Regardless whether you manage a small business, charitable organization, or Fortune 500 company, choosing the right web design firm can quickly become a full-time research project. With thousands of design firms to choose from, what factors truly determine which design firm is best for your business?
The primary considerations for choosing a web design firm are:
* Price
* Customer service/access to support
* Credibility indicators of the design firm
* Portfolio and design experience
* Other services offered (domain renewal, hosting, SEO)
* Turnaround time
Price
Like many products and services we purchase, both personally and professionally, deciding on a web design firm can often come down to price. A $200 web site usually turns out to look, feel and perform like a $200 web site.
The price of your site’s development will depend on three factors: the features of the site, the amount of content, and the service options included with the design package, such as hosting.
* Will the firm provide multiple design concepts, prior to actual development?
Customer Service
Consistent, open contact with your web design firm is important for ensuring success before, during, and after your web site is developed. If you are limited to e-mail technical support, consider other firms that offer a wider range of customer service options such as telephone and live chat support.
Credibility Indicators
* Toll free telephone support
* 24 hour customer service
* Better Business Bureau affiliation
* Human e-mail address contacts
* Google PageRank of 2 or above
* Presentation of a hard-copy quote/design contract
Design Experience/Portfolio
Does the design firm have experience in working with similar types of businesses? Even if a designer doesn’t have a web site in their portfolio related to your industry, the firm you select should have a strong working knowledge of how to develop an effective site for your business type. Product and service web sites are not the same.
A few good questions to ask about a firm’s design experience include:
* Does the firm offer a number of diverse, finished web sites available for review?
* Will the firm conduct research regarding my competition?
* Will my web site highlight the features, benefits and value of my product or service?
* Has the firm outlined a plan of action for creating an effective site, start to finish?
Design experience need not always relate to the type of web sites the firm has previously developed.
Additional Services
Many web design firms offer design, but do not provide other required services such as hosting and domain name registration. Ideally, your web design company should be a full-service firm, offering at least basic hosting, domain registration and search engine optimization services tailored to your needs.
Turnaround Time
* Upload of your web site to the hosting provider
* Configuration of any scripts or forms on your site
* Domain propagation (accessing your web site and e-mail via yoursite.com)
Hiring the cheapest, fastest, or most elaborate web design firm does not always equate to hiring the right web design firm.
A. Looking for a Web Design Company? Use a Web Design Directory
Your business website tells a lot about your company. A poorly designed website will have your visitors questioning the quality of your business. A well thought out elegantly designed site would instill confidence in your visitors that you are a credible business to deal with.
The same holds true for web design.
There are so many Web Design companies now. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a resource available to you that pre-screened Web Design Companies to narrow down your choices? To answer that question, yes there is, use a Web Design directory. Web Design directories are usually run by companies in the Web Design Industry. Using their knowledge to pre-screen the Web Design companies that submit their contact information to the directory insures that only quality Web Design Companies are listed.
Most Web Design directories are categorized by region. If you live in Alabama then you simply click the link that reads, “Alabama Web Design”. Some Web Design directories will also allow you the customer to submit a quote request. Then they take your information and forward it to Web Design Companies that meet your criteria. Along with a directory of different Web Design Companies, you may also find helpful articles to educate yourself, and help make the decision process a little easier.
B. Instant Website Design Quotes Provide A Great Way To Estimate Cost Of Web Projects
If your business is looking for a fast and efficient way to receive an estimated cost for your upcoming web project, without wasting any time, then I recommend using an instant website design quote to generate an online estimate.
From my own research there are many sites out there that allow you to generate estimated quotes for your web project. You do have to be cautious because some are not instant quotes - you actually answer your questions, enter your contact information and then their sales team will contact you. However, I did find a few really good quote services that allow you to answer a few questions and receive an instant website design quote in a matter of seconds, without the pressure of being contacted by a salesperson. From my experience in the website industry, you will receive a wide array of quote ranges from various companies. In the past I've seen quotes where one company would estimate the project at $5,000 and other companies would estimate it at over $100,000.
