Hiring a website design company is an important part of starting a business or promoting an existing business online. The right website design company will be able to help you with a lot more than just putting content on the web. The company you hire should be able to help you format a website strategy which includes choosing the type of website you will need, narrowing down the feature set to an actionable realistic set of goals, choosing the right design elements to generate the feelings you want your readers to have and helping you create effective call to action forms which convert readers into leads. All of these items and much more will need to be addressed if you want to create a successful web presence.
The key factors you should review when choosing a website design company are
- Experience – Does the company have the necessary experience to help you with all of the areas listed above? This should be evident in the content they provide, the conversations you have with their representative and the actions they ask you to perform.
- Talent – Can they show you examples of their portfolio, you should be able to see sites they have done which are successful.
- Location – Choosing a local company can be a benefit but not necessarily a requirement. With the advances in digital meeting spaces and video conferencing software it’s easier than ever to have meetings with people all over the world.
- Price – Choosing a website design company based on price alone is a huge mistake. While it may seem attractive to select a company with a lower price you need to consider what value will be delivered. A company which includes a complete content development strategy is going to have a higher value than one that doesn’t. Knowing what value to place on each piece of the website platform is crucial to figuring out how much you should be willing to pay.
- Customer Service – Do I really need to say it? No one wants to hire a company that never answers their phone.
- Free Materials – This can be an often overlooked item in the list but I would suggest it’s equally important to any other piece. When selecting a company you ideally want to find one with a corporate culture which incentivizes teaching. When a company has the right corporate culture they want their clients to thrive. The best way for a client’s web presence to thrive is for them to understand why the different pieces of their website platform work. You should make sure the company you hire is willing to explain everything they are doing so that you understand why it needs to be done, otherwise you will not understand the value being added.
- Ownership – This one is a biggie, there is nothing worse than choosing a company and then finding out later they don’t actually give you the product. Some companies keep the code they write on their server as a way to force you to stay with them maintaining ownership of your website. This is something you will most likely want to avoid so make sure you understand the terms being offered.
- Attention to Detail – Details are important, small mistakes can cost you big in competitive markets. Examine the content and website examples for mistakes.
- Tick Fee – make sure you understand in each proposal what will be included and more importantly what won’t. Some companies come with a low price and then hit you with extra charges every time you want to make an improvement or change. This can add up quickly.