15 FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN CHOOSING A WEB DESIGN AGENCY
15 things To Consider when Choosing A Web Design Agency for your service business website.
In this era of the digital world, a modern, mobile-friendly, clean Design, Responsive, and Search Engine Optimised Website can generate more leads than almost any other digital channel. You should hire a good web design agency because your website is a highly important Online tool for your Business.
With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of 15 things to consider or look for before Hiring a Web Design Agency.
15 things To Consider When Choosing A Web Design Agency for your Service Business.
- Before you start looking for web design firms, you should have a good idea of what you want your website to do and what features it MUST have to help you achieve your objectives. After all, your website is a tool for business and marketing, not just a pretty design.
Things you might want your service business website to do:
- Generate new leads for your business
- Make Bookings for your services- use of Calendly or other Scheduling tools.
- Sync with your CRM, like HubSpot, or any other major CRM software. Integrate with your marketing automation tool, like Marketo, or HubSpot Plus Link with your email marketing platform, like MailChimp, or Convert-kit
- Collect Monthly payments/Donations including subscription-based (recurring) payments/donations;
- Allow users to fill out forms directly on your site and submit them to your Business.
- Addition of calculators, pricing Quotes, or any such Interactive tools to help your website visitors to get more Information
Features your service business website would need to help you achieve the above:
- Clean design, User-friendly navigation, secure site, search-engine-optimised content, Blogs, and conversion-optimised sales pages;
- Online forms that are secure and safe to use and SSL certified website
1. Have a Look at the Agency Website First
By simply visiting their website, you can determine whether the prospective service provider is full of false promises or the real deal.
When it comes to designing their own website, most web design firms put their best foot forwards and pay close attention to detail.
In their work, you can see a distinct design style, capabilities, and technical expertise, all of which are characteristics of a good website design.
It is best if you create a checklist to determine whether the site is responsive, aesthetically pleasing, well usable, and overall site design. You’ll be able to tell if their design style meets your expectations and creative standards.
It is best if you create a checklist to determine whether the site is responsive, aesthetically pleasing, user Friendliness, and overall site design.
You’ll be able to tell if their design style meets your expectations and creative standards.
Fresh quality content, ease of use, optimisation for mobile use, and optimisation for search and social channels are all characteristics of a good website design.
Examine the market’s other competitors to see if their design style is still current. Above all, the site must be visually appealing, highly functional, and provide a positive user experience.
Also, look for good professional writing on their web pages and in their marketing materials.
2. Agency Credibility -Does the Agency website have Testimonials/Reviews
Don’t forget to Google the agency and read the reviews. If their reviews are negative, it is likely that they have a bad reputation in the market as a result of their incompetence.
Look for reviews on websites like Glassdoor and yelp, as well as their LinkedIn and social media pages, to see if they have a strong online presence.
Most agencies showcase their work on LinkedIn, so take a look at that and, if it appeals to you, see if they post on a regular basis. These are the qualities to look for in a web design firm.
âA successful website does three things:
It attracts the right kinds of visitors.
Guides them to the main services or products you offer.
Collect Contact details for future ongoing relations.
3. Look at their web Design Portfolio.
What is the most effective way to determine what to expect from a web design firm or marketing agency? Examine real-world projects they’ve worked on and interact with the finished product.
You’d like to see actual websites they’ve created that are publicly accessible.
It would be even better if they could share information about the goals and strategies that are on display.
Take the time to go over their work and assess their progress. They won’t be a good fit if you don’t see anything you like.
Related: Website Portfolio
4. . Check out the Agency’s terms and conditions
Determine whether you will need to supply your own photos or pay a fee for stock imagery.
Every Business website needs a balance of stock Photos and Real Business/team Pictures. so, the Real Pictures has to be provided by the Business Owner like the team pictures, logos, Portfolio Pictures Or any such Pictures related to the business.
