Brands pump millions of dollars in online marketing, often ignoring the most critical component of the campaign – the website. An appealing business website is half the battle won, because you know that people will spend time on the website, which will enhance brand engagement. Of course, to get the design right, you have to hire web design services, and as in any industry, not all services are the same, and it is necessary to do some evaluation in terms of experience and expertise.
In this post, we are sharing some of the critical aspects of hiring professional web design services and things that must be discussed.
1. Your requirements
When you talk to a web design company, you have to start by discussing what your business needs. Most brands have a fair idea of how they want the website to shape up, often through themes and reference sites. You may want specific features, certain elements, backend functionalities. In short, having a scope for the project is critical. A company that takes interest in your brand and delivers web design assistance on those lines is the one you need.
2. Real projects, true experience
Experience is the most critical aspect for hiring a web design company. Don’t judge a company merely by the number of websites they have created so far. Diversity and expertise are two major components for evaluating such services. For example, there is one company that has designed hundreds of websites on travel niche, while another has created 50 websites but all for different clients and for diverse needs. The latter has more experience in the true sense.
3. Expertise with marketing and platforms
Online marketing and web design go hand in hand. Even the best websites need to be promoted, and if you can hire an agency that can take care of both, it is an added advantage. When a singular agency is checking everything from the theme, web design to SEO and social media, you can supervise their work better and stick to a budget. This probably makes more sense for smaller businesses and startups that don’t have huge resources to spare immediately. WordPress, Magento, Drupal, Yii, Joomla – the choices in CMS and platforms are as wide, and all options must be discussed accordingly.
4. Talk about the work process
The actual process of developing a website is different with every other company. Ideally, the work should be a collaborative process, where the client’s team, designers and developers discuss every single component of the website and decide accordingly. Many agencies prefer showing a demo based on the initial discussion, while others may decide on a theme and take it as a reference for further development. Nevertheless, your company needs to know what to expect from the web design team in terms of communication.
5. Discussing the price factor!
Web design is a scalable process, and as a client, you have every right to get an estimate in advance. Keep in mind that there will be always room for discussion and negotiation, but the price should be a constant before the development process starts. The cost usually covers the cost of prototype, actual design, and tech support, depending on what both parties agree on. You can always hire the same company to handle website maintenance, SEO and other tasks and work on a contract accordingly.
No matter the kind of business website you need, make sure that the initial scope is well-defined, which helps in rethinking the design from scratch. Also, ask the concerned service to offer reports and updates on a regular basis, so that changes can be incorporated as needed.
