You company is up and running. You know you need a responsive website that will extend your company’s credibility while reaching more potential customers and clients. You need to find a web design company that will be able to create a user-friendly design that looks stellar.
Choosing the right website design service for your brand is a big decision. Understand that no two web design companies are the same, so you have to do the research to find your partner. But before you get to your search, you need to make a list of goals for your website. What do you need your website to do for your company?
Local web design company or global agency?
When searching for a web designer, you may be confused as to whether you should choose a local web designer or a global agency. There are advantages to both. Perhaps the biggest advantage that local web designers in Austin, for instance, will be able to speak the same language and understand the cultural cues. This is especially helpful for businesses that need local SEO services. They will have a better understanding of your local market.
What type of experience do they have?
Web design involves more than just inserting graphics onto a website. You want to know if their experience includes raw HTML and customer relationship management or CRM. If you will be selling products via your website, what’s their experience with designing for e-commerce? The best web designers in Austin, for example, are experienced with creating responsive design. It will also help to know whether they have designed websites for companies in your industry.
You also want to make sure they have longevity. There are a lot of web designers on the market, with more entering the market each year. But just as many leave the market as quickly as they entered. Partnering with a web designers in Clearwater who is poised to be around for at least another 5 years will be vital in receiving the maintenance you will need for your website’s upkeep.
What type of content management system are they experienced with (and will they train you)?
Freelance web designers and small web design agencies may specialize in one or two CMS platforms like WordPress or Drupal. Ask which CMS they have experience with, what are the advantages of one over the others in relation to your industry and your business in particular. They should offer training on using the CMS.
Do they have a live, viewable portfolio?
Most web designers will have an accessible portfolio of live websites that they have designed. Visit those websites on both desktop and mobile devices to test how user-friendly they are. Don’t just look at the websites; play with them. Click on buttons and visit different pages. And if the web designer you are vetting does not have their portfolio on their website, ask to see websites that they have designed for other companies. Make note of what you like and what you don’t.
What do their customers say in the reviews and testimonials?
The best way to gauge a web design agency’s credibility is to read their reviews and testimonials. You can also ask for references and get in touch with old customers to see if they were satisfied with their results and whether or not they felt as if they received value for their money.
What is included in their pricing?
Pricing in web design can be tricky. You want to make sure that the company you work with will provide web design services that they promised. Also, take the time to understand what is included in the price. Do not sign an agreement if you do not understand everything that will be included in the price. The last thing you need to worry about is paying for web design that doesn’t deliver and the agency trying to upsell additional services.
Do they design with user experience and responsiveness in mind?
The best web designers always design with the user experience in mind and website responsiveness in mind. Ask about the methods and tactics they use in their strategy to create responsive designs.
Are they experienced in search engine optimization?
The top web design companies will have a command of SEO marketing. Many agencies will have a separate team for SEO services. They will work as a team with web designers to ensure your web design’s structure content, images, videos, meta tags are optimized for search engine ranking and user experience.
Do they offer additional or add-on services?
As mentioned earlier, web design is more than making a pretty website. It’s making a website functional—it’s creating something that visitors will find value in. But how will visitors find your company’s website? A web design company will typically offer SEO services as well as marketing, branding, content marketing, lead generation, marketing automation, and copywriting. If your company plans to have a blog, having a web design company that offers copywriting is a major bonus. All of these additional services, in conjunction with responsive design will put your website in the path of many new, potential customers.
Are they experienced in social media marketing?
Social media marketing can be a bit tricky, even for the marketing pros. So, having a web design company experienced in setting up a Facebook Fan Page or a custom Twitter profile will be incredibly important. They will understand that specific industry businesses do better on some social media platforms than others. For example, a restaurant will fare better on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest than they would on Twitter.
Searching for a great web designer can be daunting because of all of the variables to consider. But you don’t want to hire just any web designer. You want to hire the best web designer for your business and brand. Don’t base your decision off how visually appealing a website is. Follow these 10 tips to help you make the best decision and avoid having to shell out more money for a redesign just months after your website goes live. Be cautious and do the research. And if you’re still unable to make a decision, the pros here at KitelyTech will be glad to put our more than 10 years’ experience to work for you. Call us on (800) 274 2908 for more information.
