In today’s online-focused world, an author website is a must-have. Whether you’re ready for a new author website or a redesign of your existing site, hiring the right website design company is vital for the best results and long-term effectiveness of your site.
Web Design Relief’s Insider Tips For Choosing An Author Website Design Company
Request to see a portfolio and reviews. Take a look at the company’s portfolio and any references/reviews/testimonials. Positive reviews and a robust portfolio show that the designers know their stuff and do good work. You might even see design ideas that you can incorporate into your own author website. If a web design company is skittish about showing previous work or can’t give you a good idea of what they can do for you, then we recommend you steer clear.
Ask about services. Do they do SEO for you? Do they understand how to integrate marketing when creating a website? Do they offer backups, updates, and personalized toolkits after the website is launched?
Check their social media expertise. Find out how much of your social media will be integrated into your website. Web design companies should have a firm grasp of the importance of your social media presence and how it should work with the site they’re designing for you. If they don’t, then you should find somewhere else to take your business.
Know your options: website template vs. custom design. There’s nothing wrong with using a preexisting design that other popular websites have used in the past. But if you want something special—will your author web design company be able to accommodate you?
Confirm you’ll have input. You should be presented with concept choices, be kept apprised of design decisions, and have the final say on how your website will look. Ask about the process and how the information will be interpreted by the design team.
Find out about future changes to your site. A good web design company will have everything spelled out for you during and after the consultation call—including the details about what happens after your site is live and you want to make changes down the road. You don’t want to find out that a simple change will cost you hundreds of dollars, or that you don’t have access to the website if you want to make changes on your own.
Know who actually owns your website. Surprise! It may not be you. A good web design company will make it clear who owns the website. Ideally, you should be able to keep all the files associated with your website—after all, you’ve paid for them!
And most important…
Be sure they know authors and their unique requirements. Maybe you know a guy who knows a guy—or you have a sister/cousin/neighborhood kid—who will create a website for you for mere pennies. Or maybe you’ve seen pop-up ads for a bells and whistles “Websites R Us!” company that designs sites for everyone and anyone. But how many of them have worked with authors?
Web Design Relief knows what is needed in a successful author website—and what isn’t. As a division of Writer’s Relief, we have a special insight into the publishing industry.
And we never, ever outsource your website overseas like some other companies do. We work in-house—your website is Made in the USA. So we’re easily available if you have any questions or comments.
Web Design Relief also offers maintenance coverage and protection that the competition can’t match. With our Hosting Care Package your author website will be regularly updated by us, plus we’ll monitor your site usage and make sure your site is fast and consistent.
Take a look at our reviews and testimonials from happy Web Design Relief customers, and view our extensive portfolio of websites. Then schedule a consultation today!
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