5 Reasons To Talk To A Marketing Firm Before You Hire A Web Designer

When the average person goes to buy a brand new car, they usually don’t stop by the tire shop first. There’s not much sense in buying tires for a car you don’t have, and besides, don’t most new cars come with tires?

Yet for some inexplicable reason, people often work with a search engine marketing firm after they’ve been to the tire shop web designer. A great web design is like a great set of tires – it’s fantastic, but without an engine to make the wheels turn, tires are just decoration.

Marketing is often the engine that drives a website. Before you buy your next new car website, here are 5 reasons to start the web design process by speaking with a marketing firm first:

1. Websites work best when they are designed for usability, not as an impressive piece of art. Some web designers are focused on the beauty, not the function. You need both perspectives.
2. It’s cheaper (and easier) to optimize website usability before you design than it is after the fact. If your designer makes an odd choice in terms of usability, it will take time and money to fix it…time and money that could go to promoting your new site instead of fixing it.
3. Some web designers create websites that search engines can’t understand. If you work with one of these people without talking to a marketing expert first, you won’t be a happy camper when you finally do call us.
4. Designers don’t always think about content. Content is one of the keys to online marketing success. A good design needs to incorporate a blog, detailed product descriptions, category descriptions, etc.
5. Sometimes, you don’t need a new website. Depending on the platform you’re on, you might not need an all-new website to effect the changes you want to make. Sometimes, you can make minor changes to your existing site and get what you need at a fraction of the cost.

The big picture: The only reason websites exist is to sell products. Therefore, your marketing team should be directing the web design process, reviewing layouts, etc. Otherwise, you’re putting the tires before the new car.