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April 11, 2014 · Graphic Design, SEO, Web Design

5 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Professional Web Designer

Thinking about hiring a professional freelance web designer but have your doubts? Think of it like building your house. Unless you have the expertise necessary to do such a thing on your own, would you trust that you are going to build a stable house that will last? Probably not. Instead you would be inclined to hire a professional that you know will get the job done right. The same thing applies with building a website. Get rid of all the possible misconceptions you may have about how easy it is to build, design, and maintain a good website, because it is not easy. It is something that requires creativity, patience, and careful budget managing. Here are some reasons why you would definitely benefit from hiring a professional web designer.

Hire a web designer to save time

A professional web designer will save you a lot of time and energy associated with becoming extremely frustrated. Knowing basic HTML coding is simply not enough these days to get ahead of the game on the interweb, which is why professional web designers exist in the first place. A web designer is not a professional unless he or she has skills that extend baying design, such as with marketing, communication, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PO (Photo Optimization), PHP, JavaScript, and more.

Speaking of the word “professional”

When hiring a professional web designer, you don’t have to worry too much about whether or not their work will truly capture your business. Between creating beautiful and effective looking images and creatively marketing them, your input definitely matters, but a certain type of trust forms when the professional you hired can already see three steps ahead. A great website should be easy to navigate, be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, load efficiently, and work properly with all the different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and even IE if you are so inclined.

You get uniqueness

As of 2013, there are close to a billion websites out there for us to find. That means that just going online and buying a pre-existing template could very well make your website look like a clone of someone else’s, which hurts your business credibility. Even if buying a template is much easier and cost-efficient, if it makes you less money in the long run because people find it boring, is it worth it? A professional web designer will not only make sure that your website has a unique feel unlike any other website out there, but they will also allow for customization should you decide to change some things around

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work has been on the rise in the last decade because people have realized that your website does not mean much if it does not have a presence on search engines. In other words, you could very well have the best website in the world, but if people cannot find it because it doesn’t show up on Google, it becomes a useless endeavor. A professional web designer is the only person that truly knows how to ensure your website is developed in such a way that it can be easily read and ranked, which allows it to become search engine-friendly. This method is completely legal and is the most effective way to ensure top rankings for your website, which translates to higher website traffic and more revenue for you.

You get an edge on your competitors

Let’s face it, there are millions of businesses out there. Many of them are probably selling the same thing you’re trying to sell. So what is going to make you stand out? A professional web designer will give your business a much needed edge that no other method of design can give you. It is very possible that thousands of people are going to be looking at your website every day, so why not give those people something more memorable than a pre-made template website? Sure the cost is higher, but in the long run, you will be seeing a much bigger return on your investment.

Hire Tommy Le to be your web designer

My name is Tommy and I am a professional freelance web designer in Montreal Quebec. By glancing at some of my projects, you can automatically tell that I fit the criteria listed above. Every website I create is unique, projects exactly what you want, and has an unparalleled modern feel that is hard to come by with other web designers. My SEO work is also phenomenal, so much in fact that I guarantee near-instant results. Finally, I understand the reason why you want a website. Hire me and you will get your return in investment.

January 24, 2014 · blog, SEO

Freelance Web Design – the Good & the Bad

Being a freelance web designer is an interesting and engaging experience. However, there are strong advantages and disadvantages to being one and knowing them beforehand can ensure that you’re making the right career decisions.

A huge advantage to being a freelance web designer is the freedom to create a customized schedule that is suitable to your lifestyle. Work hours can be very flexible, accommodating regular 9 to 5 workers and night owls alike. This is in obvious contrast to working for a company, where employers are unlikely to be sympathetic to the fact that you may have had a mere 2 hours of sleep prior to the meeting they expect you to attend.

I enjoy working at local coffee shops and drawing inspiration from the fast-paced world outside.

Another advantage is the wide scope of things you can learn on the job. No two projects are ever identical, and there is something new to be learned from every project. For example, while I myself started off strictly as web designer, I have since expanded into the exciting fields of branding and SEO.

Not only do you learn on the job, you can learn at your own pace. If you want to learn JQuery because you think it will be of use down the line, you can just go ahead and do it without the worry of colleagues or supervisors standing over your shoulder. In fact, the best freelancers I know are the ones who constantly add to their technique and knowledge wealth through subscription to online magazines and discussions with other web professionals.

Of course, there are downsides to freelancing, the biggest one being the potential lack of financial stability. With the market fluctuating as it does, it is at times difficult to predict when your next paycheck will be coming.

To me, that’s the scariest thing about freelancing.

The recommended strategy is to build up an emergency fund for those months where work might be slow. Also, do not become a full-fledged freelancer until you have secured a client base. If you have another job, keep it until you have a good head start.

Hello, my name is Tommy Le and I’m a freelance web designer / seo specialist living in Montreal. I hope this article helps all you wanting to be freelancers. If you have any questions, feel free to write me.

January 17, 2014 · Web Design

What to Know When Choosing and Hiring a Web Designer

It can be quite the hassle to explore the vastness of the internet in order to find the perfect web designer for your needs. A good web designer is crucial for perfecting your branding, increasing your conversion rates, and garnering people’s attention to you overall, but it can be difficult to tell if the one you picked for the job is qualified and is charging a fair rate for their work.

How does one evaluate a web designer? There can be many ways in doing this, and for the most part the beginning of your journey probably starts on the designer’s own web page. Upon looking at their own work, you can ask yourself if their site firstly gives off a certain aesthetic appeal that draws you in. If so, then you must further inquire into things such as the clearness and intuitiveness they display through simply navigating their site. Is this designer qualified for branding work or for work on conversion rates? Does the designer leave references for you that are easy to access and are the people easy to get in touch with? These are just some of the questions you must ask yourself in the early stages of finding a web designer.

When approaching a prospective designer, the more information you can give, the better. There is no such thing as too much information when you want to make sure that your wants and needs are met and satisfied. Sure some can go that extra mile for you and implement the benefits of his/her experience that could end up being beneficial for you, but that is all depending on who you choose and what your relationship is like. A (hopefully) revenue-generating portal starts with what YOU want and can work with. That means anything from what colors you’d prefer to see to what your overall budget is for the project.

Lastly, it can be commonly misunderstood that web designers are basement-dwellers with little or no social experience. This is untrue and most designers are merited to a certain amount of respect for their time and hard work. In order to garner this respect, there are some phrases one would rather not hear. These can range anywhere from “I don’t have any money but this looks easy; could you do this for free?” to “I want a website; how much is it gonna cost?”. These are both extremely wrong and far too vague to be of any help to a web designer and possible business partner. If you feel that you haven’t quite found the right match, do not hesitate to move on until you find the right one for you.

About Tommy: Montreal Web Designer

I’ve been designing websites for over a decade. I’ve been hired by universities, doctors’ offices, and small to medium-size businesses.

Although aesthetics are important, ultimately if the website doesn’t generate revenue then it’s a bad investment.