Top 10 Tips for Finding and Choosing a Great Web Designer

Updated on December 15, 2025 by Tim Donahue

Here are the top 10 tips for finding and choosing a great web designer:

1. 1. Define your design needs – do you need a lot of help or a little? Do you need lots of custom software or just a great looking business or portfolio site?
   2. Look for potential designers on Upwork or Fiverr or Bark. Search for designers who meet your needs, pricing, and most importantly, who have portfolio work showing they have a history of doing solid work similar to what you want
   3. Look at their past client satisfaction, client comments, ratings, and client retention ratio
   4. Determine their experience with your type of needs whether it’s with ecommerce, content management systems, plain websites, WordPress, Wix or custom coding.
   5. Consider their responsiveness and communication skills
   6. Know your budget and decide on your priorities
   7. Consider their location and availability
   8. Look for a long-term partnership and ongoing support

How Do You Go About Defining Your Design Needs When Looking For A Web Designer?

Defining your design needs when looking for a web designer is an important step in the process.

Here are some suggestions:

• • Define your business needs and what role your website serves in your business

• • Identify your unique selling point, target audience, and brand identity

• • Consider the sections of your website and the style you want to convey

• • Communicate your needs and expectations to the designer

• • Look for a designer who asks you questions about your business and listens to your needs

• • Consider the creativity and uniqueness of the designer’s previous work

What Are Some Key Factors To Consider When Reviewing A Web Designer’s Portfolio And Case Studies?

When reviewing a web designer’s portfolio and case studies, there are several key factors to consider. 

These include:

• • The designer’s process and methodology

• • The designer’s introduction and personal brand

• • The quality of the designer’s work and how it is presented

• • The designer’s problem-solving skills and approach

• • The designer’s detailed case studies and project descriptions

It is important to look for a designer who has a clear and effective process, presents their work in a professional and engaging manner, and demonstrates strong problem-solving skills.

Additionally, detailed case studies and project descriptions can provide valuable insight into a designer’s approach and methodology.

How and Where To Find/Hire A Good Designer:

I typically refer people to Fiverr.com or Upwork.com. Fiverr tends to be a little bit cheaper, but this is because a lot of the designers there are working remotely from overseas in places like India, Philippines, Russia, etc.  They often are working in a different time zone but sometimes they adjust their work day to accommodate the US customers they have.

Prices Can Vary – You Don’t Always ‘Get What You Pay For’

Just because they may be overseas doesn’t mean that the quality of work is necessarily any worse. It is important to say that you don’t always get what you pay for – as they say sometimes.

In my experience – an inexpensive web designer can do a wonderful job, and sometimes a high paid designer can do a terrible job, so it’s really up to you to look at their portfolio, and review it carefully to make sure that they have a history or doing the level and quality of work that you require. 

These Are The Exact Steps to Finding a Good Web Designer:

1. Go to either Fiverr.com or Upwork.com and start doing searches for designers that do that type of work do you want whether it’s a homepage, a landing page, full website, video, tutorial, logo or whatever.
2. Locate some designers who do good looking work, that catches your eye – and then review their portfolios very carefully to make sure they have a solid history of doing this kind of work,  and that they didn’t just manage to do a great job one time. We are looking for a track record of doing good looking work.
3. Review their prices, and narrow it down to a small handful of designers that you would consider talking to and working with.  Look at the number of reviews that they have and the comments people have left. It’s risky to work with someone who doesn’t have any reviews or mini customer interactions to try to find somebody with a good track record of pleasing customers.
4. Reach out to each of these people with an introduction email keep it short and explain to them what sort of a project you need to have done.  It’s important to be as clear as you can. Would you describe your project because one thing a designer heat is a customer who doesn’t know what they’re looking for or know what they need and they will definitely be screening you in that way. 🙂
5. The next step is that you are going to assess their ability to communicate well. Determine whether they are good at responding in a timely manner, whether their English was good (remember that a lot of these people can be overseas in English could be a second language for them), and whether they asked you questions that mattered/made sense.
6. At this point, you probably have located a designer, who answered your questions and responded and had a good looking work better than most of the other people that you reached out to.

Tips To Working Well With A Web Designer:

Web designers are like any other group of people that you hire and they have their own idiosyncrasies. Here’s here are some important tips on how to develop and maintain a great relationship with your web designer.:

The more you can explain to them what you need clearly the better they will like you. I often ask clients to identify a handful of websites that they really like so that I can read their minds about what they consider to be good and what they really want.  

So do your best to explain to them exactly what you’re looking for:  how many pages, how many designs, what technical needs you have, etc. etc. and they will appreciate that greatly.

Always Pay a Developer in Installments Rather Than A Lump Sum

Never pay a big lump sum because then you are really stuck if you decide that the person is not doing a good job or if you start arguing with them or fighting. Sadly this is not uncommon. 

I normally recommend paying in thirds…  1/3 upfront to get them going and get them to a mile stone somewhere in the middle of the project.. at which point you would make a second payment.  Then they would fully complete the project for you and hand it over before you made the third and final payment. 

This makes it fair for both parties end it keeps it encourages you both to continue communicating and finding solutions as you work together.   Certainly, you could break that into four pieces if you want to pay 25% at a time that would make sense as well, just don’t pay a big fee upfront. 

It’s important for the developer to show you that they are going to be meeting deadlines and doing what they said they were going to do and that they will get rewarded if they continue doing that.

How Do Past Clients And Client Retention Ratio Factor Into Your Decision When Choosing A Great Web Designer?

When choosing a web designer, past clients and client retention ratio can be important factors to consider.

Retaining existing customers is important for the long-term success of a business, and a high client retention ratio can indicate that a web designer has a track record of providing quality work and maintaining good relationships with clients.

However, it is also important to consider other factors such as the designer’s portfolio, experience, and expertise.

 

Can You Give An Example Of How A Web Designer’s Responsiveness And Communication Skills Can Make A Difference In A Project?

A web designer’s responsiveness and communication skills can make a significant difference in a project.

For example, a responsive designer keeps the company informed, explains issues as they arise, and discusses deadlines.

Good communication skills are essential for managing client feedback well.

Additionally, a designer who can effectively communicate design decisions and strategies can help ensure that the project meets the client’s needs and expectations.

In contrast, poor communication and responsiveness can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and frustration for both the designer and the client.