Before Hiring a Website Design Company
Did you know that users will form an opinion about your website in only 50 milliseconds That’s right— you have way less than a second to convince a visitor to stay and explore your site.
So, how can you make your website stand out from the millions of websites that live on the internet? Well, by having great content and an awesome design.
If yours is lacking in any of those areas, your business might benefit from hiring a website design company that can take their site to the next level.
But, how do you know if a web design company is the right one for your business? Keep reading for seven crucial questions you should ask before hiring someone to do this service.
1. Do Your Services Fit My Budget?
Setting a budget is the first thing you should do before looking for a potential web design company to hire. Knowing exactly how much money you can spare for a new website design will allow you to be more efficient in your search and avoid wasting your time and the time of web design professionals.
So, when you find a company you might want to work with, make sure to be transparent about your budget. Let them know the type of services you are looking for (i.e., re-designing your current website, designing one from scratch, etc.) and ask if your budget is a number they can work with. Furthermore, make sure to ask about any potential fees or extra charges they might have.
2. Can You Provide Examples of Your Past Work?
Once you find a company that fits your budget, the next question you should ask is if they have a portfolio of past work that they can show you. Looking at their past work will give you a lot of insight into what you can expect to see from them if they work on your site.
Does their work follow the latest website design trends? Are their sites easy to navigate? Would you be happy if any of the sites on their portfolio were your own?
If you like what you see, you’ll likely be happy with the final result if you end up working with that website design company. If you don’t, you might be better off finding a different web service that better fits your needs.
3. What Niches Have You Worked With?
Besides analyzing their work, ask potential web design companies if they have any experience working with your specific niche. Hiring a web design service that knows your industry might make them a better fit to design your site than a company with no experience in the area.
If you like their portfolio but do not have experience in your niche, ask them if they’d be willing to do some research and pitch you some ideas that could work for your site.
4. What Is Your Process Like When Designing Websites?
This question will give you a rough timeline for a project and what to expect from them during that time. It will also inform you about deliverables, policy for revisions, etc. Overall, asking a professional web design company about their process can give you a lot of insight into what to expect if you move forward with them.
5. Are Your Designs Responsive?
Before you move forward with a potential web design service, it is crucial to ask them if their designs are responsive (aka if their designs move seamlessly from desktop to tablet to mobile, etc.)
85% of people believe a website should look the same or even better on mobile than on desktop. So, don’t disadvantage your business by hiring a company that cannot design great responsive websites.
6. Do You Provide Maintenance Services After Launching The Site?
Website maintenance is an essential aspect of keeping your site updated. While you might choose to conduct all website updates yourself, you might prefer to have a professional handle this for you instead.
So, make sure to ask potential web design services if they can provide this service after your site is complete.
Many companies do provide this service, while many don’t. So, if this is something you know you will need for sure, it is crucial to get this question out there before committing to working with a specific website design company.
7. What Information Do You Need?
If you deem that a specific web design company is the right one for your project, the last essential question you should ask is if they need anything from you. This might include copy, images, branding kit, etc.
Creating a checklist of all the items you need to send them is a great way to ensure you give them everything they’ll need to do a good job.
Asking this question from the beginning will allow you to provide everything the company might need before working on your site. That way, the process will be a lot smoother and more efficient.