How to Choose a Website Design Company

Choosing the right designer for your small business can be hard if you do not know what you should look for. Here is a simple guide that you can use to make sure you ask the right questions and make an educated decision every time.

Steps

1. Find a website design company. The easiest way is to google them or look in your phone book, but this is not neccessarily the best way. Good web designers are usually found by word of mouth, or reviews put out by other companies. Another good place to look for design companies would be web design directory sites that list companies in your area / country.
2. Evaluate the website design company’s site and own portfolio. Any company can say they have great designs but a company’s portfolio should speak for itself. To adequately judge a website you must look at: Quality of design, ease of use, initial impressions, how the site compares to others in the same industry, consistent look throughout each site, and ease of navigation.
3. Ask them what their technical expertise is. Don’t be afraid of bringing specific things up such as: Do they test on Mac and PC? Do they offer cross-browser compatibility testing? Do they offer Search Engine Optimization? Do they use templates? Do they have their own servers? Do they consider accessibility and standards? These are things that are often overlooked, but are very important.
4. Look at their attention to detail. Sometimes the smallest things can make all the difference. Look for: Page titles – each page should be unique and descriptive. Terms of use pages – every site should have a terms of use and a privacy statement. Use of contact forms rather than published email addresses – this will reduce spam.

Tips

• A lot of the things may get a bit technical; if you have a computer savvy friend, to assist when you start the consulting process.

Warnings

• Search Engine Optimization techniques can be tricky, beware of any company that promises to get you in the top 10 search results.
• Never pay for a website quotation – this should be a free service offered by design companies. However if you require a full scope to be compiled, this would be charged for.

If all else fails and you don’t feel like searching to the ends of the earth for a web design company that you think you can trust… Just contact Freedom Studios – we’ll make the process easy.

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