In this day and age, a good website is an important part of a business. It gives the users a feel of the company and the quality of service they should expect. There are even businesses that are run entirely online through their website. With this in mind, every business owner should pay keen attention to the web design of their business website. To achieve desirable results, most people usually hire a web design agency to take care of their website design and maintenance. Choosing a reliable and reputable agency is crucial since the website will reflect the image of your business online. Let us take a look at 6 things you should consider before hiring a web design agency.
1. Verify the authenticity of the web design agency
The first thing you should do is carry out a background check on the agency you would like to hire. Look for their contact information from their website and verify that the emails and phone numbers belong to them and that they actually work. You can also visit their offices to confirm that they exist and that they are a web design agency as they claim. This is important since you do not want to land in the hands of scam artists, con-men or individuals who are just experimenting with web design.
2. Take a look at their previous work
A well-established web design agency should have a solid portfolio that they can show to their clients at any time. Take a look at their previous work and see whether you like their style. Their website should also reflect the work they do. If none of their samples appeal to you, you should look for another agency.
3. The extent to which they understand your business
Your website will be one of the main avenues of drawing income to your business. It is therefore important that the web design agency you choose understands the exact nature of your business. They should be able to communicate exactly what you want and represent your brand accordingly.
4. Customer references
A well-grounded agency should be able to provide more than ten references. Contact all the references and go through their testimonials to get a clear picture of what to expect. This way, you will get to know whether the agency offers value for the money they charge.
5. Whether they follow the industry’s best practices
Ask the agency you are considering to hire about the software they use and their web design standards. You should go for an agency that uses commonly available content management systems such as Drupal, WordPress and Modx. If the agency uses an in-house content management system, you might be stuck with them for life. You should also check their previous websites to see whether they are W3C compliant and that they are compatible with all web browsers in the market today.
6. Carefully check the terms and conditions of the agency
A careful analysis of the terms and conditions will enable you to avoid any problems down the line. Ask whether there are any hidden costs, whether your files will be backed-up, who the owner of the source code is and whether updates and maintenance charges are included in your initial payment. Knowing this information will help you make an informed decision on whether that particular web design agency is the right one for you or not.