There is a never ending source of freelancer web designers available to hire online and with so many freelance marketplaces it makes locating them and viewing portfolios easy.

These platforms also make the transaction safe, where most will hold the funds and only release them to the freelancer once you are satisfied with the work. But, money aside, when you hire a web designer you are locking up valuable time. You might also have a deadline and need to get the new design live as quickly as possible.

So, time is precious so you need to make sure you hire the right web designer the first time. Here are some things to consider that will help.

Look at Recent Portfolio (and the actual websites)

All freelancers will have a portfolio available for you to review. This is a good starting point, but do some digging beyond it. Go visit the actual sites and see if the design is the same. If not, that is a good sign that it just didn’t flow well or didn’t convert well.

A portfolio on a freelancer site might look good, but how do you know that freelancer actually did that work? From a CBD oil company to a service provider, look for actual examples of the work done. Look for real-world examples on your own to really see their work in action.

Ask for Referrals

“Never be afraid to ask for referrals. Any designer that refuses this probably doesn’t have the best work to showcase,” says Chris Moberg of Slumber Search. “It never hurts to shoot a past client of theirs an email and just ask how their experience was.”

If a designer pushes back that is a red flag. Also, do some Google searches to see if you can find any other information about the designer. Do they have a website? A company? You might be able to stumble on their main website and see if they have client testimonials there.

Test Their Communication Response Time

One of the biggest gripes when it comes to hiring freelancers is the communication, or lack thereof it.

“You always want to know what you are getting into response-wise before you hire,” advises Darryl Howard of NuWays MD, the o-shot experts. “Ask specific questions and see how long it takes them to reply. If they go days without answering that could be a sign of things to come.”

They will usually be more responsive in the early stages before you are a client because they want to impress you and win your bid. So, be fully aware of this.

Ask for Input on Your Design Ideas

You should also test their creativity — after all that is why you are hiring. You don’t want someone that will just take any idea and slap something together. Look for a designer that takes pride in his or her work and wants to deliver the best possible web design to you.

“Get their feedback on your ideas,” says Chris Dziak of Pure Nootropics. “You might have some great ideas, but you want to make sure they make sense from a design perspective. Finding a designer that will give you quality feedback is important.”