“The best design is the one you don’t notice.” I’m pretty sure this was originally meant to apply to art, but it rings true for great web design as well. When you click on a well-designed site, you hardly notice anything about the user experience.

If a website’s design is poor, it jumps out at you from every angle. You can’t find what you’re looking for. Links are broken. Design elements are acting wonky. So how do you achieve a web design so good the user doesn’t even notice it? Ask your designer these questions along the way.

Will My Site Be Responsive? The answer to this should be a big, resounding YES. If it isn’t, it’s time to find a new designer. Today people browse the internet on screens of all sizes. If your site doesn’t respond to the device your viewer is using, you’ll lose them as fast as they came in.

Have You Checked Out My Competitors? How can you be sure you’re the best if you don’t know what you’re up against? We’re not saying you should imitate your competitors or even give any weight to what they’re doing online. But if you can figure out their website is lacking a major feature, like an easy-to-use shopping bag or a responsive Q&A form, you could be able to capitalize on that when building your site.

Do You Have Proven Conversion Results? If your website will be used primarily to drive sales, you probably shouldn’t work with a designer who focuses on websites for musicians. You need someone with experience building e-commerce sites that perform, with hard numbers to back it up.

Do You Offer A/B Testing? Some say it’s an old school method, but the numbers don’t lie: A/B testing works. If you run a website that sells something, you can’t afford not to test multiple options. Work with a designer who understands the process. They might not be able to completely execute the testing, but they should at least understand how it works and be able to help you with the design portion of the process.

What Kind of Support Do You Offer Down the Road? Your site crashes in the middle of a major shopping weekend. One of your plugins suddenly disappears. Who will be responsible for troubleshooting and fixing the problem? Maybe it’s your web designer, maybe it’s not, but this is important information to agree upon up front. Find out if your designer offers any kind of support after the initial design transfer, and how much it will cost you.

Want to build a website that performs for your business? Check out my portfolio of work to get some ideas. Then, contact me and let the brainstorming begin!