In today's digital age, the Internet is a competitive market. That is, almost all companies around the world, regardless of size, already have an online presence to reach their potential customers and expand their business, which will result in an increase in sales, or at least are already beginning to recognize the importance from that.
A website is the first point of contact for many of your potential customers online. It works as your 24/7 store in the online world.
Taking this step in your business is therefore critical, and choosing the right website agency to build an effective website can have a big impact on your business. Here are some important factors to consider:
Portfolio
When looking for a web design agency, the first thing you'll likely see is their portfolio.
A well-established but also trustworthy agency has an impressive website with a portfolio that showcases their projects. An agency that prides itself on sharing its portfolio on its website demonstrates its confidence in its success.
It's important that you take the time to check out their past work, and in addition, actually visit the sites they've designed to see if they reflect your company's profile and goals. If you can't find anything you like, they won't be suitable for your needs.
Expertise
There are a lot of good web design agencies out there; however, not everyone has the skill set or design experience that meets their needs and requirements.
The goal is to find a web design agency with extensive experience in different areas of design, but also in the area of website development, search engine optimization and digital marketing. So, gather a list of companies and spend some time checking them out one by one.
Make appointments to understand, but also to assess your levels of expertise in key areas such as responsive web design, search engine optimization, quality content, HTML coding, etc.
Credibility
In today's digital age, where many companies compete online to grow their customer base, credibility is increasingly apparent.
This includes your brand credibility, a solid business reputation, your products and services, and everything else you do.
Testimonials, certifications, awards and recognitions are one of the most excellent elements in verifying an agency's credibility.
Before making a final decision, spend some time reviewing these elements on your website, Google, and review sites. Don't hesitate to get referrals from your past clients. Ask them and learn about their experiences.
You need to know that they have experience working with companies like yours and that their customers are satisfied with the services they have received.
Pricing and payment structure
Price range is one of the most important factors to consider when it comes to choosing the web design agency for your business.
If you compare some web design and development agencies, you will see some differences in their prices and payment plans and packages. Some agencies prefer a 50% upfront payment and others pay in full before any work begins.
If you are comparing two agencies and one is considerably cheaper than the other, the quality of work is likely to be worse as well. On the other hand, a high-priced web design provider is certainly not the best fit for your needs. Finding the right agency that fits your budget is not so easy.
You really have to take the time to discuss with various agencies and furthermore, match your needs with their costs, and make sure you understand what's included in their pricing.
There is a lot to take into consideration when it comes to selecting the right company to design and develop your website.
It's such an important part of your online presence that it's not a decision you want to make quickly or make without all the necessary information.
But if you take the time to evaluate a web design company from every angle and listen to what your own customers have to say, you will be able to make an informed decision that is best for your business.
Support and Maintenance
An agency's approach to treating its clients is the most effective way to tell how they conduct their business and thus develop their services. A website is not, nor should it be stagnant. In other words, once released, it needs to be maintained in order to keep up to date on the different trends in digital marketing.
Support comes in many forms, such as helping with setting up an email or resetting a password.
You'll likely need software, security or content updates, or even integration with new features on your site on a regular basis, and a good web design agency will provide the support you need.
Make a list of your website's needs and goals
Before you start researching web design agencies, you need to have an idea of what you want your site to do, but also what resources it should have to help you achieve your goals. After all, your website is a business and marketing tool – not just a pretty design.
Examples of things you might want your site to do:
- Generate leads for your business;
- Sync with your CRM like Salesforce, HubSpot or any other software CRM important;
- Integrate with your marketing automation tool like Pardot, Marketo or HubSpot;
- Link to your email marketing platform such as Constant Contact, MailChimp or Emma;
- Collect payments or donations, including subscription-based (recurring) payments / donations;
- Allow users to fill in forms directly on your website and submit them to your team;
Examples of resources your site may need to help you achieve the above:
- User-friendly navigation as well as search engine-optimized content and conversion-optimized pages;
- E-commerce functionality;
- Online forms that are secure but also HIPPA compliant if you are in the healthcare industry
- An SSL certificate and HTTPs protocol;
Your website is an extension of your business and therefore should help you achieve your goals – no matter what. Having a list of your goals, needs, as well as interesting things will help you and the web design companies you interviewed ensure that your website is truly customized for you.
Website Agency Culture
An agency's culture will tell you a lot about its personality and work style. Ideally, find an agency that matches your company's personality, so you can easily collaborate and work together during the web design process.
You can explore the agency's culture:
- Checking them out on social media – Do you see a lot of smiling faces in your Instagram feeds?
- Reviewing the team pages – do they show the team's talent and experience?
- Community involvement – Are they involved in the local community?
- When you meet your potential web design partners, then you will also get a feel for their culture. Do they make you feel welcome? Do they listen to your ideas? Are you excited about your project?
Agency culture is an important factor when choosing your web design agency. You're going to be spending a lot of time together, so make sure your web design partner really fits your company and personality.
The website agency has an in-house marketing team
Will you need ongoing marketing from an agency? Does the agency have an in-house marketing team or does it hire another company for online lead generation?
Does the agency integrate tools such as CRM, that is, to improve marketing efforts? Getting visitors to the site is only half the battle. Turning these visitors into customers is, then, the other half.
Even if you don't use continuous marketing. Working with an agency that has a marketing department brings a certain level of knowledge to the company that a pure web design agency might not have, plus it might not keep up.
Read Testimonials and Reviews Online
In addition to your portfolio, read testimonials and online reviews from the web design agencies you are considering for your new website.
Reviews are a good way to see how satisfied customers are with their sites, the level of customer service they've received while working together, and whether certain team members are mentioned by name.
Some must-have questions to help you choose your website agency
With all the research above then you have a list of potential web design companies to interview. Schedule a time for a meeting (either in person or by phone / video call) and then ask the following questions to get a better idea of your experience and services:
- Do you use a content management system to power your websites?
- Can you integrate the new website with third-party platforms such as CRM, event management or online payment tools?
- Have you developed any other website for companies in my industry?
- Can I find the team that would work on my website?
- Do you provide recommendations and guidance on best practices to ensure we get the most out of our site?
- Will you train me how to use my website?
- Do you provide ongoing maintenance and security updates for the site?
- Do you offer SEO services?
- Who will own the website?
- Can I move my website to another hosting company if I no longer want to work with your company?
Choose your website agency carefully
Choosing your web design agency is not a quick decision. Take your time (or as much as your schedule allows) to examine web design companies for your company and project.
Your website is the first impression a potential customer will have of your brand and business, so it's worth researching to find a web partner that will help you achieve your goals online.
Na Colors Agency, we guarantee much more than just an attractive look and a modern layout for your website and blog.
Our main focus is to offer companies around the world effective solutions to generate visibility on the internet.
Our agency develops SEO strategies as well as brand positioning for large, medium and small multinational companies, all projects are important to us.
