Whatever the case may be for you and your business, we all know that this is the digital age and therefore having an aesthetically appealing website is no longer an option, it is a must. More often than not, many people will interact with your website before they can interact with you, and so the website can help shape their view about you and your offerings. Hence, it is important to select a competent website design company who will make sure that your image is well presented on the internet.
How do you even go about making the right choice with so many options available? This guide will explain how to look for a web design company with the primary focus of your business in mind.
Understand Your Business Goals and Requirements
The last thing you want to do is to start looking for a website design company without first identifying what your business goals are and what your website requirements are. Are you out to necessarily build a new website or just give an existing one a face-lift and so on. This is important since having a clear goal will allow you to explain what you need clearly and help you confirm that the design company has the capacity to meet those needs.
Consider the following questions:
In your opinion, what is the main function of the page you are designing? (Lead generation, e-commerce, industry recognition)
Who are the intended users of the page?
What are the basic aspects you want to have on a page? (Content management system, search engine optimization, mobile friendliness)
What is the approximate cost of the operation that you are ready to incur?
If you have an answer to all these questions, addressing your requirements from a website design company becomes easier and more systematic when you evaluate your potential partners.
Assess the Company’s Portfolio and Experience
One of the efficient methods for appraising the proficiency of a website design company is appraising its portfolio. A detailed portfolio presents the works that the company undertook in the past which gives the client an idea in terms of design, skills, and ability to perform their work efficiently. When appraising a portfolio, consider the following points: –
Work Types:
Is the company able to handle or has dealt with projects of numerous industries? This diversity is an index of their capacity to embrace and touch on different aspects of business.
Design Quality:
Look at how visually appealing the previous projects were, how user friendly they were, and how nice they were. Are the websites made professionally and modern as per the requirements of the client?
Functionality:
Apart from the aesthetics, pay attention to the functionality of the websites as well. For example, how responsive are the websites, how fast do they load and how easy is it to use them? A competent web design company will create functional sites that are aesthetically pleasing at the same time.
Besides, ask for how long this company operates. How many years have they been in the business? Have they worked for firms of your industry and size before? A company that has been operational for a decent amount of time and has likewise relevant exposure will give you the kitchen sink approach you expect.
Check Client Testimonials and Reviews
Client reviews, and testimonies, are of vast importance to prospective customers planning to hire the services of a web design company. Search for such reviews inside the company and get as many as you can from other external sites such as Google My Business, Clutch, and Trustpilot i.e. Listen to customers. Look out for:
Client Satisfaction:
Are the clients satisfied with the overall results of the company’s work? They barely give bad reviews and this is very crucial in sustaining the corporate culture that centres around customer’s satisfaction.
Project Management:
How good are they at keeping time, and maintaining lines of communication and solving problems? Complaints in these areas and praises from customers, in these areas are reciprocal.
Results:
Clients’ opinions regarding the pertinence of the website to the client’s business are also useful. Was the new design beneficial in terms of traffic, interaction or better conversion rates?
Such things as lack of one or two reviews or some sources where you can find negative reviews are pretty understandable. But when people have run to such issues over and over again, there is no point in you trying your luck out on that company. Look for the phone number of some previous clients so that you can understand the kind of services they received from the company.
Investigate for Their Technical Know How
The purpose of creating a website is not enough with just creative designs, they should also know how to apply their designs in a-building of a workable and expandable website. Key areas of technical expertise to consider include:
Responsive Design:
Your website needs to be responsive because it is no longer desktop-cantered; it should be able to function on any device, be it a desktop, tablet or smartphone. Check the company for past work done in responsive web designs.
CMS:
Many new-age websites are CMS based e.g. WordPress, Joomla or Drupal which make it easier to change content without any technical knowledge. See whether the business offers services on the CMY you want.
SEO Best Practices:
It doesn’t matter how attractive a site is, it will be rendered useless if it has been developed without regard to the search engines. For instance, you have to know what method the company employs in terms of SEO, operating system, Google page speed and mobile friendly.
E-commerce Capabilities:
Any company intending to sell these items will need to have underlying experience with cloud e-commerce SaaS apps, including Shopify, woo-commerce or Magento. Order forms, secure payment gateway integration and inventory management is possible with these professionals to ensure a great shopping experience.
Web Development Technologies:
The organization should provide proof of dealing with current web development enhancements like HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and PHP. If your project needs custom development, make sure they are capable of backend development and database administration.
