Website Developer vs Website Designer- Do You Need Both?

According to a study by GE Capital Retail Bank, “81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying.” In other words, if you don’t have a website, you can consider yourself out of the running as consumers will not be able to find your business and research it. If you do have a website, it’s important to recognize that first impressions count. An easy to navigate, uncluttered website will afford the consumer the time to research and compare your company against the competition.

Creating a website can feel overwhelming. If you plan to do it on your own, we recommend using website building platforms that make it easy such as Square Space, Shopify and Wix. If you choose to hand over your website creation to the experts you first need to decide it you want to work with a website developer, website designer or both. So, what’s the difference? Basically, a website developer is responsible for the code and creating the behind the scenes technology work. A website designer creates the look and feel of the website incorporating the brand strategy, SEO and marketing so your website gets noticed and inspires the viewer to take action and engage with your business.

Each are important with different expertise needed for both.

For example, when a car or garment is manufactured there is the manufacturing company who builds the car or sews / mass produces the clothing item. But first it starts with the design team who creates the trend right, aesthetically pleasing item that consumers will notice and want to buy. You certainly don’t want designers building your car or manufactures designing how a car should look.

When it comes to websites it’s the same theory, therefore it’s important that you have both the expertise of a developer and designer to create brand right, customer focused websites that get noticed by consumers. Here are 3 ways we recommend you work with a company to create your website:

1) Designer with Website Building Experience- Look for a website designer that is familiar with some aspect of development, but most importantly uses website building companies to create the website. As mentioned, companies like Squarespace or WordPress already have the backend or developing done. A designer with expertise in these platforms can navigate the backend while focusing on their expertise of bringing your brand / company to life, incorporating SEO to get noticed and continue with ongoing maintenance to ensure that consumers are finding you when researching your product or service.

Pros:

• Budget friendly

• Expert website design

• Easy website maintenance

Cons:

• Customizable with platform limitations

2) A Designer with an in-house Developer and Vice Versa - There are many marketing agencies that offer design and developing services under one roof. The benefit is a completely customizable website. The developer who is skilled in writing custom code (scripts) will be work with the designer, skilled in the aesthetics, to create a unique and custom website for you.

Pros:

• Custom site

• Expert developer and designer input

Cons:

• Expensive

• Harder to maintain

3) Website Designer with Custom Design Template - There are a lot of advantages to this alternative. When you hire a designer to customize a website on a template based platform such as Squarespace, it is often a cost effect and efficient way to create an outstanding website. Template based sites are often easier to maintain on your own. Simple to learn editing will help you keep your website up to date with information, active links and seasonal content. A website designer has the ability to use a platform that does not need coding expertise, but still can be completely customized with graphics, colors and images so that it speaks to your business and brand eliminating the need for expensive web developer maintenance and upkeep.

Pros:

• Cost effective

• Easy to maintain & update, no coding experience necessary

Cons:

• It may limit unique functionality

Ideally, the best website design comes from understanding your business needs, growth potential and open collaboration between designer and business owner. The goal is to create a beautiful design that converts viewers into customers, as well as intuitive functionality that inspires your visitors to delve deeper into your story, products and services. Your website is often the first stop for potential clients and it should provide them with an experience that is an extension of your business brand and personality.

If you have questions on how to proceed with your website design, contact Swivel Works for a FREE 30-minute website consultation.

“We had a wonderful experience working with Swivel Works, to help us update our outdates website. We are thrilled with the results and could not have asked for a more patient, creative individual to help us through the process. Thank you!”