Top tips for choosing the right web development company

It doesn’t matter what the nature of your business is these days, you need a website in order to maximise your potential. Short of having the required skills to design and develop your own web platform, you’re almost certainly going to need the services of a web development company. But how do you go about choosing the right website design agency to help you meet all your online needs?

Finding a web development service that understands your requirements and can deliver the best solutions within your budget is not always easy. But use our following top tips and you’ll increase your chances of finding developers who are a good match for your brand, budget and working methods.

Work out what kind of site you want

Before deciding to work with any other design partners, you need to have at least some idea of the kind of site you need. Will you need an ecommerce platform to sell direct to customers or is the site purely for information? Will you need a contact form or chat bot service? Do you need a site with responsive design and will you need web hosting? You need to think about all these things and they will help to inform your decision.

How much support do you need?

As well as working out what kind of site you want, you also need to think about how much support you need from a web development company. Is it just a site design you need or do you require a much more intensive level of support? For example, will you need ongoing web hosting? Do you require assistance to set up websites, chat portals and more? Will you require ongoing maintenance or content creation? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before looking for a web design agency.

Portfolio

Once you have an idea in mind of the kind of site that you need you should look at the portfolio of any website design company that you’re considering working with. This will give you a greater insight into the work they do and the type of clients they work with. If possible, try to choose an agency that has worked with similar clients to your own business. That way you can be sure that they understand the needs and challenges you face on a day-to-day basis.

Social media presence and website

As well as the work they have done for other businesses, you can tell a lot about any agency by looking at their own website and social media presence. Look at their Facebook or Twitter accounts and try to get a feel for their personality, check reviews and see if you can see any feedback. This should also give you more of an idea of the kind of company they are, how they operate and whether they will be a good fit for your business.

See the bigger picture

Of course, the main goal of your project may be to establish or renew your web presence. But you should also try and see this as part of a bigger marketing strategy. The website will be the face of the company online and is an essential tool for marketing, but it is also just one piece of your marketing plan. As well as the look and functionality of your site, you need to be asking questions about other marketing features such as search engine optimisation, blog outreach, interaction, communication and more.

Cost

Of course, the bottom line is always the bottom line when it comes to any business decision. However, what you should really be focused on is value rather than cost. Yes, you need to have a realistic budget, but you should also shy away from scrimping on your online presence.

Try to find web development services that offer great value, providing all the services you need for the cost. You may need to be willing to sacrifice some things in order to get value, particularly around showy or flashy web designs. What you really need is functionality. You need a site designed with the user experience at its core component. All the flashy design elements can be an unnecessary cost. Ultimately your money should be spent on a site that’s easy to navigate and provides great content.

Problem solving

Great web design and marketing is not easy and you will inevitably come up against a number of problems throughout the process. You need to try and identify designers who are skilled problem solvers and who can find ways to overcome the obstacles and hurdles you encounter. The capacity for developers to be successful trouble shooters is very important. So, try and ask for examples and instances when they’ve been able to find positive solutions.

Communication

Any kind of successful collaboration is all about effective communication. How your partner expresses their ideas and how well they are able to understand your point of view are essential for developing a successful project. If they’re slow to respond or communicate poorly from the outset, this is a sure sign that there are going to be issues along the way.

Professionalism

The way a development company behaves, communicates and performs should always be professional. With any luck your business will be able to build good relationships for an ongoing project, but these should always be defined within professional boundaries.

Industry knowledge

No one knows your industry better than you, so it’s unlikely that a development team is going to fully understand what you do and how you operate. But if they have experience in your industry or demonstrate that they will make a big effort to work closely with you then you stand a much better chance of getting the kind of site you need. The more they understand your operation the more they will be in tune with the requirements of your site, so any developer who takes the time to get to know you is one who’s going about things the right way.

Follow all the above top tips and you should be able to find web developers and designers who understand what you need and how to deliver it. Take the time to understand your needs and requirements first, and this will make the process easier. And do your research in the right way and you can create working relationships that have a big impact on the future success of your business. Finding the right partner doesn’t always have to be difficult.