Consider Their Design Process and Methodology
In order to appreciate the work, it is also critical for the website design company to explain to you its design process and methodology so that you are able to complete the project on time and on budget. A well-defined process usually will include the following stages within a process that is meant to be completed on budget and within timescales:
Discovery and Planning:
This is the very first step which involves collecting the expectations of the who, what and when, realizing your goals and aims of the business and determining what the project consists of practically. Coordinating concepts with the clients is essential since accurate definition of behaviour can provide a proper timeline for the project.
Designing and Prototyping:
In terms of your recommendations the company will either render design mock-ups or demonstrate workable prototypes. This step gives you a chance to see the interface design of the website before any actual construction begins. Look for companies which allow several revisions so that they get closer to the design you have in mind.
Development:
Thereafter, the development stage begins where the document is implemented and changed into a working website. The company should ensure best practices in writing the code, test it for cross browser compatibility and execute adequate testing to discover defects and correct them.
Testing and Launch:
Before the site is made live, it should have gone through various tests in order to ascertain that it works properly on all browsers as well as devices. Training on navigation and operation of the site through the CMS and the launch of the site should also be accompanied by proper steps of management from the company.
Post-Launch Support:
Providing post-launch support of the site is the result of great web design, and a company that is dependable will have this under control. This can be in the form of software upgrades, website security management and maintaining the overall health of the site’s elements.
Ask potential design companies about their process and how they handle each stage of the project. All stakeholders of the client should look at the process and interact with the designer as the partnership is critical in the success of the project.
Assess Their Interaction and Team Working Style
Communication is perhaps the most critical element that contributes to the success of web design projects. In the selection of the company for the site design, the means of communication and the style of performing work must be taken into account. The following points can be highlighted in the analysis:
Responsiveness:
How soon do people get back to you with proper answers? Prompt communication is important in ensuring that the project remains within schedule and any issues that may come up are dealt with.
Openness:
Are there courteous about what they can do, what they charge and how long the work will take? If a company is forthright, it will give a range of estimates and continuously update you on the project.
Participation:
To what capacity, will you be included in the design stage? There should be no shyness when giving suggestions to an efficiency enhancing organization. This is because the organization works hand in hand with you to ensure your ideas are implemented.
Project Management Tools:
Find out whether the company incorporates other means such as Trello, Asana or Basecamp to help update, allocate, track and manage tasks. This can improve work share and ensure all members are focused on the same goals.
Also, it is important to assign one person from their side who would be in charge of contacting you as well as managing the entire date. This to some extent reduces chances of confusion and ensures the flow of information is facilitated.
Consider Pricing and Budget
One other important aspect that you ought to keep in mind is the pricing structure of the website design company. However, pricing must not be the only aspect to consider. While it is necessary to locate a company with affordable web development services, the cheapest option is not always the best. Keep the following in mind:
Worthiness of Court:
This is to say that concentrate on how much value will be realized from the money invested. The return one is going to get from a properly honed website that fulfils one’s company set objectives is more than an edited and designed website for a very cheap price.
Clear Pricing:
Make certain that the company has stated where the money will go, such as the cost of the design, development, buy in with revisions, and costs of selling their websites, like SEO, or maintaining the site over time. More information may be read from the additional costs associated with them that get concealed or target vague structure patterns.
Payment Terms:
Ask about when and how they want to get paid. Several firms may ask for payments at the start, some portion then the rest after completing all the work, while others have strict payment plans.
In case of a stringent budget, speak to the company and let them know your most important requirements. They can be very efficient by designing the units one after the other where the first and most important ones are done first followed by the others as money comes in.
Do Not Ignore Your Guts Reasoning
Last but not the least, always go with your gut feeling as you select a website designing company. Though their skills and experiences do come into play, what is more important is how comfortable and willing you feel to go for the options provided above. A dependable working relationship is due to the trust and respect given to each other and the direction the project takes.
If something does not ‘click’ to you during the evaluation, it should be a reason enough to rethink some of the options. Not only should the website designing company be able to cater to your technical requirements, but should also be the kind of partner who is helpful in actualizing your concepts.
Weigh the Consequences
Selecting the best website design company is quite a lucky experience because you will have at your disposal the entire package from which you can boost the online performance of your company. From understanding your objectives, reviewing portfolios, reading combine reviews and checking technical capabilities, it is possible to get the most appropriate one for you.
A note on the website comes in the fact that well-made websites are good for the efforts put into marketing the brand. Spare some time to locate a website design company that has an appreciation of your goals, a vision of how these goals can be achieved and the ability to construct a website that works.