Choosing a website design agency is no easy task. You want to go with an agency that not only fits your budget but also your style. In today’s post we are going to go over the 5 questions you should ask any potential website design company before hiring them.
1. How Do They Price Their Services?
Having an understanding of how the agency prices their services is the first question you should ask an agency. Why? It separates the real agencies from the “fluff”. An honest agency will give you a quote based on a number of factors:
- Amount of pages.
- Scope of the project – commerce, blog, landing page?
- Design work involved.
Above are just a sample of the factors an agency should take into account when giving you a quote. That being said, many agencies tend to work on a flat-rate rather than hourly, as this helps project the budget allocated for certain expenses (i.e. software, logo design, etc).
2. How Long Will it Take Them?
While not every website design agency will be able to give you a 100% answer, the good ones will be able to pinpoint a range of dates that the site should be completed in. This comes down to experience. Good agencies understand how long each part of the design process takes – from wireframes to mockups to beta testing.
3. What Other Websites Have They Worked On?
This question seems simple enough but you would be surprised how many people forget to ask. Being able to see and use a competed site by the agency you are potentially going to work with will help you understand what their style is (designing a site is a craft that takes experience to perfect). It will be obvious if they do not have professional experience as their website will feature shoddy workmanship. Here are a few tell-tale signs of a bad website designer:
- Slow load times
- No balance between text and images
- No color scheme
Not only should you check out their site but also shoot the website owner a message. This will help you get an idea of how it is to work with them.
4. What is Their Process For Completing Projects
All too often, business owners are lured into paying less for a website only to learn that the person designing it for them has no structure in place for creating it.
It is important that the company you choose has a specific process for creating websites. Professional agencies tend to follow this process:
- Initial design meeting
- Wireframe
- Mockup
- First draft
- Second draft
- Third draft with content (beta testing begins)
- Completed site
5. Do They Understand SEO?
Many people assume that web designers understand the advanced concepts of Search Engine Optimization. However, this is not always the truth. Website design agencies tend to focus on one thing: creating websites. In todays world it is important to have a well designed website that is also optimized for search engines. When you ask the agency whether they can optimize your site for search engines, most will say “yes” to close the sale. In order to see if they really know what they are talking about, ask them the following questions:
- What is their process for creating the site’s information architecture?
- How do they conduct keyword research?
- Will they create a sitemap?
Choosing a website design company may seem like a hassle but by asking the above 5 questions you are sure to find one to fit your needs!
