Best Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Designer

As a tour operator, it’s essential that you have a website for your business. And not just any website, a website that allows visitors to ultimately come and book your tours. According to Phocuswright(opens in a new tab) (a leading tourism market research company), 66% of bookings were made through supplier websites in 2019 while the total gross of online bookings will increase to $441 billion by 2022. With that alone, it is imperative these days to have an online bookable presence. Alongside that, the more direct bookings you get, the less you pay percentages to the OTAs(opens in a new tab) and other third parties, win-win.

Having a website not only gives your tour business credibility but it can also show that you are perhaps bigger and more successful than you actually are. It builds trust between customers and the business. Moreover, it also provides a location to market your business, which is important for you to get out and in front of your competitors.

Another point to consider: is your website outdated? You need to ask yourself this for two main reasons:

1. Having old, stagnant content coupled with outdated design and usability will harm your overall search engine ranking.
2. The online world is fast and it needs to be easy to use. Having an ancient website that doesn’t load and is impossible to navigate will result in a higher bounce rate. These potential customers will simply click off your website and, in turn, harm your website’s SEO again.

So, the decision has been made to create or refresh your website but the next step is how do you decide who will design it? Selecting a web designer within your budget is important, but you need to consider if they’re also the right fit for you.

Here’s our guide for you to contemplate before signing up for a brand new website!

Questions to ask your potential web designer:

• How can they provide you with what you want?
  • How will their website help your tour business?
  • Will they listen and take into consideration your goals with your new website?
  • How much input into the overall website design will you have?
  • Will it be mobile friendly?(opens in a new tab)

Ask what’s included in the price:

• Does it include domain hosting?
• What level of customisation is included?
• Do you have an opportunity to provide feedback throughout the process?
• Do they provide ongoing support and growth reports after the website is launched?
• Do they provide any search engine optimisation?

Are they the right choice?

• Look at their portfolio(opens in a new tab) and search for a business similar to yours
• Read their reviews/testimonials as all businesses should showcase what customers have previously said about them.
• How long have they been in business? Will they be there for you for years to come?
• Tip: don’t let the size of the company deter you—it’s quality work over quantity of staff. Most smaller businesses can sometimes produce superior work and provide better customer service than the larger, more corporate companies. Smaller businesses can often fill niches that larger companies occasionally overlook and they can have a more direct relationship with their customers and, in turn, be a lot more flexible than the larger company.

What would they need from you?

• Have you purchased a domain name/a future URL for your website?
• Do you have a logo and branding guidelines? If not, consider a colour palette or ask if they can create a logo for you!(opens in a new tab)
• Do you have clear goals set out for this website? What the purpose is for creating one—no one knows your business better than you!
• If required, do you have a booking software selected(opens in a new tab) and organised?
• Do you have the information ready for your tour and admin pages(opens in a new tab)? It’s important to have an idea of what tours you will offer and what other pages you would require on your site. Communicate this with your web design choice so they have a clear understanding of what you need so they can build on that!
• Do you have a solid selection of photos(opens in a new tab) with real people enjoying your tours and experiences?
• Do you know who your target customer is, who will eventually take your tours? This directly relates to all design and content creation decisions.

Good qualities in a web designer

• They provide what they promise you in writing
• Communication – do you like speaking to them? This is important as you’ll be working closely with them throughout the project
• Services – what do they provide from start to finish and will your website be continually updated and maintained?
• Do they provide supplementary services that will aid your business growth? (Keyword tracking services(opens in a new tab), backlink profiling(opens in a new tab) etc)
• Pricing – tricky one. Don’t make your decision solely based on the price as you will pay for quality and that quality goes a long way in staying above your competitors.
• Experience in their field – we touched on it earlier but read up on their experience in their niche.
• Deliverables: what will they provide you throughout the process?
• Reputation: choose the tourism experts for your tour company’s website.
• Deadlines – will they provide the product in a timely manner?
• It’s important to note that not all web designers have these exact qualities but it’s their response to a question or issue that should indicate whether they’re a good fit for you

Throughout the process of creating your new website, all of these points above should be asked and considered. Ultimately, you want a website that sells tours. However, there are other important elements that need to be brought to light so you can get the most out of your experience and you’re left with a website you love!

If you want to have the best possible website for your tour company, schedule a call with our friendly team today(opens in a new tab) and let the tourism experts create it with you.

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