5 Tips to follow when you’re looking for a web design company

You probably recognize that in order to succeed in a competitive market you need to have a strong presence online. In the past few years, the social and mobile web has given consumers the power to choose—or not choose—your company on many diverse platforms. So, if you’re serious about growing your business, you’ll need to find the right agency to correctly communicate your brand’s message on your website.

Since we assume you’re busy (you are running a business after all), we’ve compiled a short list for you to help you make the right decision when choosing an agency to build your online presence.

#1 Know Your Goals

The first thing you’ll want to think about is why you want a new website. What are your marketing and sales goals? How will you measure success? In other words, what is the primary reason for building this site?

Are you in the start-up phase and looking to build awareness?  In that case, your primary goal would be visibility on the web with a focus on your mission and value proposition. This can be achieved with a website aimed at educating your audience about your services and products. You’ll be able to measure success through traffic and leads.

Identifying your goals means you will be better prepared not only to find the best web company to meet your needs, but also to communicate those needs to whichever firm you choose, leading to the most successful partnership possible.

#2 Identify a Solid Track Record

Different professionals have different specializations. When you review the portfolio of any web development agency, you’ll want to analyze the kind of work they present.  

The point here is to find out how well the agency understands your industry and if they have effectively delivered similar successful solutions to their past clients.

What to do? Ask the agency for some performance data, client testimonials or a couple of case studies demonstrating their approach and how they measure results, as well as what those results have been.

#3 Remember Your Content is Top Priority

Any great web design company will know that content should be most important. As a partner in your marketing strategy, the agency you choose should know that your content needs to be the first priority.  Website design is obviously an important part of any user experience on the web, but content is king; it should be treated as such. Understanding your website content will ensure you are delivering your brand’s message to your audience and in turn will lead to more views, shares, and conversions.

#4 Communicate and Learn

The always-evolving web makes it a highly complex and technically challenging space, even for those of us who are living within it every day. So it is extremely important that you understand what your web agency is talking about and doing—and why.

When you enter into a discussion with them, they should always be working hard to explain what they do, how they do it and most importantly why they are doing it. It can become incredibly frustrating and unnecessarily expensive if you don’t understand what is going on during your project. Remember, the whole reason you’re working together is to make your project a success.

Don’t be afraid to ask the agency questions about their process, their methodologies and the expected results of the decisions they’re recommending you make.  If you don’t understand a component of the web project, ask.

#5 – Maintain the Quality of Your Investment

After launch of your new site, a good agency will maintain a relationship with you. Depending on how involved you are with the maintenance and publishing of content, your agency may assist you in your analytic reporting and ensure that your website is helping you reach your goals. To sum it up, when you’re looking to partner with a web design company:

• Be clear about your website goals and needs
• Find a web design agency with the experience you want
• Make sure your web agency knows the importance of content
• Ask questions when you don’t understand their process and solutions
• Always remember, your website is an investment in your company’s success