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 website.
Creating your website can be a tricky process. Choosing the best web design firm for your business website is a very important decision. And if your company is like most small businesses, you probably do not have web design experience. Building your website 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-overs, 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 websites similar to yours? Do they have relevant industry experience? If you want to sell products through your website 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 websites that they have created for other clients. Ask for links to another 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 websites, 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 outlines 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 upfront.
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 is imperative that your web designer has experience in SEO. A good designer will know that design and SEO go hand-in-hand. Designing a website 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 set up 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 website. The website and social media pages should complement one another.
7. What is your process for designing or building a website?
Make sure you ask your potential web design company about the process that they use? Do they design a website or do they build a website? 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 website is a highly technical process while designing a website is a highly creative process. Many advertising firms specialize in website design which does not necessarily require any web development skills whatsoever. At the same time, many firms design websites, yet out-source the creative portion of the project. Find out from the beginning what the process is for the firm that you are considering.
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