However, there will be some Requirement for stock Photos as well. Inquire whether any of the images from your previous site can be reused in the new design and any extra Charged for stock Images.
At Digitallydiv Agency , stock Images comes with any web design Bundle you select.
5. Do they outsource their work?
Determine whether your project will be developed in-house or outsourced.
Request to meet/talk with the design or technical team. If the work is going to be outsourced, find out where it will be done and whether you will be able to contact the team.
There are numerous examples of businesses that have an account management team and an outsourced development team.
The issue with this scenario is the poor quality of work produced. So, avoid Agencies that Outsource the development work to countries like India, the Philippines, or other countries.
We will provide you with a Developer that will look after all of your needs at Digitallydiv Agency.
You can meet everyone who will be working on your project, ensuring that they understand the requirements of your web project.
We do all of our work in-house and adhere to strict quality control standards, so you can be assured of high-quality website design, development, and online marketing.
6. Do they provide a balanced approach to online marketing as well as web design?
What services does the other web design firm provide? Do they have any prior experience with search engine marketing?
Will they design the site in such a way that it performs well in search engines? Have they ever tried their hand at online marketing?
One of the major mistakes businesses make while deciding on a web designer is – Hiring a ‘Designer’ to Build Your Website.
Whoa! what do I mean by that? That sounds awkward. So, when I say designer, I mean someone who’s strictly an artist, and there’s a lot of those out there.
Many ‘designers’ are only thinking about the aesthetics of the site. What it looks like, or if it’s unique, or if it follows the latest website design trends.
But at the end of the day, they don’t really ‘get it when it comes to what the primary purpose of a website is.
And so, let me ask you, what’s the primary purpose of a website?
Is it to look awesome? Not really, no. Itâs not the primary purpose.
Is it to improve the user experience? Nope..thatâs not the primary purpose.
How about winning awards? definitely not.
If youâre running a commercial enterprise, the purpose of the website is to make money. And the only thing you should judge a website by is, âdoes it bring in more money?â Otherwise, whatâs the point of getting it? Right?
And so, most web designers donât understand that.
The way we approach it is marketing plus design.
Since we started digitallydiv Agency’s in 2016, we have been developing websites along with search engine marketing(SEO) and online marketing campaigns. We are well-versed in all tried-and-true techniques and are on the cutting edge of new trends.
âIf You Think Math is Hard Try Web Design
7. Check out the Agency’s track record
Testimonials & Reviews are other important factors to consider but don’t just rely on the ones on the company’s website. Also, check the reviews on Google My Business and Social media Channels.
The internet evolves at a breakneck pace. You need a web design company that stays on top of these changes for you so you can focus on running your business rather than on them. It’s risky to put your trust in a fly-by-night web design company that won’t be around in a year.
Every year, there are a large number of new design firms that open their doors, as well as a large number that close their doors. The longevity of a web design company is a true indicator of its ability.
You want a company that has been around long enough to be sustainable and that intends to stay in business for the long term, preferably one that intends to grow.
8. Do they follow SEO best practices when building the site?
The best time to start thinking about SEO for your website is when youâre just starting out.
You can get things started on the right foot and save yourself some trouble later.
If youâre thinking of getting your service business website build by a web Design Agency, you must make sure that the web Agency Puts the base for your website SEO during the design and build stage.
Related: SEO-All things to know about SEO
âWebsites promote you 24/7: No employee will do that.â
9. How well do they understand the buyer persona?
Any digital marketing or web design agency must understand the buyer persona and the buyer’s journey.
Ensure that the prospective agency understands your target audience’s demographics, preferences, age, gender, and purchase intent. These factors will assist the agency in creating a design that meets the needs of all buyers.
Web design is an excellent user interface and interactive design that includes good design and the latest digital marketing strategies.
Understanding the buyer persona is important because it allows an agency to design a website that appeals to your target audience.
10. Look at their Online Presence
Make sure to look at the Agency’s Online presence. Are they Regular on the social media channel Like Facebook,