Tips for choosing a Web Design Company
Launching your own website can be a very challenging task for business owners. However, in this day and age it’s necessary if you want to be competitive in the technology driven marketplace.
There are some things to consider when choosing a web design company: is their work professional? Are they experienced in web site design? — Some of the decisions you are making could make or break an internet marketing campaign so don’t choose just any old designer!
Is their work unique? — They are designing a virtual storefront for your business. You need to make sure your website reflects the uniqueness of your business and shows everything you have to offer the marketplace.
To help you in your decision to choose the right web design company for you, we have compiled some helpful tips and points to consider .
You are an expert in your industry. You know better than anyone what your products and services are. Your customers will be more receptive to you if they can feel your passion reflected in your website, so don’t let a web design company get away with telling you that “they’re not good at marketing.” If an agency is unwilling to listen to you when it comes down to how best to present those ideas of yours, then there’s probably no point hiring them for this project. Your web design company needs to perfect your ideas, improve upon them, and put them into action.
It is important to not only have a website that follows the tenets of good design, i.e. the site is aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate, and showcases your business’s unique brand, but turns web surfers into customers. Your business may be successful, but if your site does not convert customers then you are losing out on sales opportunities.
A website designed by someone who understands conversion-focused web design, can accomplish this for your business. By using psychological triggers, pleasing and complimentary color pallets, minimizing clutter, and optimizing the website for a positive user experience, a web design company that utilizes the time-tested principles of conversion-focused web design can turn casual web browsers to take action on your site.
We recommend hiring a web design professional because they know how visitors will react to the page and content layout
A quick sign that the web design agency is stuck in the stone age… they discourage Content Management Systems.
A content management system (CMS) is an application that is used to manage web content, allowing multiple contributors to create, edit and publish. Content in a CMS is typically stored in a database and displayed in a presentation layer based on a set of templates.
It is helpful if you have a CMS for your website. Without it, you could be at a significant disadvantage in the marketplace. Any web design agency worth anything is familiar with the best content management systems like WordPress, Magento, and Drupal.
If your designer recommends a static HTML website, you need to find a time machine and return them to their decade.
If they suggest Squarespace, Wix, or Weebly, politely thank them for their time and move on to a web design agency that does not use “10-minute-do-it-at-home” software.
Whether you are an international brand or a small business, you need a web design company that understands the strategies behind both. If your website designer has only worked with local companies, there’s a good chance your new website would not be designed with a foundation that would allow room for the growth of your business to the next level. Web design strategies are very different at the national or global level than they are with hyper-local areas.
The more systems and audiences your designer is familiar with, the easier your site will be able to help you reach your specific business goals. You need a web design company that will think both small and big and understand how to bring all the things together in a way that helps you grow strategically.
We all know the importance of having a well-structured website. But simply having the site up and running is not enough. The best web design companies don’t stop once the website is built and launched.
That is only the beginning… Just like cars, websites require maintenance to operate properly. Regularly updating and maintaining your site is crucial to ensuring that your site is continually optimized and running at full capacity.
Properly maintaining your site can help ensure your website’s security, boost the number of new visitors and increase returning traffic.
Website maintenance is important for all organizations, both big and small. Regularly maintaining your site will improve performance and provide a safe and secure environment for your visitors.
There was a lot less “internet” fifteen to twenty years ago. Back then, getting a website was something that you only did with the extra yellow pages or radio commercial budget.
However, now we live in a digital world, a world more interconnected than ever before. Your website must show an understanding of the digital space and how your business fits into the global digital landscape. A good website design company will build your website with the big picture in mind.
If they don’t know the differences between the on-site SEO and off-site SEO, how citations can help or hurt you, the difference between rankings and traffic, and the importance of link building, they are probably not the best web design company to help your business stake a claim in the digital frontier.
Last but not least, you need a website design that doesn’t look like it might have been popular ten years ago. Website design needs to be up to date with the latest technology and modern design trends. Customers will trust a business more if the website looks fresh, current, and constantly updated.
High-grade design companies incorporate the current trends into their websites. A web designer must be familiar with parallax scrolling, flat design, responsive design, and dozens of other styles and elements. Of course, that does not mean they should push all the newest fads, there should be a balance between what is proven and what is modern. A website has to do something more than look pretty and fresh; it has to convert those casual browsers into long time customers for your business.
Like we said at the beginning, finding a website design company can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve provided the above tips on how to choose a web design company that best suits your needs and budget.
If you’re interested in learning more about our services or would like us to help with your next project, let’s talk!
Contact Darklab Media today so we can discuss what you need from start to finish.
