When I started designing websites for Nottingham businesses in 2006, there were a small handful of web designers and web design agencies in the area. It was quite easy to find customers as there was such a small amount of competition.
Move on five years to 2011 in the market place for web design in Nottingham has completely changed. The number of designers and agencies has rocketed. This is perfectly natural as so many more small businesses have realised since then that it is essential to have an effective website for your business.
It also means there is so much more choice when looking for a web designer with the added benefit that we must work much harder to win your business. This is all good for business and most helpful for anyone searching for a web designer in the Nottingham area.
There is one small drawback however. How do you choose the right web designer for your business? Unlike accountants and solicitors, there is no governing professional body and anyone can set themselves up as a web designer. Therefore, amongst the choice of designers that you have, there are those that provide excellent services with knowledgeable and skilled staff right down to people with little or no skill who just think it is an easy way to earning a living.
I believe there is one fundamental way you can decide which web designer is best for you. View their portfolio. Most web designers have a portfolio and in the rare instances where they do not, then you must ask yourself, what are they trying to hide? They may simply be starting up and not yet have a portfolio or they might just be ashamed of their portfolio!
But how can you tell what they will be able to do for your business if you cannot see the work that they have done in the past?
Take a good look through the examples of previous work and see if there are any websites that look as good as you want them to look and if any of them have functions the same or similar to those for which you are looking. Do not worry if some of the designs do not look great. Sometimes web designers are forced to include design elements with which they do not agree but upon which, their customers insist. As long as there are examples of excellent work, you can rest assured that you have found a good web designer.