In an increasingly digital world, business has become increasingly digital. Keeping up with the modern market means you need an active and interactive web presence! While it’s not hard to Google how to write a little bit of code and create a little page or two, creating a dynamic and functional website to properly show off your brands and products is a bit more involved, so it’s definitely best to hire a professional. But don’t just grab the first web designer you talk to; make sure that they’re someone you can work with. Here are some starting questions that any of the top website design companies would happily answer for you!
Do You Have a Portfolio I Can Review?
Website designers are, in some ways, artists. They should have some work on-hand that they’re proud of to show off the work they’ve done. They might have client reviews of their work, links to some previous professional websites they’ve built for you to click around and see how things work. Just like any other industry, top website design companies will have references for you to check before you hire them.
What Costs Can I Expect?
Costs in web design can vary. Many of the top website design companies try to keep it simple for their clients and have packages of their services to purchase and different pricing for each level of design and servicing. They may have available templates to use for your site, which can keep costs down for you. These make it easy to review, but if you’re looking to custom build every aspect of your website, consult them directly and work out a clear labour/design cost prior to hire.
Who Exactly Am I Working With?
Just like any other industry, web design companies can operate with different business structures. Some agencies might contract-out their template work or different speciality work. They might exclusively hire freelance designers to work with clients. Or they might do all of their own design, coding, and tech support in-house. Be sure to ask and make sure that you are comfortable with the answer. There’s no “bad” way for the company to be structured as long as they are clear and open with you.
Also, it’s worthwhile to find out if you have a specific project manager to work with or if you’ll have a primary point of contact of some kind. It’s important to know who to call when you have trouble, and just emailing a generic “support” email account is rarely optimal.
Website Security
What types of security will your website have? SSL certificates are standard and the top website design companies will always include those for your sites, but you may need additional security if you are planning to have customer accounts and information on your site, especially if you are conducting financial transactions!
The Top Website Design Companies Offer Post-launch Support
What kind of service packages do they offer for problems after you launch? When your website is down, you are losing potential traffic and purchases so it can be important to get it back up and running quickly. Also, modifying your offers or pricing is an important part of managing your site. Will they teach you how to operate and make basic changes to your site?
Do They Follow SEO Best Practices?
The top website design companies should offer sites that are mobile-friendly, alt tagging, image tagging, and other SEO keyword strategies, so be sure to ask what they bring to the table. At the end of the day, your website won’t do you much good if people can’t find it! Click here for more information.