So you’re in the market for a new website, huh? Well, you’re in luck — finding a web design company has never been easier. With just a few clicks of the mouse, Google yields over 5 billion search results. However, finding the right design company for you, and one that doesn’t suck, takes a little bit more digging.
We’re going to break this into two categories: “How to Find a Web Design Company” and also, “What to Look for in a Web Design Company.” This is an important distinction to address, as you’ll see the topics run parallel to one another.
So let’s kick this off…
How to Find a Web Design Company
Obviously no one has the time to sift through every web design company that exists, so what’s the best process to shrinking the pool of possible companies for hire? A quick and easy method is asking for a referral from a friend or fellow business owner who has outsourced their website design. Were they happy with the outcome and process? In 2019, referrals are still some of the best ways to connect with others and drive lead generation.
Another way to find a web design company is by looking at Google reviews. The good thing about Google reviews is that they are normally left by the two extremes — the over-the-rainbow happy clients, or the pissed this-company-stole-my-money clients. While this method will normally only provide local web design companies, it still serves a good baseline research tool for finding companies that you might be interested in doing business with.
With digital design not needing to be geographically-specific, you can just as easily be a company in Idaho and hire a web design company from South Carolina and have tremendously successful results. Therefore, one way to expand your search outside the local territory is to crawl the internet looking for websites that you really like. A majority of websites have a watermark or some type of tag that states who created the website. Bingo. With the design company’s name, you can easily track them down.
What to Look for in a Web Design Company
Once you’ve found a couple of potential web design companies that spark your interest, you can start to sculpt the ideal experience and services you want. Being picky is okay, especially when web design is a major aspect relating to your business’s success.
Off the bat, what is your first impression of the company’s own website? Does it look impressive? Feature cool widgets? Eye-catching color schemes? It’s probably not a good sign if the web design company you hire has a poorly designed website.
Let’s assume they pass the first impression test — but we want to dig deeper into their design experience. What case studies or portfolio do they offer to potential clients? Diving deeper into a company’s prior projects can give a well-rounded judgement of their build quality. We’d be hesitant to hire a company that doesn’t openly showcase their past web creations. From there, go view those websites yourself. Are they still up and running? How’s the functionality? Is it mobile responsive?
So after those two steps, you think you’ve found a winner! Cool — but let’s triple check to ensure you’re money will be well invested. The time has come to interview them. Whether it’s in-person, Google Hangouts, via phone, or whatever else, you should come prepared to vet them. Remember you’re the employer here, so be thorough in your questioning. So questions you might consider asking might include:
- How are you going to help me achieve my business goals?
- What’s your client retention rate? What explains that rate?
- Will my site be mobile friendly?
- Will I be able to make updates and changes to my own site?
- What does your customer service look like?
- How will my content transfer to the new site? Do I need new content?
- Do you offer other services outside website design?
- Are you also going to develop and implement the site for me?
- Do I need to change my hosting?
- Will you offer me training and a transition plan for when my site is ready to go live?
Concluding the meeting, first and most importantly, what’s your gut telling you? Did they seem honest, trustworthy, and responsive? Building a website can be a long process with a lot of tweaks and edits — you don’t want any unnecessary headaches from this process.
If all signs point in the right direction, then congratulations, you’re a few signatures away from hiring your new web design team!
Need A New Website?
At Venta Marketing, we are helping businesses meet their goals head-on. As leaders in the digital marketing industry, we know what great web design looks and feels like. Contact us today to inquire about our web services!