Questions to Ask Any Web Design Service

Web design for your business is almost an arms race, with new trends in design and different features changing what’s appealing and outdated. In order to help stay on target, many businesses enlist web design services to handle this issue. But like any industry partner, there’s a selection process for finding the web design company that best suits your needs. To make sure that you make the right choice the first time, here are some questions you should be sure to ask during that initial selection process.

• Do you have experience handling X goal?

Depending on your website, you may need certain features that aren’t necessarily common, such as an event registration tool or customer service chatbot. When you’re talking to web design companies, be upfront and ask if they’ve done anything similar in the past. Ideally, you’ll want a company that not only has, but also is ready to discuss their process for tackling the issue as well as potential challenges. If you’re looking less for features and more for visual design, take a close look at their portfolio. Yes, the sites may look nice, but is there a wide variety of different designs for different needs? Ideally, you want a designer who can shift to the client’s needs, not just try to apply a general approach to everything.

• Do you use responsive design?

Mobile-friendly is one of the first things that should be on your checklist when it comes to traits for your business website. By the same token, any web design company you work with should know exactly how to design with this in mind. 50% of people use mobile websites these days, so don’t be left behind.

• What type of team do you use?

Some firms outsource their work, which isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but you want transparency. Is the team you work with a dedicated group (remote or not), or is it recruited primarily from disparate freelancers? If it’s the latter, you need to think about what happens if the person who worked on your site suddenly no longer works for the design firm and you need help. If possible, try to ask more about the people who will directly be working on your site, as well as the qualifications they have.

• How do you put together your pricing?

Note that this isn’t the same question as a basic “how much?” Ideally, a web design company won’t give you a flat rate as soon as you meet them. How are they supposed to know what the job entails if you don’t tell them? A good web design firm will give you a quote only after some back and forth over what your goals are and what the expected deliverables will be. In addition, you want to make sure you have a clear answer about added prices such as extra features or work that spills outside of the original parameters of the project.

This is only the start, but in general, you want a web design firm that is transparent about their expertise and practices. The interview process is a good way to make sure this is the case.