What to consider when looking for a web designer in Columbus.
What’s the best way to get a website that will make you to stand out from your competition? Know what to ask any web designer in Columbus and you’ll be able to make the best decision.
Is their style your style?
Everyone has their unique style of design, whether it’s architecture, interior design, clothing, or website design. So let’s talk web design.
If you aren’t engaged in the first few seconds of visiting a web design firm’s website, the chances of them being able to create an educational, engaging website for you isn’t good.
Every web designer in Columbus – or anywhere for that matter – has a unique style. Don’t buy into the proverbial idiom of the Cobbler’s children going barefoot, which used to describe a situation where someone neglects their own stuff because they are too busy taking care of other people’s stuff. A web design firm should go all out for their own website.
How can you tell if a web design firm is marketing-focused?
Easy. If their homepage is all about them, and not about what they do for their clients, they’re not marketing-focused.
That’s because no one wants to know about you (or us), until they know what you (or we) can do to help them solve their problem.
Really, all anyone wants to know is ‘What’s in it for me?” The key to getting your prospects to quickly see what you do to help them make their lives easier, better, or save them time. Any good web designer in Columbus should know that.
Have they created engaging, educational homepage videos?
Your prospects are looking at your competitor’s websites, too. If you think you’re better than your competition, shouldn’t your website be better than theirs? Think about what will make your stand out and be more memorable?
An engaging, educational video on your homepage explains your benefits, and tells your audience what makes you different than your competitors.
You can see unique homepage videos we’ve done for American Heritage Homes, Shadow Six Racing, The State of Georgia DFCS for Foster youth transitioning into a stable adulthood., Rust Belt Offroad, The Columbus Jewish Historical Society, Foster Georgia, MBIE Transit Agency, and The Cottages 55+ Living that quickly explain their benefits.
Ask why blogging IS new business development.
No matter where or when it happens, content creation that’s original and educational, is part of an SEO strategy to help you drive prospects to your website.
Read about blogging as new business development here.
- Blogging lets you showcase your level of expertise and knowledge to your audience, proving you’re an industry expert.
- It educates your audience by answering questions that relate to their situations. And when your blogs headlines match the exact questions your audience is asking, the chances of that blog showing up on page 1 of Google goes way up.
- You can share success stories of projects you’ve done
- In addition to the SEO benefits, it helps with search results for GEO and AEO. Are GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) really new? Kinda, but they work together with SEO. Matter of fact, we would put GEO and AEO under the umbrella of SEO.
Do they understand the Short Attention Span Society?
(Which, we admit, we’re all members of.) Some studies suggest we make judgements on websites in 5 seconds.
People make judgments in a matter of seconds. If you don’t communicate how you help your prospects quickly, you make it difficult for them to understand what makes you unique.
We’re all busy. We gots lots to do and limited time to do it. So it’s critical to respect your prospects time and make it worth their while to visit your website.
Do they know how to play well with Google?
If they don’t know how to do that, your website won’t work with Google’s algorithms. But how do you know if they do that? Ask them what keywords they try to be found for, then search those and see if they show up.
Google “Award-winning Ohio web design company” and see who shows up on page 1.
Getting on page one for any competitive search term is tough. It takes time and attention to updating your website while being sure to use the right keywords in all the right places. Read about how to play well with Google here.
Can they help with writing content?
While no one knows more about what you do than you, you might want to think twice about writing the content for your website. When you’re serious about SEO, writing for the web is very different than writing for print
That’s because it’s imperative to incorporate keywords correctly into the back end of every page And keyword research is a major part of every good website. Watch our video about on-page SEO here.
Read about the exciting world of keyword research here.
Is the homepage content interesting on the web designer’s homepage? If not, they won’t be able to help writing content for your homepage. Good content gets attention and makes a connection. And as you know by now, it’s not about you, but about what you can do for your clients.
Are they keeping up with Google’s algorithms? Seriously: it’s not funny!
Google’s algorithms change all the time, which is why you need a web designer in Columbus who keeps up on things like having a good backlink plan, knows about keyword research, and Search and Display ads. But on-page SEO is by far the best scenario, and we can help.
A web designer in Columbus who has an understanding of SEO, GEO and AEO will be able to get you to show up well on Google.
But showing up organically for your keywords is a lengthy process. It takes diligence and patience to post educational informative articles frequently, while using the right keywords.
If all this is too much to remember…
…remember, that’s what we’re here for! To walk you through the process and stay involved each step of the way.
A pretty website that never gets found is fairly worthless. And if your website is found, you have one chance to make that good impression and stand out from your competition.
When you’re ready to work with a web designer in Columbus who knows their stuff, get in touch with us.