4 Tips to hiring an ecommerce web design firm on a budget

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For owners of small to medium-sized businesses, setting up a website is an effective strategy that you can use to increase your brand awareness in the online market. There are several website platforms claiming that even those who are not very familiar with programming can create good-looking websites using their products. There are also online guides that can help you learn both the basic and advanced techniques of web designing. The downside of relying on these online resources is that many people also use the exact guides too. Chances are your website may look very similar to others.

Hiring a web designer is definitely a great idea when setting up a website for your business. Instead of wasting several hours experimenting with things you’re not really good at, you may able to use your extra time focusing on what matters more for your business. But that doesn’t mean that you have to pay tens of thousands of dollars just to set up and maintain a website. There are actually many ways which you can hire an ecommerce web designer on the cheap. That is without compromising the quality of your website. Read more about the 4 tips to hiring an ecommerce web design firm on a budget and start seeing great results for your business now.

1. Avoid hiring web design firms that specialize only in one aspect.

When looking for the best web developer for your business, you may encounter ones that are adept at creating attractive web designs and those that actually know how to incorporate them into your site. The problem with hiring two or more firms for your website is that the work usually takes longer and more costly in the long run. If possible, look for an ecommerce web design firm that can do all the work; from your company’s logo to the website’s user interface and everything that you might need. For owners of small to medium-sized businesses, setting up a website is one of the top 10 branding effective strategies that you can use to increase your brand awareness in the online market.

2. Set up a realistic budget and don’t hesitate to negotiate the price.

Before starting the project, you should be able to discuss the timeline and plan with the web design firm down to the smallest of details. Set up a realistic budget and don’t hesitate to negotiate the price. For brochure-style websites, the price typically ranges from $2,000 to $5,000; while it can go up to $20,000 or more for sites which feature a bunch of products and which support electronic payment. You might find some good offers at less than $1,000 but be wary that the quality might get compromised.

3. Plan ahead on the things that you need and you don’t need.

Web design services usually become expensive when the package includes a lot of features that can optimize your website. Although most of them are useful, you might not essentially need some of those features for your website. You may choose a couple of websites that you admire and pick some features that you really want for your site. Discuss the details with the web design firm carefully before making a deal.

4. Trade for services if you personally know the web designer.

If you personally know the owner of a web design firm (or some other people who work there), you may consider discussing if they are open for bartering. For example, you may offer them accounting or legal services for a certain period in exchange for web design services. Discuss the terms properly so both of you will neither profit nor lose in the barter.