Marcus Sheridan said it best: “In today’s information age, a company’s website is the key to their entire business.” Since a company’s website is so important to the success of its business, we’ve taken Ian’s original list as a jumping-off point and compiled a new one: 10 things to consider before partnering with a web design company.
1). Did the company do all of the work themselves or did they outsource any of it?
Make sure that the web design company performs all of its services in-house. This includes design (Photoshop work), coding (HTML, database creation, PHP), writing, content creation, and marketing. A team well versed in all areas is more likely to create a successful site. Working with an in-house team gives you better communication, collaboration, and an overall better quality product. The last thing you want to run into is a deficiency during the web design or development phase that requires help from another company, along with additional costs beyond your initial budget and increased timelines.
2). Is the company’s web design and development work customized to fit your specific needs?
Your company is special, so your website should be, too, to create a good first impression and a good user experience. Custom solutions allow your website to grow with your company.
3). How does it design and develop its websites?
It’s important to know how a company approaches web design and development because this gives you insight into their experience and strategy. It also allows you to manage your expectations by knowing the key milestones, number of revisions allowed for each phase, and implications, timelines, etc.
4). What marketing campaigns has it been a part of?
Your website is the face of your company, and if it is designed and developed properly, it can become one of your best sales reps, generating new leads and building your sales pipeline. A website shouldn’t be looked at in isolation. Iit’s important to consider it within the mix of marketing tactics, including content marketing, digital marketing, SEO, social media, blogging, lead generation and inbound marketing. By partnering with a web design company that has marketing expertise, you can turn your website into a powerhouse marketing platform.
5). How does it help with search engine optimization (SEO)?
Having a beautifully designed and functioning site is just as important as making sure that your site is visible during relevant searches. After all, what good is a website if your prospects can’t find it? Marketing tactics aside, coding, title tags, meta descriptions and alt tags impact your SEO. Luckily, there are a lot of great paid and unpaid tools (like Google Analytics, Google Trends, SerpChecker, WebMeUp, Backlink Checker, and Spyfu) that web design companies can leverage to further improve your site’s SEO, so it’s important that you understand what resources are in its arsenal.