There’s no doubt choosing the right web design agency is an important decision for your business. After all, your internet presence is of paramount importance. The foundation of this presence is your website. Your website should be easily found, well designed, simple to navigate and provide all the information a potential customer may need. Moreover, it should also create a desire to know more. The days of a website being no more than an online brochure are over. In fact, your website must demand attention and work hard for your business. Let’s have a look at some of the things you need to look for to find your perfect web design agency.
What to look for in a Web Design Agency
To start, let’s consider the obvious factors like where, when and how much.
Firstly, where? Despite the internet age and global digital marketing, we humans mostly like to deal with a real person. You’ll at least want to meet the web designer in person. Meeting the person who’ll be partnering with you on this important journey will reveal much more to you than a phone call or email.
Secondly, when? There’s little point in getting involved with a web design agency that can’t deliver the product within your desired time-frame. Be very clear about your needs and make sure they can actually deliver on time.
Thirdly, how much? This is a tricky area. For instance, some web design agencies will have individual charges for every element of the web design process and it can be difficult to pin them down on a budget. Also, look out for on-going costs such as fees for website updates and management fees. Others, rather more helpfully, provide complete packages that clearly show the costs and inclusions.
You’ve got a Web Design Agency shortlist, what’s next?
You can now start to drill down and investigate such factors as Quality, Client Retention, and Customer Service.
To examine Quality, have a look at their online portfolio. Consider the diversity, size, and importance of the clients being showcased. Also, does the work generally appeal to you? Obviously, this portfolio gives you a great opportunity to directly contact the clients and ask a few revealing questions.
Client Retention is something else to ask about. This will reveal client loyalty and satisfaction. Clearly, a web design agency that holds on to the same client year after year is doing something right.
Lastly, Customer Service. This is the big one and will differ greatly depending on the size of the web design agency. You need to establish who will be your point of contact (probably the web designer) and who else will look after you? In addition, how easy are they to contact and how responsive will they be?
Keep your website content dynamic for best search engine ranking
These are the fundamentals that will help you determine your best-matched web design agency. Once you’ve decided, remember that your website’s performance can be easily demonstrated with a large array of analytical tools. Make sure you monitor these and maintain a program of continuous improvement. In essence, a dynamic website keeps Google happy and you’ll be rewarded with higher search results ranking.