When is it time to hire a web designer?

For a number of reasons, you might feel like it's time to professional help for your website. Maybe your business is growing and you want to step up your design game to match. Or you feel your your site looks outdated and some visual polish sounds like a good idea. Or you're delving into Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and want to increase visibility on search engines. There’s lots to consider but I’ll touch up on some common signs that it might be time to hire a web designer.

When is the right time to hire a web designer?

1.) When you're seeing growth 

We're starting with the most obvious one, as business growth may be the most crucial factor. Your business has taken off, achieved a steady income and is now growing. Expanding your audience size, offerings, website content, and more naturally follows.

2.) When you're too busy yourself

A basic web design isn't beyond the capabilities of many website owners. There’s plenty of powerful platforms that can help you get started like Squarespace or Shopify.

However you may not have the time to invest in researching, designing and building a site. There are a million other things to look out for like SEO and paid ads to content strategies and more. There's only so much time in the day, and ambitious web design takes time.

3.) When you're able to budget for it

When you're seeing growth is also when you can most likely be comfortable with budgeting for outside services. It won't typically break the bank to hire a web designer, but it can still strain tighter budgets.

How much web design services will cost varies significantly. It depends on the agencies' or freelancers' prices, the exact services you need, and so on. Still, feeling comfortable putting money aside for web design is a great indicator.

4.) When you've established your brand image

An equally valuable indicator is your own brand image – and your confidence in it. If you've solidified your brand image by now, chances are high that you're at a business stage where web design can elevate it and take your business further.

Having an established brand image is somewhat necessary. Web designers can work much better toward your goals if they know exactly what your brand is all about. Conversely, they can only do so much without a clear vision to inform their creativity. Great designers work better within constraints.

5.) When you can spare time for results

Finally, it's just as necessary to have time for big projects. Not just because web design often takes time but because having this comfort should mean your business is stable.

Having time to spare should mean you're planning and have solid long-term goals. It should mean you're not overly relying on quick fixes or rushed patchwork that's "just good enough". Rather, you're comfortable in your current position and can wait for results.

If the points above sound familiar, it may be a good idea to consider!