The primary considerations for choosing a web design firm are:
* Price
* Customer service/access to support
* Credibility indicators of the design firm
* Portfolio and design experience
* Other services offered (domain renewal, hosting, SEO)
* Turnaround time
Price
Like many products and services we purchase, both personally and professionally, deciding on a web design firm can often come down to price. A $200 web site usually turns out to look, feel and perform like a $200 web site.
The price of your site’s development will depend on three factors: the features of the site, the amount of content, and the service options included with the design package, such as hosting.
* Will the firm provide multiple design concepts, prior to actual development?
Customer Service
Consistent, open contact with your web design firm is important for ensuring success before, during, and after your web site is developed. If you are limited to e-mail technical support, consider other firms that offer a wider range of customer service options such as telephone and live chat support.
Credibility Indicators
* Toll free telephone support
* 24 hour customer service
* Better Business Bureau affiliation
* Human e-mail address contacts
* Google PageRank of 2 or above
* Presentation of a hard-copy quote/design contract
Design Experience/Portfolio
Does the design firm have experience in working with similar types of businesses? Even if a designer doesn’t have a web site in their portfolio related to your industry, the firm you select should have a strong working knowledge of how to develop an effective site for your business type. Product and service web sites are not the same.
A few good questions to ask about a firm’s design experience include:
* Does the firm offer a number of diverse, finished web sites available for review?
* Will the firm conduct research regarding my competition?
* Will my web site highlight the features, benefits and value of my product or service?
* Has the firm outlined a plan of action for creating an effective site, start to finish?
Design experience need not always relate to the type of web sites the firm has previously developed.
Additional Services
Many web design firms offer design, but do not provide other required services such as hosting and domain name registration. Ideally, your web design company should be a full-service firm, offering at least basic hosting, domain registration and search engine optimization services tailored to your needs.
Turnaround Time
* Upload of your web site to the hosting provider
* Configuration of any scripts or forms on your site
* Domain propagation (accessing your web site and e-mail via yoursite.com)
Hiring the cheapest, fastest, or most elaborate web design firm does not always equate to hiring the right web design firm.
A. Looking for a Web Design Company? Use a Web Design Directory
Your business website tells a lot about your company. A poorly designed website will have your visitors questioning the quality of your business. A well thought out elegantly designed site would instill confidence in your visitors that you are a credible business to deal with.
The same holds true for web design.
There are so many Web Design companies now. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a resource available to you that pre-screened Web Design Companies to narrow down your choices? To answer that question, yes there is, use a Web Design directory. Web Design directories are usually run by companies in the Web Design Industry. Using their knowledge to pre-screen the Web Design companies that submit their contact information to the directory insures that only quality Web Design Companies are listed.
Most Web Design directories are categorized by region. If you live in Alabama then you simply click the link that reads, “Alabama Web Design”. Some Web Design directories will also allow you the customer to submit a quote request. Then they take your information and forward it to Web Design Companies that meet your criteria. Along with a directory of different Web Design Companies, you may also find helpful articles to educate yourself, and help make the decision process a little easier.
B. Instant Website Design Quotes Provide A Great Way To Estimate Cost Of Web Projects
If your business is looking for a fast and efficient way to receive an estimated cost for your upcoming web project, without wasting any time, then I recommend using an instant website design quote to generate an online estimate.
From my own research there are many sites out there that allow you to generate estimated quotes for your web project. You do have to be cautious because some are not instant quotes - you actually answer your questions, enter your contact information and then their sales team will contact you. However, I did find a few really good quote services that allow you to answer a few questions and receive an instant website design quote in a matter of seconds, without the pressure of being contacted by a salesperson. From my experience in the website industry, you will receive a wide array of quote ranges from various companies. In the past I've seen quotes where one company would estimate the project at $5,000 and other companies would estimate it at over $100,000.
Thank you so much for sharing such an informative post.Every business now should have online presence.It is compulsory to select a professional, specialized and sound web design firm to design a successful website.
Awesome tips you provide. Thanks for share useful information.
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