How do I Find a Reputable Web Designer or Web Design Agency? (Quick Guide)
Caria Watt ??
Crafting high-performing websites and content that build brand and customer trust ???? The Digital Strategist ?? I can help you establish a compelling digital presence ?? award winner
I’m delighted to share topics that are close to my heart, ideas I find stimulating, and practical tips to improve digital platforms and increase lead generation - that you may find useful. But my interests go beyond digital, which you'll get a taste of here. Plus insights you can put to use in every aspect of your life.
So, let's dive in...
When you own a business, finding a reputable web design agency and understanding the costs associated can be tricky. Because all you really want to do is concentrate on building your business, and getting sales. Speaking to website designers and developers can be like speaking another language. Some make the whole process complicated.
By the time people come to me, they feel jaded. That's why I want to assure you, some of us want to make the whole website process simple for you. You leave the 'web tech' talk to me to decipher for you, I help you create a site that looks like your brand, speaks directly to your customers and brings in leads - so you and your team can close into sales. Sound good??
Starting a website can be challenging enough, and if you have no idea how to plan your website project from start to finish, the process can feel daunting. There are so many things you need to do to make sure your website is successful.
I always do a tonne of research before our first meeting. Research is essential to plan a website. Things like knowing what websites you like, and don’t like helps you ascertain the style and the functionality for a designer. It also helps steer the designer away from what you don't like. More importantly, the web designer should research and understand your customers, and potential customers online.
These decisions help the designer build out the user experience functionality of your website design and usability. It's not a guessing game. It comes down to data and testing web pages. The primary goal of your website is to generate leads, and increase your profit margin, right?
So, how do I find a good (and reputable) web designer or web design agency?
Usually, you through Google search or my favourite is through a personal recommendation.?I get a tonne of recommendations from previous customers. You may want to look at business reviews, to check whether the agency is trustworthy. If their work isn't acceptable, reviews are often negative. Or speak to a previous customer and ask what the whole process was like, what they learned from it and what they would suggest you do that perhaps they missed.
The second step, look at their portfolio of websites to help you decide if they’re suitable for your brand. But, before you take the step of contacting them for a quote, let’s take a closer look at what a professional web designer or web design agency can do for your business site and the return on investment.
What does a web design agency or designer do - really?
A good web design agency thinks carefully about your business and more importantly your customers. The designer or agency should do a lot of research before the design phase. There's also a process of getting your creative input, testing the layout for functionality and for good?user experience (UI / UX).
Most web designers or web design agencies will provide an online prototype, known as wireframes, of your web pages. Think about this in terms of building a house, you need to start with the foundations. If you try to change the architecture without working on the foundations, it will be way more expensive to make design changes later down the road. Wireframes are the foundations of your website.
Building a website is similar to owning a house. It needs the foundations of wireframes, regular maintenance checkups, design adjustments and upfront iterations.
A web designer or web design agency will provide a site template. This helps you get an idea of how your site will look, feel and the function of use. This process can be done without entering any code.
Building your website is a collaboration between you and the designer. But, you are responsible for providing feedback before the development phase of the site. Again if its after it has been developed the costs will increase.
So Caria, how much should a website cost?
Good question. It really depends on what you want. You may want a simple website that showcases your brand with a contact feature only. Or perhaps you want to include an intranet portal for employees, or membership site for external stakeholders, and then we haven't even touched on eCommerce sites. So trying to ask for a fee without having your first meeting is like asking a mechanic to quote before they've looked at your car.
A business website can cost anywhere between $5k - $25k+ depending on how much content and the requirements of your business. For larger websites or ecommerce stores with lots of products you're looking at anywhere between $10k - $55+ and for organisations wanting multi-location sites will depend on how many locations, languages, content pages and functionality. So you see... the price will depend on you and your business.
The price includes the hours and the number of people that work on your website. Even for an entry-level website, it takes approximately 150 to 200 hours from start to finish to design and build before launching the site. You see a website includes the following:
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Remember that a great looking and high-performing website is a significant benefit for your business as it brings in leads. It may feel like a considerable investment, but the return on investment can often speak for itself.
Can my website be more affordable?
Of course, you can do a high amount of the user experience and data research yourself. But note that a professional web designer or web design agency won't cut corners to save costs and this is important to note. Cutting corners often leads to problems. If you want a high-converting website, then it’s not something that I would recommended to do yourself.?
A good website designer or design agency will give you options and a digital strategy to help guide you.?
Can I build my website for free?
If you have an excellent coding knowledge and the optimisation skills required to design and build your website, then by all means build it yourself. And if you do not, there are thousands of free tools available online for you to get services like Wix.
But, if you choose to build it yourself, you'll be locked into that software platform, and may have technical issues when Google changes algorithms, which they often do. For full control of your website,?a web design agency or web designer can design and build your website so you have full control. Just ask them for this option. You may have to pay slightly more - and if you feel comfortable can update the design yourself. Or like many of my clients, they ask me to do it for them and pay me a monthly retainer.
Why should I invest in a high converting website?
When you pay for a website that's modern and Google friendly, it pays for itself and a great investment for your business. Your website is the digital front-line of your business, and lead generation can work efficiently. Think of it as a 24 hour 7 days a week lead generation tool. All you need to do is produce content and make sure its updated. For example, if you are a service based business and you receive 5-6 leads each month through the website, where you can convert 30% of these leads, then your website pays for itself.
To finish...
When your website is designed well, it's got great functionality for users, meaning it's easy to navigate, pleasant to look at and gives the right information succinctly, then it's a great return on investment because it generate leads. There are?many things that goes into designing and planning a website. A good web designer or web design agency can explain the process, and create a website that speaks directly to your customers, entices them to contact you or purchase and increase your profit margin.?
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About the author
Caria Watt is the Founder of Online Business Made Easy and Digital Experience Director at CariaWatt.com. She helps entrepreneurs and business owners with web design and digital solutions to turn more online visitors, into customers.
Coach | Father | Entrepreneur
3 年Lots of gold in this guide, thanks for sharing I’d be honored to have you in my network Caria