When it comes to hiring the right web design company, there’s no room for error in order to bring your vision to life. In this checklist article, we’ll be going over the criteria that you need to look at when choosing which Pickering web design company will work best for your business. Let’s get started!
Picking your colors and fonts
Once you’ve developed a brand strategy, it’s time to focus on your website’s color and font choices. As with any other aspect of web design, you’ll want to keep an eye out for trends within your industry.
However, that doesn’t mean all companies are using them – it simply means they are options. For example, your competitors may not be using bright green as their accent color just yet but that doesn’t mean you should automatically rule it out either.
Look at what other businesses in your niche are doing to get a better idea of which trends are hot now.
Think mobile first
In 2013, about half of Americans had a smartphone. In 2014, mobile phones will become even more important when every business should be thinking mobile first to make their businesses accessible from smartphones and tablets.
As such, investing in web design that’s optimized for mobile devices is crucial to your marketing strategy because it allows you to market your products and services directly to potential customers where they already are: online.
Make sure you research a web development company that can help you create an effective mobile site or app.
Will they cater to your needs?
When you choose to hire a web design company, there are many things to think about. However, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is whether or not they will be able to cater to your needs.
The more options you have as a consumer, it becomes even more essential that you find someone who will be able to dedicate themselves entirely to your project and make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
Knowing what questions to ask is a great way for identifying companies that know how important it is for them to take care of their clients.
Here’s a checklist of some questions that you should consider asking: How much experience do they have with web development services?
- What kind of support can I expect after my website has been built?
- How often do they update their portfolio?
- Do they offer any guarantees?
- Do I get to meet with an account manager on a regular basis?
- What kind of ongoing support can I expect from them once my website has launched?
Can we communicate via Skype or phone calls instead of email if needed? Will they work closely with my existing team members (if applicable)?
Will they build trust with you?
As important as a first impression is, you’re probably dealing with more than one potential web design company. So what sets these businesses apart?
Web development services go far beyond just a professional-looking design; your website needs to function properly and be optimized to rank higher in search results.
This is where trust comes into play. A good web design company will build trust by building your website to meet or exceed your specific goals.
The best companies out there are also very open about their process and give you access to analytics so that you can track the progress yourself.
Ask about their case studies
Case studies can help you learn about how specific websites were built, how long they took, and whether or not there were any pitfalls along the way.
If a prospective web development company is going to spend time answering these questions, they should be able to give you solid case studies that illustrate their work and expertise.
And, if they don’t have any case studies available, they probably haven’t spent much time consulting their clients on past projects.
There’s no need to hire a company that is unwilling to put forth some effort in putting together case studies.
Do they have clients you can contact?
If you’re going to work with someone on a project that’s important to your business, you should be able to contact at least one of their clients.
Before hiring them, ask if they have a list of current clients you can contact. If not, move on to another company — it means they’re either not very experienced or have a hard time getting clients (or both).
Or maybe it just means they’re super-private and don’t want people contacting their clients directly about anything. Either way, there’s probably something wrong.
Are they going to answer your calls or emails?
Don’t rush into anything with a web designer. If you are not comfortable with them, it is unlikely that you will get good results. You should ask them plenty of questions and take time to understand what they are going to do and how they plan on doing it before handing over any money.
You should be able to easily communicate your ideas without issues, whether it is through email or a face-to-face meeting.
They should also be accommodating when scheduling meetings as well as making sure that they respect your time.
Do they have a person who is managing your project every day?
You’ll want to make sure that you are always getting responses from someone who is actively managing your project.
If they respond one day, but not two weeks later, then they probably aren’t that involved in your project. This can be a red flag if you need more hands-on attention with your website design and development process.
Do they have a portfolio?: A portfolio is really important when it comes to hiring a web design company in Toronto because it gives you an idea of what their previous work looks like and how it compares to other companies out there.
This will give you a good idea of whether or not their style matches what you had in mind for your website design and development process.
Do you feel comfortable with them?
Asking pointed questions is a great way to figure out if a web design company is right for your business. For example, what’s their experience working with a small business like yours?
What types of projects have they completed? If you feel comfortable with them and there are no red flags, it’s probably time to sign on that dotted line.
