There are so many web design companies that it can be difficult to find one that you feel confident in. Here are seven steps to take to find a good web design company.
Explore Consultations/Referrals
One of the best ways to find a quality web design company is to ask around. Do you know anyone that recently created a web site or other business owners that might have experience in this area? Ask them about the process and if they would recommend the web designer that created their site.
Evaluate the Company
Once you’ve found several possibilities, evaluate the company. Take a close look at their website. Is it thought out? Does it look professional? Can you find information that you’re looking for? Also examine their portfolio of other web sites they’ve completed. Do they look like web sites that reflect a style and size you are looking for? Before you move on, jot down their contact information and company location. You want to make sure they are located in the same country as you (if possible) and have an accessible email and phone number.
Evaluate their Communication
The next step is to communicate with them. Measuring email response time is usually a good test. How long does it take them to reply? Are they helpful? Can they answer your questions? If it takes them more than 24 hours to respond to you during weekdays, then that may be a sign to keep looking. You want to have a responsive design company.
Expect a Comprehensive Proposal
Once you’ve established communication, ask the web design company for a written proposal. It should be detailed and include specifics such as cost, terms, timeline for completion and require a signature. Don’t be surprised if they require a deposit upon contract signing–this is a common practice in the industry.
Email a Current Client
If the terms of the contact seem reasonable, ask if you can contact a current client. This will hopefully boost your confidence and give you access to an outside opinion. Make sure you thank them for taking the time to answer your questions.
Examine your Choices
Receive proposals from multiple companies and then compare your choices. Remember, lowest price doesn’t always translate to the best choice. Look through the terms of each contract and re-examine your confidence in each company.
Ensure you have the Ability to make Changes
Make sure when your new web site is all up and running and the web design company is done, that you will have an easy way to update your web site. Don’t be forced to learn HTML and the ins and outs of the web in order to keep your site effective. Talk about this before signing on the dotted line.
Tweet
Maybe as important as web-design is search engine optimization. Most web designers at the time of this writing (2011) still don’t put any effort into how you site will get seen.
What’s the point in having the most beautiful “web brochure” in the world if nobody sees it?
Make sure you grill your designer on his SEO chops.
Brian Foley
Oneonta Web Designers
As the owner of a website design company myself, it was good to read your blog. Here’s my 2 cents:
It’s amazing how few companies have properly identified their needs before they approach me (almost none). Often this requires a lot of tutelage around how a company should use a website (whether its an online business card, just to get a web presence so they can take the domain, whether it’s to give product information / updates or whether to use it as a marketing tool, etc.).
It would be nice to see an article about reasons to get a website or how to use your website more effectively on here
Thanks for the time to write this article, I hope my comments are useful / thought provoking to people