For many customers, their first impression of your brand starts with your website. Thus, having a functional site with an intuitive web design can accelerate your brand SEO and keep your customers coming back for more.
Partnering with a web design company can give your business a significant boost in an increasingly global market, allowing you to stay ahead of the competition. Hence, selecting the right web design company is a vital decision that can make or break your online presence.
This article will guide you on what to look out for in a good web design company and how you can leverage their expertise.
What does a web design company do?
A web design company helps their clients in designing an intuitive website offering the best online experience for users. They aid their clients in every stage of the web design process, from concept planning all the way to developing the web design. In many ways, they are more like a web design partner, taking part in the entire process of creating and designing a brand’s website.
Advantages of working with a web design company
Partnering with a web design agency offers numerous benefits for your brand:
- Expertise and experience: Web design companies possess specialised knowledge in UI/UX design, SEO optimisation, and enhancing the customer online experience. Their expertise ensures your website is in capable hands, fostering trust and security in your decision to outsource.
- Time and cost savings: They handle the complex tasks of designing and coding your website, saving you valuable time and money.
- Technical support services: Additional services, like web maintenance and support, can be cost-effective if retained as part of the scope of services. These support services are integral in addressing issues before they become problematic.
- High quality websites: A web design company builds reliable, high-quality websites that retain and convert users, fostering brand loyalty and boosting earnings.
- Customisation: They tailor websites to your specific business needs, ensuring uniqueness and effectiveness in meeting your brand objectives.
- Credibility and competitiveness: For a growing business, working with a reputable web design company enhances credibility. A bespoke, visually appealing, and user-friendly website helps your brand stand out in a competitive global market.
Most importantly, by collaborating with a web design company, your brand can establish a strong online presence and achieve sustained growth.
What to look for when choosing a web design agency?
Choosing the right web design company depends on several crucial factors. If you want them to create the best possible website for your brand, you need to pay close attention to first impressions and look out for the following ten aspects of a good web design company:
1. Listens to your ideas and present their own
A good web design company will recognise your expertise in your industry and pay attention to your ideas. In turn, they will also offer their proposals, evaluating the efficacy of your ideas and offering suggestions on how to create the perfect website that causes conversions.
2. Communicate in a clear and concise manner
Effective communication is a key aspect of any successful partnership. The best web design company will discuss the creation of your website from the ground up, answering your questions respectfully and asking as many questions as you do. They will avoid using technical jargon, providing clear answers and explaining any unfamiliar terms, ensuring you’re always informed.
3. Has an experienced, high-quality staff
The best web design companies are the ones staffed by experienced professionals and specialists who know the ins and outs of your industry and the best ways to optimise your website’s SEO and make it stand out from the competition. Above all else, a pretty design is just one part of creating a good website; they must always emphasise functionality and intuitiveness when designing your site.
4. Utilises CMS and responsive web design
Aversion towards the content management system (CMS) should be taken as a red flag. Some of the best web design companies are the ones that professionally utilise CMS like WordPress, Magento, or Drupal. These companies recognise that a CMS is crucial in managing online content, simplifying the process and making it easier for your site to reach a wider audience.
A competent web design company will excel at responsive web design. This means they will ensure your website is designed and developed to adapt and function seamlessly across all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Responsive web design is a crucial aspect of modern web development, as it enhances both the user experience and your SEO ranking. Any company that does not prioritise responsive web design is a company that should be turned down, as it could negatively impact your website's performance and user engagement.
5. Experience working in your industry
When choosing a web design company, it's beneficial to consider those with experience in your industry. This ensures they understand your market, trends, customer habits, and competition, enabling them to craft a website that aligns with your goals, whether on a local, national, or global scale.
6. Has achievements, portfolios and case studies of its success
If a web design company is successful, it should have its accolades at the forefront. Always look out for case studies or pages listing achievements on the company’s website or portfolio. If you can’t find any, then it is grounds for not trusting their expertise.
7. Is highly recommended or praised by previous clients
Keep an eye out for reviews from previous clients. These online reviews are often a good indicator of what working with a web design company is like. If a company has a lot of positive reviews offering an in-depth explanation of the company and its work, it is likely a good pick for you.
8. Is up-to-date on the latest technologies or web design trends
Technology and web design are both constantly evolving. As such, a good web design company will adapt and keep up with the latest trends, ensuring that your website will remain ahead of the curve. Whether it is a responsive web design, scrolling banners or even a video on the landing page, the best web design companies will know how to strike a balance between new and established ideas.
Find out what are the latest Web Design Trends in 2024 and Choosing What's Best for Your Brand
9. Offers additional services like web maintenance
A professional web design company should do more than just design new websites for their clients. They should also continue improving your website, providing support, maintaining your site’s well-being and even giving training on the best strategies to enhance website operations. Companies with these additional services have a clear goal in mind and aim to improve themselves in order to create their best work.
10. Cost
It’s always good to ask about their pricing right off the bat. While it's good to avoid paying too much for a company’s services, you must also be wary of web design companies that charge too cheaply. In such cases, they’ll likely just make minor alterations to an existing website template. While these simpler templates may fit your needs, a custom-made web design is usually better for SEO optimisation and user retention.
Overall, you must choose a web design company that’s simultaneously affordable for your budget and worth the price for their services.
A step-by-step process for selecting a professional web design company
Choosing a professional web design company involves searching for the right agencies and thoroughly vetting them to determine if they are suitable for your needs. It’s a complicated process, but we’ve broken it down into nine simple, easy-to-follow steps:
1. Understand your business needs and your website’s goals
Identify your business needs and decide what kind of website you need and what its ultimate goal is.
2. Search for web design companies online and review their websites
Conduct an online search for web design companies and review their websites to assess their services, portfolio, and expertise.
3. Find references, testimonials and recommendations
Checking positive reviews and recommendations from previous clients is a good means of gauging a company’s expertise and competence.
4. Consider the costs and set your budget
Set a reasonable budget and see if the company’s pricing is well within your standards.
5. Contact the shortlisted companies and discuss your requirements
Once you find a company or two that suits your needs, contact them and discuss your requirements.
8. Create a communication plan with the web designers
Get in touch with the company’s web designers and establish a means of easy communication with each other.
9. Discuss timeframes
Discuss a reasonable timeframe for the company’s work and set a clear, concrete deadline for them to follow.
Start a Web Design Project with Bikebear
Now that you know everything there is to know about choosing a good web design company, let us introduce you to ours.
Bikebear fills all the important criteria needed for a good web design company. We’ve worked together with the biggest brands in Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia, with our creative and hard work being recognised by the prestigious rewards and accolades we’ve received over the years.
Armed with the latest in online web design tools and technology, our team will give your brand everything it needs to stay ahead of the competition and keep your customers coming back for more.
Need a custom-made website that stands out from the rest? Then contact us now, and we’ll bring your paw-some web design idea to life!
