Putting your brand’s website into the hands of another company is nerve-wracking but usually necessary. Do you have the time to put in potentially hundreds of hours of coding work into making the site yourself? Do you have the skills to make it function as you need and run perfectly across different devices and browsers? If you’re not confident, you’ll save yourself a lot of time by hiring experienced developers to do it all for you.
But what are the main things to look for in a web design company that shows they’ll do a great job on your site? We’ve written up this list to help you avoid the pitfalls of hiring substandard designers.
Collaboration
The first and arguably most important thing to look for is whether the company prioritizes collaboration with you. Some designers will go ahead and do what they think is best and overrule your plans. While it is important to listen to the expert’s opinions, a great designer will make it their mission to bring your vision to life, listening closely to what you want your site to be like, rather than pressing you to do things their way.
Companies like https://roudstudio.com/ make a point to emphasize their willingness to collaborate with their clients. This is the way to go to get the site you really want.
Mobile Compatibility
Websites nowadays need to work just as well on laptops and desktops as they do on mobiles of all brands, tablets, and other devices that connect to the internet. There’s extra work to be done to ensure your website functions perfectly across all platforms, and the web design company you hire must be experienced in this area.
As of late 2020, just over half of the world’s web traffic came from mobiles. This means that if your site doesn’t work properly on phones, you could lose 50% of your potential customers. If someone visits your site on a mobile, and it doesn’t work, they won’t stick around and buy anything or contact you about your services.
Before signing any contracts, you must vet your prospective web design partner about their experience making mobile-compatible sites.
Custom Functions
Unless your site is very straightforward and contains only a few pages, you’ll probably need some custom functions built, so customers can easily buy your products or use your tools. For instance, if you run a pizza restaurant and want customers to be able to order online, you might want to create a function where people can build their own pizzas. This would be more complex to code than a general ‘add to cart’ function.
If you need any custom functions or tools made for your site, the company you hire should be well-equipped to make this for you. Discuss with them exactly what you need and the steps that customers will take on your site. Ask to see examples of custom tools they’ve made previously to see if they have the skills for the task.
Transparent Timetabling
Of course, some projects run over — especially in web design, as coding can be volatile even for the experts. But the company you work with should give you a solid timetable for when they expect different parts of the project to be complete and communicate with you instantly when things run behind. This helps you plan your budget and the future of your company’s online presence much more easily.
Keep the above tips in mind when assessing whether a web company is right for you. If they’re receptive to your ideas, open about timescales, and have great previous projects to show you, you’ll be on to a winner!
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