If you’re searching for a new website or revamping your current website, you’re probably thinking about how to choose a web design agency. After all, the company you select will be in charge of designing and developing your website, which will be the first impression a buyer has of your brand and business. It’s a huge choice!
So, how do you choose which company to work with? We’ve included four tips to assist you to choose a web design agency, as well as five questions to ask potential new web design partners.
4 Tips to Help You Choose Your Web Design Agency
- Make a List of Your Website Needs & Website Goals
- Search and Review Nationwide & Local Web Design Agency Partners
- Review Experience, Agency Culture, and Portfolios
- Read Testimonials & Online Reviews
- Questions to ask
1. Make a List of Your Website Needs & Website Goals
Before you start looking for web design companies, you should have a concept of what you want your website to perform and what features it MUST have to help you reach your objectives. After all, your website is a tool for business and marketing, not just a pretty design.
Here are some examples of things your website could do:
- Generate leads for your business;
- Sync your CRM software, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, or any other major CRM software;
- Connect to your marketing automation solution, such as Pardot, Marketo, or HubSpot;
- Connect with your email marketing platforms of choice, such as Constant Contact, MailChimp, or Emma;
- Collect payments or donations, including recurring payments/donations;
- Allow people to fill out forms on your website and send them to your team.
Examples of elements your website may require to assist you in achieving the planned approach:
- Navigation that is easy to use, content that is optimized for search engines, and pages that are designed for conversions;
- E-commerce capability;
- Secure online forms (HIPPA compliant if you work in the healthcare business);
- SSL certification and the HTTPS protocol;
Your website is an extension of your business and should assist you in achieving your objectives, whatever they may be. A list of your goals wants, and nice-to-haves can assist you and the web design businesses you interview in ensuring that your site is really personalized for you.
Your budget and timeline are other important factors to consider before contacting any agency.
While you may not know how much it will cost to create your site, establishing a range (such as between $10k and $15k) can help you acquire web design bids that are reasonable and within your budget. Timeline is also useful since if you need your website up and running in two weeks, you’ll need an agency with immediate availability instead of having to wait three weeks.
2. Search and Review Nationwide & Local Web Design Agency Partners
Now that you’ve compiled your list, begin looking for potential web design agency partners. Look for agencies both locally and nationally, especially if you want a partner with knowledge in a certain field, such as dental or legal.
Collaboration and communication with people across the state or country have become simpler thanks to apps like Zoom and Google Meet. Even if you choose a web design agency near you, it’s good to look around so you can evaluate experience, portfolios, services offered, and agency culture.
3. Review Experience, Agency Culture, and Portfolios
Three things to look for in a strong web design partner are experienced agency culture and a portfolio. These three factors might provide insight into how your project will be managed if it will match your goals and standards, and whether they will be a good overall fit as your web design agency.
Experience
When it comes to experience, you want two things:
- How long have they been in business? Are they established or new?
- Do they have experience creating websites for your sector, websites that provide results, websites that you enjoy, and/or websites with the features you want for yours?
Your agency partner should have protocols in place to make the design and development process simple and easy, continuing marketing services to help grow your business, and a team of skilled specialists to assist guarantee your website fulfills your objectives and needs.
Portfolio
The portfolio of a web creative agency is the next best approach to evaluating talents and capabilities. Just make sure you’re looking for more than just visually appealing websites. A beautiful website that is difficult to use can never outperform a good website that is easy to use.
Portfolios will provide information about originality, industry experience, complicated coding skills, and more. When assessing portfolios, keep the following in mind:
- Do they create websites that are mobile-friendly?
- Do they follow the most recent web design trends?
- Are all of the websites the same in terms of structure, navigation, graphics, and so on?
- Have any of their websites earned certification?
If you enjoy an agency’s work but don’t operate in your sector, ask them what they would do for your business. While you want to work with someone who has knowledge of your business, you also need to enjoy the work they do.
Average Size of their Customer
It’s a good idea to learn about the average customer size and how a company works. They will usually work with you if you are the smallest customer. They may have expertise working at that size, leaving you feeling underserved, unimportant, or ignored.
If you are the largest client they have ever dealt with. They may not be used to working at the required scale. At specific scales. A unique set of skills is required. It is not as easy as performing the same activities for a medium-sized corporation at twice or four times the level.
Agency Culture
The culture of an agency will reveal a lot about its personality and working style. Ideally, you should pick an agency that has the same personality as your organization so that you can easily cooperate and work together during the web design process.
You may explore agency culture by:
- Looking them up on social media – Do you see a lot of happy smiles on their Instagram feeds?
- Reviewing team pages: Do they highlight their team’s ability and expertise?
- Community interaction – Do they participate in their community?
When you meet with potential web design partners, you’ll get a sense of their culture. Are you made to feel welcome? Do they pay attention to your ideas? Are they passionate about your project?
When selecting a web design agency, consider the agency culture. You’ll be spending a lot of time together, so be sure your web design partner is a good fit for your business and personality.
Does the agency have an in-house marketing team?
Will you require continuous marketing services from an agency? Is the agency’s marketing staff in-house, or do they outsource internet lead generation?
Does the agency use technologies like CRM to help with marketing? Getting people to visit your website is only half the battle. The other half is turning those visitors into clients.
Even if you do not intend to use continual marketing. Working with an agency that has a marketing section brings information into the organization that a pure web design agency may not have or keep up with.
4. Read Testimonials & Online Reviews
Read testimonials and online reviews of the web design businesses you’re considering for your new website in addition to their portfolio. The reviews are a great way to discover how satisfied clients are with their websites, the level of customer support they experienced while working together, and whether or not they mention specific team members by name.
Check out reviews on Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Check to see whether they provide testimonials on their website. If the only place you find reviews is on their website, do a little more research before scheduling a meeting.
10 Must-Ask Questions to Help You Choose Your Web Design Agency
You now have a list of potential web design businesses to interview based on your research. Schedule a meeting (in person or by phone/video call) and ask the following questions to get a better sense of their experience and services:
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Choose Your Web Design Agency Carefully
Choosing a web design agency is not an easy option. Take your time (or as much as your time permits) in researching web design agencies for your business and project. Your website is the first impression a potential consumer will have of your brand and business – it is important to conduct research to select a web partner that can assist you in achieving your online objectives.
ARF Services is an award-winning web design and SEO agency in Florida, USA.
View our portfolio, read more of our blogs, or schedule a free website analysis to see how we can improve your website and online presence.
