How to Choose a Web Design Firm
Simple.
You do your homework on them. Then, you start asking questions and
taking notes. There are plenty of web designers available. You want to
go with the best because, in fact, your web designer is in essence your
partner. You want to choose a designer that takes YOUR business
seriously.
What questions do you ask?
There are several important questions to ask when choosing a web designer for your business web site.
Creating
your web site can be a tricky process. Choosing the best web design
firm for your business web site is a very important decision. And if
your company is like most small businesses, you probably do not have web
design experience. Building your web site will take time and work. And
working with a web designer is no easy task. So choose the right web
design company from the start and avoid do-over's, which can be costly
and time consuming.
1. What kind of web experience do you have?
For
starters, find out what kind of design experience your potential design
firm has. Do they have experience with content management systems such
as Joomla or Drupal, do they have experience working with "raw" HTML?
Has the web design company created web sites similar to yours? Do they
have relevant industry experience? If you want to sell products through
your web site and accept credit card payments, does the web design
company you are considering have experience with ecommerce hosting?
2. Do you have a portfolio that I can review?
An
experienced web design company will have a solid portfolio of web sites
that they have created for other clients. Ask for links to other site
the design company has created and review each one. Do you like what you
see? Do the sites have a style that appeals to you?
3. Do you have any references?
In
addition to reviewing web sites, ask for customer references. Contact
their clients and ask them about their experience with the web design
company. Were they happy with the results? Did they get what they paid
for? How much did they pay? Would they recommend them? How long did it
take? What didn't they like about the company? How responsive was the
company when they had questions?
4. What are your prices?
The
most important step in pricing is to make sure the potential design
company outline all of the prices associated with the work and puts it
all in writing. Never enter into a deal unless all of the costs are well
understood up front.
Ask them a bit about how they manage
payments. If they respond in a very business-like and professional
manner, this is a good sign. If they throw out answers like - "Don't
worry, we'll manage" or "Whatever you are comfortable with", don't be
fooled. This is trouble waiting to happen. Get the price in writing
before you begin the project.
5. Do you have experience with search engine optimization?
Most
small business owners do not have it in their budget to hire a separate
marketing firm to work on search engine optimization (SEO), so it
imperative that your web designer have experience in SEO. A good
designer will know that design and
SEO SERVICES go hand-in-hand. Designing a web
site for search engines with "clean" code that utilizes cascading style
sheets is essential to getting your content indexed in the leading
search engines, such as Google and Bing.
6. Do you have experience with social media marketing?
Many
marketing firms do know the first thing about social media marketing.
These firms are stuck in the past and are not as effective as they
pretend to be. Be sure that you work with a designer that knows how to
setup a Facebook fan page for your business and design a customized
Twitter profile. This is important because you will want your social
media properties to mesh with the design of your web site. The web site
and social media pages should complement one-another.
7. What is your process for designing or building a web site?
Make
sure you ask your potential web design company about the process that
they use? Do they design a web site or do they build a web site? An
experienced Internet professional should understand the difference
between these two concepts. If they don't, they're probably not as
experienced as they claim to be. Building a web site is a highly
technical process, while designing a web site is a highly creative
process. Many advertising firms specialize in web site design which does
not necessarily require any web development skills whatsoever. At the
same time, many firms design web sites, yet out-source the creative
portion of the project. Find out from the beginning what the process if
for the firm that you are considering.
8. How long will it take?
Perfectionism
can be a huge stumbling block in the fast paced world of the Internet.
Some designers are unable to compromise between quality and time to
market needs. Test: See how long it takes until you receive a proposal.
9. What type of support is offered after web site launch?
If
your design firm does not offer web site maintenance, you might want to
continue looking. Most reputable design firms will offer "post-launch"
maintenance for companies that do not have an in-house webmaster.
10. Which web hosting providers do you work with?
If
your design firm does not know the first-names of the contact at their
favorite web design firm, then this should raise a red flag. Most
reputable web designers know not to choose a web host simply because
they are the most popular or because they offer the cheapest web
hosting. A reputable web design firm should know who to call and how to
get results! Does your web designer work with a green hosting company?
Environmentally-friendly web hosting is becoming more and more popular
for business web sites looking to implement an eco-policy.
Getting
a little recognition on the W3 is hard, even in a niche market
(especially in a niche market). You have less than 10 seconds to
convince a site visitor to stick around long enough to learn about the
quality of your services, your products or your message. Web surfers are
jagged out on information overload. If they don't see what they want to
see on your home page or a landing page, they bounce. So, making a
statement about your corporate culture and your business' core values
has to happen in the blink of an eye. Visitors will never even see the
"About Us" page if you don't create a good impression - in 10 seconds.
So, go green! An emblem or banner proclaiming that you employ green
hosting makes an immediate statement about your on-line business. It
says you care about the environment.
Do your homework when choosing a web design firm.
Good
designers are creative people that need to think out of the box.
Finding a good web designer is getting harder and harder. The good
designers are being snatched by agencies and large projects. They are
overloaded with work and often, you won't know about them because they
don't have time (or need) to market themselves. Doing your homework and
asking the right questions is important to decide if they are right for
the job.