So you’ve decided you desire a new website. If you’re not already dealing with a website design columbia sc you’re happy with, how will you choose the best firm to develop the online face of your business?
It certainly is a good notion to start with some reconnaissance work. Perform online searches to find companies locally if geographic proximity is important for you and have professional peers for references. Additionally, if there are websites (in your industry or not) that you like, check out who built them and add these to your list.
Once you have a short set of possible web design agencies, take the next steps for a successful engagement.
Visit the prospective agencies’ own websites. The site a web site design agency builds for its own company is an excellent indication of its design style, capabilities, and technological expertise. Do you prefer the website overall? May be the site responsive? Will it really meet your standards for design aesthetic and ease of use? It’s OK if the design of the website doesn’t exactly reflect your own style-a good web design company will cater to your brand guidelines and style aesthetic, not their own. The important thing is that the site looks current which is visually pleasing, highly functional, and will be offering a good user experience. If you expect new content to participate the website project, look for professional, engaging writing on the company’s webpages and in your blog.
Check out a few of the websites they’ve built. Many web site design firms will have a portfolio section on the website and that means you may easily see a few examples with their work. Will be the websites they’ve developed professional-looking and simple to use? Do their featured clients seem comparable to you in terms of size? Do the websites seem similar in scope?
Call these to talk about assembling your project and set up a meeting. Focus on that they handle the call-are they accessible and friendly? Do they ask questions about your company and the facts of the project, or do they immediately launch into a difficult sell? That is a company you’ll be working with for months, so chemistry is important. As the one who answers the telephone is probably not the main one you wrap up dealing with (or at all) when you have signed on as a customer, see your face still reflects the overall personality of the business, so be sure it feels as though a good fit.
Once you’ve set up a gathering, here are 7 questions to ask a potential web site design partner, and the answers you ought to be looking for.
Perhaps you have built any other websites for companies in my own industry?
What their answer will tell you: Working with a web site design company that has experience in your field can be a benefit, and seeing other sites they’ve built for others in your industry can provide you a good notion what things to expect from your own project, but there’s also something to be said for choosing a corporation that is not used to your industry, so all the competitive research they are doing is fresh, plus they won’t be influenced by previous projects. If the company doesn’t have experience in your industry, be certain it can demonstrate a variety of experience in a variety of other industries-you don’t want a company that deals in a narrow niche that doesn’t include your field.
How can user experience factor into your web site design approach?
What their answer will let you know: A solid web site design agency will know that user experience is at the heart of every successful website, and will assure you they are firm proponents of user-centered design. Ask about their specific approach, including what methods or tactics they use to make sure they are really putting user experience at the guts of their design.
What content management system (CMS) can you work in?
What their answer will let you know: Most web design firms specialize in a couple of CMS platforms. Most websites are designed in an open-source platform such as WordPress, but some web development companies have their own in-house CMS platform. Every CMS has its strengths and weaknesses, and a good web site design agency will be able to objectively discuss the professionals and cons of each to help you create the best decision for your business. To get more detailed which CMS is right for assembling your project, see our blog post Choosing a CMS: EXACTLY WHAT DOES Open-Source Mean and just why Should it Matter?
MAY I meet your team?
What their answer will let you know: Many web design “companies” are in reality an individual salesperson who outsources various aspects of the project, or perhaps a group of freelancers who will bid on portions of the work. In these cases, asking to meet up with the team may cause some hemming and hawing about availability and remote locations. To discover the best communication and continuity, choose an in-house team with experts who are accustomed to working together, have longevity at the agency, and you will be available to you for the duration of your project.
What steps would the project involve?
What their answer will tell you: A skilled web design agency will be able to quickly and comprehensively proceed through each step of the procedure and describe how things will continue to work and what you ought to expect. If you don’t have already given them a very firm idea of the actual project will entail, they probably won’t have the ability to give you an exact time or cost quote, nonetheless they could probably give you a range.
What happens if we want to make changes or updates to the web site following the project is complete?
What their answer will let you know: A full-service web site design agency should include a basic training session for your team to explain how things work and show steps to make changes and updates. Have a list of things you think you’ll need to update fairly frequently (events, forms, page content, etc.) and have which of the things will be editable in this content management system. For changes that want programming or design help, the company should provide a quote for the amount of time the change will need, and a rate for the task.
Do you really do ongoing digital marketing?
What their answer will let you know: A lot of effort switches into creating a website, but just as much effort switches into optimizing it, promoting it, measuring its performance, and creating improvements. Unless you own an in-house digital marketing team prepared to take over every part of digital marketing once your brand-new website is complete, look for a web site design firm that also specializes in digital marketing, which means you can be certain that the new website is delivering the results you want. Ideally, the selected agency’s team would be accessible to you if you want to deepen your engagement with ongoing digital marketing or periodic enhancements or refreshes.