10 Steps to choose the best web design company
There are 1,518,207,412 websites present in the world according to Netcraft’s January 2019 Web Server Survey .
That means if you are running a business then the possibility is you have competitors and their websites are also included in that number.
Is it a concern?
Well, the answer is both yes and no.
Let’s see why yes.
Suppose you have a pawn store located in New York. You have no website and have no plan to grow your business online. You are getting customers but chances are your competitors who are selling the same stuff have websites and are active online. They are most likely getting more customers because of web presence. So, it is your loss.
Now, let’s assume your business is small and you get your customers from your community and you are content and satisfied. Then maybe just a Google business page is enough for you.
Although, most of the Gurus will suggest you get a website for your business, doesn’t matter what you sell but we won’t recommend that either. We are listing a few points to support our statement:
1. If you are happy with your present customer base,
2. If you do not want to get new customers,
3. No plan to grow your business.
4. Not enough budget to maintain a website.
5. Or want to close your business in the near future.
However, it is hard to imagine any successful business without a proper website.
Not just businesses need websites, there are many organizations like Banks, Non-profit Organizations, Schools, Colleges that need websites. This website business is nothing new.
There are many IT companies that can build your website. So, without further wasting time, let’s jump to the main topic that is “10 Steps to choose the best web design company”.
There are many factors that you need to consider when choosing a good web design firm or even a freelancer for your business.
1. Fix your budget:
Yes, if you don’t have a budget limit then you may fall into traps. The reason why we say this is because there are companies that can charge way too high for designing a simple website. Sometimes, they genuinely charge you but you need to do your own research. Make sure not to exceed your budget limit because there are other expenses (We will come to this other expense part later).
2. Time limit of your project
Although you may not agree with me that time plays a big role in designing a website. Probable your designer is too busy so they cannot start your work immediately but you should know the exact time of starting your project and also the end date. Time is money and your time is valuable for you. Use it smartly to become successful.
3. Go through their portfolio
Portfolio is an important thing that you shouldn’t avoid. If the designing firm you are about to hire has no portfolio then how can you even trust them?
If they are not showing their portfolio then stay away from them. It is a trust issue and you have the right to see their previous works. There are web design businesses that are new without portfolio but at least they can demonstrate their skills.
4. Know their reputation
Most of the web development companies are present online and active. You must check their reputation in Social Media and Google. Search for negative comments not positive because there is a possibility that those positive comments or reviews are paid and fake. We have included this point mainly because there are website designing companies that do wrong with their clients.
5. Try to cover On-Page SEO in your budget
Although this is not the most recommended point. But you can demand On-Page SEO or at least Search Engine Friendly website structure. SEO is another expense and is very important as it helps to rank your website on relevant search phrases. Many web designing firms nowadays don’t charge extra for optimizing your website at the time of design. This is a customer retention strategy and you can leverage it.
6. Make sure your site is modern & responsive
There are many web designers who can build a website for your business but it is of no use if that site is not mobile, tablet responsive. All modern websites have to be responsive and Google values those sites.
Traffic mostly comes from mobile devices. Modern responsive sites are much valued when it comes to SEO. We have discussed this in detail in another blog post.
7. Know their client retention rate
In any web development company, clients are treated like their valuable assets. There are companies that treat their clients like kings. The main reason is retention. It is true that acquiring a new client is way costlier than retaining a present client.
But, if your designer firm has a poor customer retention rate then there is something wrong with their service. It is possible that after the work is done, they don’t pay attention to their clients. This also means that after the work and payment are done, there will be no one to take care of your website if anything goes wrong.
8. Know who will be responsible for your website
If your designer is a freelancer then this point is not valid but if it is a firm then know the person or department who will be responsible for your site. You need to ask questions to that company like: Who should I contact if I need changes to my website?
9. Their Customer support system
Know their customer support system. How good their system is and when they are available. The medium they use for communicating with their clients like Phone, email, Facebook chat system, Skype, etc.
10. Know their charges for upgrading your site
Most of the firms don’t charge extra for a certain period after the website is built for changing a few things or editing the code. But after that period is over, they are going to charge so make sure it is not too high and within your maintenance budget.
We at iDevelopers have more than a decade of experience in designing modern, responsive, custom websites for various types of businesses around the world. You can contact us for a free consultancy here:
