Your website is the equivalent of the display window for a brick and mortar store – it is the online face of your business. Often it is the first introduction that a potential customer has to your business and so it is important that you get its design right, first time.
If you go online you will no doubt have come across many web design services that appear to offer you everything that you desire; however, you need to know what questions to ask and what services are worth parting with your hard-earned cash for. To help guide you through this minefield, here are # tips to consider when looking for a web design service.
What are they charging?
Like anything in life, you get what you pay for, but sometimes there are opportunities that you can take that really do offer value for money. Have a look at the charges that they are quoting you and what the package provides. A well-designed pay monthly website will give you a fantastic return on your investment, a badly designed one can seriously impact your business. If they offer a pay monthly option that includes the website design and ongoing support this is certainly worth considering.
You know from using any type of software that there are often problems that need attention, and with a website it can be anything from bugs to broken links, to changes in Google’s search algorithms. It can affect how your site is found; consider the monthly subscription as an assurance of quality -the work will be completed swiftly and accurately otherwise you will log another call and that will affect their profit too!
Do they listen?
Whereas the web design company you have approached are experts in web design, you are expert in your business. You know your customers, you know which of your products give you the most profit, and which ones give you less return. You need the designer to listen to what you have to say, and to understand your business goals and objectives. If you find that your ideas are being kiboshed, you need to move on.
Do they give you ideas?
Whereas you know your business, the designer should know theirs, and while listening to your ideas is very important to get an understanding of your business and their brief, they should be able to communicate with you their ideas. You need to know what will work and what won’t. Working with a website designer is a collaboration.
Do they offer more services?
Have a look at the other services that they offer. If the web design company doesn’t offer any form of marketing services, you need to question whether they will understand marketing principles. An aesthetically pleasing website may look fantastic but if it isn’t optimised to convert visitors to consumers, it is failing in its function as your principle marketing tool.
Always ask to see examples of live websites that they have worked on and specify that you would like to see examples from across different industries. You will be able to gauge the variety of designs that they have completed and note whether they approach each job as unique or take a one size fits all approach.