How to Choose A Web Design Company

Posted on October 7, 2019June 19, 2020 by Andy under Website Basics

Running a business nowadays is not an easy feat. With so many choices of brands and service providers to choose from, customers can afford to be picky. So how will you attract new customers and encourage your loyal patrons to stay? One effective way is to provide them with the best user experience through a well-thought-out website. And that starts by partnering with the right web designer. Don’t know where to begin? This step-by-step guide on how to choose a web design company will help you find the right web designer for your business.

Step #1: Do Your Due Diligence.

Before you start searching or approaching any web design company, make sure you have gathered all of the information that they need about your project. Prepare a project brief that includes the following information:

Customer data. This includes your customers’ demographics, behaviours, interests, motivations and pain points.
Website objectives. Do you want to use your website as a tool to build trust and loyalty, engage with your customers, educate your visitors, generate quality leads, or convert leads?
KPIs or success metrics. Examples are time spent on your site and number of mailing list subscribers.
Your long-term business goals. For example, you want to be one of the top 10 brands in your field within 10 years.
Your own ideas. This includes your brand guidelines, logo, colour palette, font, forms, pegs, and other visual elements that you and your customers want to see on your new website.
Other requirements. This may include responsive web design, customised plugins, eCommerce functionality, SEO, and level of on-going support, to name a few.
Your budget, which takes us to…

Step #2: Know How Much You’re Willing to Shell Out.

We understand that budgeting for web design projects can be tricky. On one end of the spectrum are established firms who charge extremely high rates, and on the opposite end are freelancers and small agencies with very attractive prices. While there is wisdom behind the saying, “You get what you pay for,” know that there are also high-quality designers who offer budget-friendly rates. In the end, your budget will boil down to your business’ current financial standing and your non-negotiables.

Even if you only need a simple website for your small online store, you still want to make sure that it has better features than your competitors. Just to give you an idea of how much does it really cost to build a successful website, below are the common variables involved with their corresponding prices (on average):

Strategy – A$750
Web design optimisation for lead generation – A$1,000
Conversion – A$2,500

All in all, you could be looking at around A$4,000 to A$5,000 for a very attractive and high-converting website. At this price range, the web design company should already have enough resources to set up and manage your website, including SEO, copywriting, and web maintenance. The faster your site converts your leads, the faster you’ll reach (or exceed) your expected return on investment.

Step #3: Check Their Track Record.

Any web design project is not really a cost, but an investment towards the success of your business. Do not underestimate the immense value that a professional, well-thought-out website brings. Choose a web design company with a proven track record of success.

Consider the achievements of your prospective web designer in relation to the industry your business is in. You can find out their track record by reading client testimonials and performance data reports. Read their case studies to gain insight into their design process and the methodologies they use to measure the success of their campaigns. During your initial meeting, don’t be afraid to ask them as many relevant questions as possible to better understand their process.

Step #4: Ask About Conversions.

Regardless of your specific website objectives, we recommend you partner with a web designer who understands how important conversions are to your business. You may have the most beautiful website in the world, but if not a single customer converts and places a product order, your site is pretty useless – just pretty and very useless.

Conversions ensure your business will continue to exist in this highly competitive environment. While captivating images and elegant fonts have their place in web design, remember that they can only retain your visitors’ attention for a few seconds before another distraction – chat message, banner ad, or pop-up notification – will take their attention away from your site.

A web design company that knows and applies the most effective conversion rate optimisation techniques will deliver tangible results to your business on top of visual appeal. Choose the company with the knowledge and skills needed to convert your passive browsers to loyal customers and watch your business grow.

Step #5: Assess Their Human/Relational Skills.

Many web design companies offer a free consultation to their potential clients. Take this consultation as your opportunity to not only discuss your web design goals and objectives but also to get a feel of how it would be like if you were to choose and work with them over the others.

During your consultation, observe and take note of the following: Did they arrive on time for your meeting? Did they come prepared? How did they introduce themselves and their company? How did they react to your inputs? Are they respectful and open to your ideas? Did they communicate their points clearly? These seemingly minor details are clear indicators of how they are as a service provider and should be given consideration before you finalise your decision.

Make the Right Partnership

Your goal is to find the web design company who can help you reach new heights of success amidst unpredictable market conditions. There’s a lot at stake after you launch your website, so it’s very important to choose a professional web design company who will help you realise the results you want for your business.