task while accounting for potential setbacks, making them more resilient than web designers with less experience.
2. Which Industries Do You Specialize In?
When hiring a web designer, you want their experience to be relevant. Asking which industries a designer specializes in quickly gives you an idea of what they’re used to beyond graphic design for websites. Ideally, you’ll want someone with experience designing websites for plumbers or other household service providers, such as HVAC contractors.
The more their usual clientele aligns with yours, the better. This means your web designer will better understand your audience and know how to tailor your website toward them.
3. What Services Do You Offer Other Than Web Design?
Some web designers have multiple skills they can combine to flesh out your website. This reduces the need to hire other clients, saving you time, effort, and money. Your website will also be more coherent with one designer working on it since they’ll know the ins and outs.
Consider a few examples of the additional services a web designer might offer:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies
- Logo designs
- Content writing
- Brand photography
4. What Experience Do You Have Making Mobile Friendly Websites?
Many associate websites with laptops and desktops, but the reality is that far more people own smartphones than computers. Google’s switch to a mobile-first indexing system reflects this, meaning they prioritize a website’s mobile version when ranking pages on both desktop and mobile.
Many outdated websites simply don’t account for smartphone users, making the touchscreen experience awkward at best and unusable at worst. As such, a mobile-friendly website is essential for bringing in customers, and a good web designer will make your site a breeze to use on any device.
5. What Options Do We Have With Our Budget?
Immediately communicating your budget sets expectations early on and gives the web designer an idea of what they can offer you. Even if you have a tight budget, you might have options. Ask if a custom site specifically designed for your plumbing business is possible. If not, the web designer might propose a site template, such as one with five web pages, to stay under budget.
Remember that your budget accounts for a number of added costs and website features, such as:
- Web hosting
- Domain registration
- Image sourcing
- Online scheduling
6. How Long Will the Transition Be?
Perhaps you have an old site in need of updating. It might sound as simple as designing a new one and making a quick switch, but that’s not always the case. Learn what the transition process will look like so you can plan ahead for any downtime your company’s site might encounter.
Get in Touch With a Qualified Web Designer Through Mammoth Marketing
Any web designer can make a website for you, but the right one will make yours stand out from the crowd. At Mammoth Marketing, we make hiring a web designer easier for you. We’ll get you in touch with a qualified web designer to produce a great website for your plumbing business, including a mobile-friendly website design.
Contact Mammoth Marketing today at (206) 607-2560 to receive a free consultation and bring your website into the modern age!
