Unless you’re a web design company yourself, chances are you don’t know everything there is to know about the process. And that’s okay! It’s not your job to know every single detail. But what is important is that you ask the right questions before hiring a local web design company. By asking the right questions, you can avoid any potential issues down the road and be confident in your decision. So what are the right questions to ask? We’ve compiled a list of the top questions you should ask before making a hire.
Use Questions to Narrow Down the Best Local Web Design Company for You
Before you start looking for a web design company to work with, it’s important to know what your own needs and goals are. Once you have a good understanding of that, you can begin reaching out to local companies and asking them questions to help you narrow down the best fit.
The goal is to find a local company that fits your needs as closely as possible. You want someone that will work with your budget, timeline, and expectations, while also providing you value and expertise from their own experience.
What is Your Process for Designing and Building Websites?
Each web design company does things in a little differently. Here is an example of some procedures that you should expect when you talk with local web designers.
First, they should want to sit down with clients to discuss their needs and wants for their website. This includes discussing the overall look and feel of the site, what kind of functionality it will need, what content will be included, etc. Then, they should take this information and create a detailed proposal outlining everything that will be involved in creating the website.
Once the proposal is approved, they should move on to the design phase. This is where their team of designers creates a mockup of what the website will look like.
Once the client is happy with the design, they should move on to development. In this phase, their team of developers builds out the website according to the approved design. They also add any necessary functionality and make sure everything is working properly.
Finally, once the website is completed, they will launch it and provide ongoing support as needed. You want a local company that will also train their clients on how to use their new website so they can make updates themselves if they want to. That way, you can determine how involved you want to be with the website from the start.
How Do You Determine Which Website Platform is Best for My Business?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best website platform for your business will depend on several factors, including your budget, technical expertise, and the type of website you need. You have options that range from low-cost, including WordPress, to those with more technical requirements, such as eCommerce websites. Beyond that, you will need technical website development, which is going to be more time and budget consuming on top of needing a higher skill level to create and maintain.
Do You Offer Any Other Digital Marketing Services?
You want to find a web design company that will offer a variety of digital marketing services to help you reach your target audiences. In addition to web design and development, they should offer options like:
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO helps to get your website in front of organic viewers and potential buyers by optimizing the way your website looks, runs, and the content on the pages.
• Content Marketing Services
Content marketing is strategically organizing and putting up content that covers your industry fully so you can become a trusted authority for those who want your products or services.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
PPC advertising is one method of using ads to get in front of people who are searching for products or services that you sell, where you only pay for clicks on your specific ads.
• Social Media Marketing Services
Social media marketing allows you to reach out to your social media audience with tips, knowledge, quotes, inspiration, and more. The goal here is to engage with your audience so they know to turn to you whenever they have a need you could fix.
• Email Marketing Services
Ideally you want a designer that can also work with your emails that go out because then you get a cohesive look and feel to all your website communications.
• Other Services
If possible, you want to find a designer that can help with everything in one place, from the design to the content, hosting, regular maintenance, and more.
By getting one company that can do it all, you get consistent results with one company to communicate with, and no crossed efforts between multiple companies.
Do You Have Any Examples of Previous Work That I Can Look At?
When you’re looking to create a website for your business, it’s important to ask the right questions to get an idea of the designers experience and abilities. One question you should always ask is if they have any examples of previous work that you can look at. This will give you a good idea of the quality of their work and whether or not they are a good fit for your project.
If the web design company doesn’t have any examples of previous work, that’s a red flag. It could mean that they are new to the industry or that they don’t have a lot of experience. Either way, it’s probably best to move on to another company.
On the other hand, if the company does have examples of previous work, take some time to review them. Look at the overall design and layout of the website, as well as the individual elements like the images, fonts, and colors. Make sure that the styles of the websites they create is in line with what you’re looking for and that it would be appropriate for your target audience.
How Long Will It Take for You to Complete My Website?
Designing and building a website is a process that takes time. How long it will take to complete your website will depend on a few factors, including the size and complexity of your website, how much content you have, and whether you already have a domain name and hosting set up.
If you’re starting from scratch, it’s important to realistic about how long it will take to get your website up and running. A simple website with just a few pages can usually be completed in just a few weeks. But a more complex website with multiple pages, features, and functionality can take 2-3 months or longer.
Getting the content written and the graphics done takes time, as well, but it can typically overlap to some degree with the design process. How long it takes to get information back from each client also factors into how long the process will take from beginning to end.
Turn to Sievers Creative When You Need a Local Web Design Company That Gets Results
Before hiring anyone, be sure to ask serious questions, and really listen to the answers you get. The answers are going to be the best way for you to connect with people that you can trust. If you want a local web design company you can rely on to get you the look and functionality you need, and that can answer all these questions and more, contact Sievers Creative today.
