As blogs become more and more popular amongst novice Internet users and business owners, hiring a blog designer is the safest and easiest way to get a customized blog created. But hiring a blog designer shouldn’t be taken lightly. Fees for blog designers vary tremendously, so it is important that you know exactly what you are getting for the money you pay.
Instructions
1. Visit the competition’s blogs. It’s hard to know what you want in a blog design if you don’t know what’s out there, and since blog designers don’t showcase every single option available, it’s up to you to know what you want before you begin speaking to a blog designer. Perusing other blogs allows you to see how they flow and how you, the reader, interact with the blog.
2. Keep a notebook full of ideas. As you peruse the blogs of others, make notes on what you like and what you don’t like. Keep a list of Web addresses of pages on a blog that you want to mimic. Draw sketches of layouts that interest you, complete with a color scheme.
3. Search for blog designers. Besides doing a search online for “blog designer for hire,” visit the links pages of the blogs you like. If you don’t see any reference to the designer, drop the blog owner an email, requesting information on his (or her) blog designer. Many times, clients get referral discounts and are happy to refer you as long as you mention them in the initial contact.
4. Study the designer’s work. While you may be tempted to stick to blog designers within a certain price range, it’s vital that you check out the designer’s work. You need to make sure that the work you pay for meets your needs and wants, not just your pocketbook. If the designer’s style doesn’t reflect the style you want for your blog, you need to find a blog designer that can create a blog template you envision.
5. Ask for references. Before you sign a contract, before you put down a cash deposit, before you even talk about design and feature options, ask to speak to past clients, especially those whose blogs resemble the type of blog you’re interested in having designed. It’s important that you get an unbiased, third party testimony because you’ll be working with your blog designer for months—even years—to come.
6. Discuss your needs. Once you’re satisfied with the preliminary research it’s time to talk about the nitty gritty details of building your blog: blogging platform (WordPress, TypePad, Blogger), Web host you’ll be using, logo design, template design, color scheme, plug-ins and widgets required (askimet, all-in-one-seo, recent post updates), follow-up maintenance and price.
7. Write and sign a contract. You contract should include the full cost of your blog design, complete with installation and initial troubleshooting. It should state who will be working on your blog, when your blog design will begin and when the final blog creation will be complete, any confidentiality requirements and payment terms: 1/3 upfront, 1/3 when halfway through and 1/3 when the blog design is complete. It should also state what happens to money already paid should the designer not complete his end of the deal and under what circumstances you can or cannot ask for refund of monies already paid. And finally, it should state that ownership of blog design belongs to you, including logo design. Some designers try to claim ownership to designs you help create, making it difficult to switch designers should you have a falling out.
Tags: blog designer, your blog, blog design, blog designers, know what, already paid, blog design complete
