Evaluate your web design company
At Isadora Design we believe that evaluating the quality of your web design company is a must. So before you decide to begin a business relationship with a new web design company make sure you take the proper steps. There are several things you can do to evaluate the credentials of a web design company you are considering to partner with. For starters, you can look at the web design company’s business website. Take a close look at the design details, including the care and effort that went into creating the website. Take a look at the layout and organization as you navigate through the different pages. Notice if the user experience is clear, simple and engaging or if it’s convoluted, difficult to follow or just plain boring. Do you find any broken links, errors, misspelling or pages not working? If so, run for the hills is our suggestion!
Next, jump over to the web design portfolio and really spend some time reviewing each and every website showcased. We can’t stress enough how important this step is so take your time when reviewing each and every project. The web design portfolio is where you will truly be able to determine a web design company’s strengths, style and expertise. This is where you will discover the types of projects that a web design company has worked on. This is where you will verify the quality and even the complexity a web design company is comfortable with. The web design portfolio should have enough business website examples that you feel comfortable the web design company can deliver precisely what you are looking for. If you are looking for an robust eCommerce website with various attributes and options you should be able to find a few good examples of this very type of website within the web design portfolio. If it’s a more creative or artistic style of web design you want then you should be able to identify some terrific examples within the web design portfolio. The bottom line is the web design portfolio is the strongest indicator of the quality of work you will receive if you sign up with that web design company. If however you find all the examples to be inadequate or below the standards and quality you are looking for then don’t expect a miracle. It’s unlikely the web design company you hire will miraculously improve over the next few months and make your website that much better. What you see in the web design portfolio is what you are going to get with your new business website. This is why the web design portfolio in our opinion is really the “tell all” resource in determining a web design company’s true talent and expertise.
The next important step you can take is to reach out to the web design company directly. You can get on the phone and speak directly to a representative (preferably a project manager or Creative Director) to get a feel for the service level provided. Was the individual you talked to responsive? Did they get back to you promptly? Did they answer all your questions? Did they make you feel comfortable? Were they knowledgeable in all areas of design and development? Did they make you feel like a valuable client? Remember these are the people you will be working with over the next few months so you want to make certain that at the very least you get along well together and they understand your needs. Below are some additional steps you can take in addition to the above:
- Setup a 1-1 meeting with the Creative Director!
- Try to find your web design company on a list of the best web design companies!
- Search through blogs to find information on certain web design companies
- Learn more about the company from the Facebook & Twitter page
- Read through the company web design blog
- Ask for a referral or two
After you’ve done your homework you are ready to move forward. Complete and submit the contact form with confidence as you have done your homework and are hopefully on your way to a fun and successful partnership with your new web design company.