Last Updated on March 3, 2024
Building a professional website is a very important step towards establishing a solid online presence. The web design company selected to handle your project will have a major implication on the success of your site. Choosing the wrong service provider can prove disastrous for your online endeavors. It is therefore vital to carry out extensive research before hiring any web design company.
The following are some things you need to consider before signing up with any web design service provider.
1. Previous work done
Ask the web designer to show you some samples of work they have done for other clients previously. Viewing a designer’s portfolio is one of the best ways of assessing their design skills. More specifically, you could ask to be shown any work which was done with a comparable scope of work and budget. This will give you a good idea of what result you could expect for your investment. Besides checking out the designer’s past work, it would also be advisable to get in touch with at least two references. Email or call them and ask the following questions:
- What were your website’s objectives?
- Did the designer’s work fulfill these objectives?
- Did the designer stick to the budget and time allocated?
- What was your overall experience of working with the designer?
2. Project specifications
Before choosing a web design company, take time to ponder over the following important questions:
- What end result are you expecting?
- How long will it take to deliver?
- What are the cost implications?
You need to find a web design company that will give you exactly what you are looking for, and within the project budget and timeline. Make it clear from the onset what your expectations are and find out if the company can meet your demands. Remember to establish if the company charges a fixed price or bills on an hourly basis. It would be advisable to go for a fixed price since this will make the project more manageable.
3. Site management
While taking care of the web design process, you should also consider how your site will be managed in the long run. Many people make the mistake of launching sites without addressing the issue of management. Before hiring their services, ask the web designer how the management of your site will be handled. Find out if any special software or training is required for this. In some cases, the designer could offer basic training which will help you manage the site by yourself.
4. Clear communication
It is important that you have a clear understanding of some of the technical terms used for web design. Therefore, you need to ensure that the designer addresses you in a way that you can understand. If they keep using too many technical terms which don’t make sense, you might have a problem with communication all through the project. The success of your project will depend on the designer’s ability to communicate effectively.
5. General questions
After making your expectations clear, you need to find out if the web designer wants anything to be clarified. Any serious web designer would have a few questions to ask, especially about your goals and expectations. Hiring a designer who doesn’t understand clearly what you want is likely to lead to unsatisfactory results.